San Francisco 49ers escape against St. Louis Rams with 31-17 win on Monday Night Football thanks to a stacked offense full of weapons like 'Mr. Dependable' Anquan Boldin

In a division billed as the toughest and best this year for the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers managed another victory on MNF to vie for NFC West superiority. The team the 49ers need to beat, the Arizona Cardinals, is still 4-1. As the 49ers picked up their fourth win of the season, the NFC West division is up for grabs and Colin Kaepernick and company are looking forward to the battle for divisional superiority that looms overhead of their season.

The 49ers showing on Monday Night Football was another offensive clinic for San Francsico's QB Colin Kaepernick. ESPN's San Francisco 49ers reporter Pault Gutierrez remarks on the numerous weapons available to Coach Jim Harbaugh on offense. The argument can be made that Kaepernick's favorite receiver is Michael Crabtree or Vernon Davis as his security Tight End or Brandon Lloyd for an explosive sideline burning of the secondary. The one receiver who has been overlooked is that of Anquan Boldin who had a monster game on Monday Night Football. Boldin would come up huge when needed, especially on a busted play-action from Kaepernick running for his life to a nice impromptu throw to Boldin for the nails in the coffin touchdown to stifle the St. Louis Rams. As Gutierrez explains, Anquan Boldin has been the most dependable back that Kaepernick has at his disposal. Boldin has statistically and repitetively been there to make huge plays when San Fran absolutely needed them most. The same was true last night as Boldin put up nearly 100 yards catching with one touchdown. In fact, the same seems to be true every time Boldin suits up against the Rams, who has a respectable 12-4 win ratio, over 1400+ yards and 6 100+ yard games (receiving) versus the Rams.

Indeed, Kaepernick himself would have a record setting game via his legs. The Kaepernick-Boldin improvised touchdown would be recorded as Colin Kaepernick's sixth NFL touchdown this season while being flushed out of the pocket, those 6 mobile touchdowns are now the NFL record this season, as Kaepernick just surpassed Andrew Luck for the bragging rights. Anquan Boldin had more to say about how well Kaepernick's elusiveness and reads have gotten as he watches this NFL superstar QB further improve and progress:

"It was a broken play...Kap made a play with his legs...Because with a mobile quarterback...things like that are going to happen. … I've seen him do it over and over...His decision-making has improved a lot...He's always been a good leader. He's always been able to make plays with his legs. But his decision-making has really grown in the last two years, the two years I've been here"

Kaepernick had equally high praise of Anquan Boldin who has been dubbed as 'Mr. Dependable' in San Francisco after Monday Night Football play. Kaepernick while regarding his broken play touchdown to Boldin gave credit where credit was due, "He came back and made a great play...He was supposed to be running the other way, saw me scramble. … I'll give Anquan a shot any day of the week." As San Francisco finds more and more playmakers on both sides of the field this season stepping up with huge plays, they will need that deadly 49er offense with 'Mr. Dependable' at the helm for San Francisco' s big challenge next week against the equally dominant Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football.

References:

http://espn.go.com/blog/san-francisco-49ers/post/_/id/9998/colin-kaepernick-has-his-personal-mr-dependable-in-anquan-boldin

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/97082/top-stats-to-know-49ers-31-rams-17

Photography / Image Courtesy:

San Francisco 49ers: Michael Wifall

ESPN Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen on status of San Francisco 49'ers Ray McDonald Domestic Violence Case

ESPN Senior NFL Analyst Chris Mortensen articled the status of the pending legal action facing San Francisco 49ers Defensive End Ray McDonald last sunday. According to Santa Clara District Attorney's office, Ray McDonald was arrested on August 31st. McDonald was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence while celebrating his 30th birthday at his house with fellow 49er teammates and various friends and acquantices. McDonald lives at the home with his fiancee. An unidentified woman was alleged to have been physically hurt by McDonald. Santa Clara Police stated that the alledged woman had "visible injuries". At this time two court hearings have been delayed.

According to Mortensen's sources, Harbough and company are prepared to discipline McDonald with a possible termination of contract or a suspension. Mcdonald has still been training and playing with the team since the incident. In fact, last sunday was the fourth start for McDonald since the charges were filed. League sources also claim that Jed York, President of the San Francisco 49ers, and Trent Baalke, 49er General Manager, have been insistent that they will honor 'due process' regarding McDonald's case. San Francisco representatives have been in coordination and communication with the NFL on the case. Thus, it seems all parties involved will be waiting for new evidence or information to come forth via Santa Clara Police and Santa Clara District Attorney findings, as one of Mortensen's sources expressed. Santa Clara District Attorney office also announced, "Prosecutors will review, decide whether or not to file criminal charges, or seek further investigation," after the DA office received the case.

Chris Mortensen furthered explained that even as 'due process' will be honored, there is concern for McDonald. Any evidence or information which is released by the investigation that is deemed 'damaging' could actually result in action taken against McDonald without waiting for a possible conviction. As it seems, if these finding are found to be verifiable in the League's eyes then San Francisco 49ers management would carry out possible termination of contract or suspension. Apparently, everyone including the NFL and the 49ers are waiting on the Santa Calra DA's investigation into the matter, which they stated had begun yesterday following a tweet on their twitter account. Mortensen's sources state the key will be the specificity of information released and how damning that information to be. At this time, there is no announcement from San Francisco that Ray McDonald will be punished or benched for the upcoming games. The very nature of this faux pas will most likely have a negative impact on the San Francisco locker-room and no fellow teammates have verbally outted McDonald either as of yet. While San Francisco has been playing great ball on the grid iron, this off the field issue could be building into a masthead in the coming weeks. That is a distraction a very disciplined and focused group of 49ers clearly want to avoid, but waiting on the issue to rear its ugly head further may backfire on San Francisco management of the domestic violence case.

References:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11605743/san-francisco-49ers-discipline-ray-mcdonald-charged?ex_cid=espnapi_public

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11630349/district-attorney-receives-case-ray-mcdonald-san-francisco-49ers

Photography/ Image Courtesy:

Ray McDonald:
 Derek Kaczmarczyk