5 Burning Questions and a Week 10 Prediction

1)  Will Greg Roman get Vernon Davis more involved?

• The use of Vernon Davis in the 49ers offense has continued to be a hot topic during the bye week.  Davis has only 5 catches for 71 yards over the last three weeks.  He was very productive in both of the meetings between these two teams last season catching 13 passes for 150 yards.

2)  Can Alex Smith come close to duplicating his performance in Arizona?

• Having only happened once before in the history of the team, it is safe to say that it is highly unlikely that Smith will be able to duplicate his 18-19 effort from the Arizona game.  If the past is any indication, Smith will have another efficient outing.  Young followed up his 18-20 performance by going 10-15 for 96 yards in a 23-7 win in Philadelphia. 

3)  How will Michael Crabtree fare against Cortland Finnegan?

• Finnegan presents the type of matchup that has given Crabtree trouble in the past.  This game could be a good measuring stick as to how improved Crabtree is in 2012.  My prediction, Crabtree will come away with 4 catches for 45+ yards.

4)  How will Carlos Rogers handle Danny Amendola?

• Amendola presents Rogers with his toughest test since Victor Cruz visited San Francisco.  Although he has played in only 4 1/2 games this season, Amendola has been targeted 49 times, that is only 6 less than the leader for the 49ers, Michael Crabtree who has 55 through 8 games.  Sam Bradford's ability to keep the chains moving on third down using Amendola could be the deciding factor in this being a close game or a blowout.

5)  Will Colin Kaepernick see any action?

• The use of Kaepernick has dried up over the last 2 games, as he has only been on the field for 1 play.  Coming out of the bye last season, Greg Roman utilized some new wrinkles by calling for passes to Joe Staley and Isaac Sopoaga.  Something tells me we might see the something interesting again on Sunday.

Prediction:

49ers 21  Rams 17 -  The Rams are going to provide a much stiffer test than many have predicted.  I see them leading this game by 3 heading into the 4th quarter, and Alex Smith leading his first fourth quarter comeback of the year.