National Football League

S.F.'s defense does its part;49ERS 17, RAIDERS 9

Published Oct. 18, 2010 10:12 a.m. ET

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Forget all the coachspeak of football being a three-phase team sport. The 49ers no longer could wait for their Alex Smith-run offense to get things in gear or for the special teams to add significant points to the cause.

If the 49ers ever were going to win a game this season, it was going to be with a defense that kept the other team out of the end zone.

The 49ers squashed the hapless Raiders 17-9 with a crushing run defense, relentless pass rush, airtight coverage and no waiting around for the offense to help Sunday at Candlestick Park.

The 49ers ended a six-week search for win No. 1, and being the good sports that they are, let the offensive side of the locker room join the celebration.

"Good, bad or indifferent, whatever the offense is doing, it doesn't matter to us on the defensive side," inside linebacker Patrick Willis said. "We've got to play our defense at all times. Today was just that day."

Never mind that Smith completed fewer than half his passes 16 of 33 for 196 yards. So what if the offense had 28 rushing yards at halftime and all of three points until the last play of the third quarter.

The 49ers' defense held the fort until Smith and friends finally figured out how to crack the Raiders' defense before they reached the point of falling to 0-6.

"We knew what we had to do in order to win the game," safety Dashon Goldson said. "If they don't score, they don't win. That was our mind-set, so we had to go out there and hold them to field goals and just give our offense time to figure out what they need to do."

What the 49ers' offense needed to do most was not botch things with their NFL-leading turnover ways. Smith threw no interceptions, running back Frank Gore dropped no fumbles, and receiver Michael Crabtree didn't tip an interception into anyone's hands.

By staying out of the way, the offense left the defense to do what it did best last year - stuff the run and tighten up in the red zone, all while making the quarterback miserable.

"You can talk all you want about what you're going to do," outside linebacker Manny Lawson said. "But until you do it, it doesn't mean anything. It's just talk."

Here's what the 49ers' defense, then, had to say:

Lawson said Zach Miller would not be a factor. Lawson made a diving interception in front of the Raiders' tight end early in the second quarter, all part of a lockdown effort that limited Miller to two catches for 48 yards.

"They did pay some attention to me," Miller said.

Inside linebacker Takeo Spikes said the Raiders were not going to run the ball on them with the NFL's seventh-ranked rushing offense.

Of his six tackles, three were within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage on first-down runs. When quarterback Jason Campbell tried to scramble, it was Spikes who dropped him in the open field for only 2 yards.

Running back Michael Bush had 20 carries for 47 yards. That's 2.4 yards per bother.

"Everything that they did with the trickery," Spikes said, "the different formations, we were still able to hold our ground and make plays."

While Spikes was at it, he also said the Raiders were not going to get anywhere by air.

Three times in the previous four weeks, the 49ers' defense let the opposing team drive for winning points in the fourth quarter. Not this time.

Up 17-9 with 2:46 left in the game, Spikes intercepted a deflected pass at the Raiders' 19 to seal the deal.

They left Campbell with a 10.7 passer rating, worst by a 49ers opponent since Archie Manning's 8.7 in 1972. Campbell completed 8 of 21 passes for 83 yards, with no completions from the 1:05 mark of the first quarter to the 10:37 mark of the fourth quarter.

After the first play of the second quarter, the 49ers did not allow a first down again until the fourth quarter. They bought enough time for Smith to deliver touchdown throws to Crabtree and Vernon Davis in the second half.

Call it an equal-parts team victory, but some parts were more equal than others.

"We finished the game," Willis said. "That's something we've had problems doing, finishing the game when we had it in our hands.

"You're not satisfied, but you can finally take a breath."

Scott Ostler: Did Smith do enough in Singletary's eyes to save his job? B9

After a poor first half in which he completed 8 of 20 passes for 98 yards and the 49ers scored no touchdowns, Alex Smith had a decent second half Sunday. It was his first game without an interception this season. His week-by-week stats:

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