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49ers seek first 2-0 start in nearly a decade

Sep 16, 2007 - 11:07 AM San Francisco (1-0) at St. Louis (0-1) Sunday 1:00 pm EDT

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Alex Smith showed maturity in directing a late game-winning touchdown drive against the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, the young quarterback looks to lead the San Francisco 49ers to their first 2-0 start in nearly a decade when they visit the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

San Francisco has not opened with two wins since 1998, when it started 3-0 and finished 12-4 under Steve Mariucci.

Regarded as a sleeper team in the NFC by many observers, the 49ers looked sluggish for 57 minutes against the Cardinals, managing just 109 total yards.

But Smith, now in his third season, engineered an 86-yard drive in the final three minutes before Arnaz Battle scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds to play.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2005, Smith finished just 15-of-31 for 126 yards, but was 6-of-10 for 60 yards on the winning drive. He kept the 49ers alive by scrambling for 25 yards on 4th-and-1 to the Cardinals' 20.

"We struggled all night," Smith said. "It was frustrating on offense. Our guys stepped up on the final drive. We never quit believing and never stopped knowing that we were going to pull it out and win the game. I am so proud of this team."

The Rams opened with a disappointing 27-13 home loss to the Carolina Panthers. St. Louis, which entered the season with defensive concerns, gave up 186 yards on the ground and allowed Jake Delhomme to throw three touchdown passes.

St. Louis needs a better effort from running back Steven Jackson, who ran for just 58 yards on 18 carries and lost two fumbles. The 2006 Pro Bowler had 2,314 total yards from scrimmage last season.

The Rams will be without Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace, who will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a torn labrum in the second quarter against the Panthers.

It is the second major injury in as many seasons for Pace, who sat out the last seven games of last year with a torn left triceps.

"I feel real bad for Orlando," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "He worked very, very hard to get himself back from his triceps injury a year ago. He probably is in the best shape he's been in a number of years."

The NFC West rivals split their two meetings last season, with each winning at home. The 49ers posted a 20-13 win in Week Two and the Rams returned the favor with a 20-17 victory in Week 12.