In 2005, the San Francisco 49ers made Alex Smith the top pick in the NFL Draft. Smith struggled horribly. His lowest moment was being benched for Derek Carr on national television in 2009, before Jim Harbaugh arrived. Under Harbaugh, Smith guided the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in 2010 before sustaining a concussion midway through 2011, leading to Colin Kaepernick starting and Smith's trade to the Kansas City Chiefs.
NFL picks and predictions, Chiefs vs. 49ers 2014: San Fran a trendy pick over Alex Smith
Two teams that love to run the football get together for a pivotal Week 5 matchup.
Dilip Vishwanat
Smith makes his return to San Francisco this Sunday, going against Kaepernick for the first time. Since being dealt, Smith has turned the Chiefs into a winner, leading them to 11 victories and a playoff berth last season while making the Pro Bowl. Smith has thrown for 891 yards and seven touchdowns while rushing for 103 yards this year. His rushing total is second among quarterbacks to Kaepernick’s 187 rushing yards.
Kaepernick has enjoyed success, but also taken his share of criticism since earning the starting job. In 2014, Kaepernick has completed 66.9 percent of his passes but thrown four interceptions, scuttling the 49ers at times. The 26-year-old quarterback must continue to progress if San Francisco is going to make another run at the Super Bowl.
Still, every analyst at CBS Sports believes the 49ers will rally behind Kaepernick to beat the Chiefs this weekend. However, six of the eight see a tight game, picking the Chiefs to cover the 6.5-point spread. At ESPN.com, only Mike Ditka believes Kansas City can win on a short week at Levi’s Stadium.
Both Eric Adelson and Frank Schwab of Yahoo sided with the 49ers, and only Gregg Rosenthal was the only writer at NFL.com who believes Smith will get revenge on his former team. At USA Today, the seven pickers all go with the 49ers to take care of business. Our guys at SB Nation all went with the 49ers, save PFT Commenter, who believes in Andy Reid.
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