San Francisco 49ers: The Biggest Surprises of the First Half of the Season

Oct 27, 2013; London, UNITED KINGDOM; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) breaks up a pass intended for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon (14) during an International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Martin-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 season has been an interesting for the San Francisco 49ers. There have been plenty of surprises so far this season and it’s hard to choose just one.

So I won’t.

There’s too many equally unexpected events that have happened so far this season, so I’m going to give a little time to all of them.

Gore being Gore

Many people believed this would be the year that Frank Gore finally slowed down and became average. And you’d probably be a liar if it didn’t linger in the back of your head at least once or twice. But he’s proved everyone wrong. Not only is he the same Gore as always, he’s better. He seems to get better with age. He’s on pace to have one of his best seasons in his entire career. That was crazy to even suggest during the off season.

Anquan Boldin

Anquan Boldin has been a savior for the 49ers. When he was traded for, many people thought we was too old to contribute anymore. Analysts thought he would be used in the slot and not have a huge impact. But after Michael Crabtree went down with an Achilles injury, everything changed. Boldin was pushed into the No. 1 role and forced to produce. And produce he has. Without him, the 49ers would have no wide receivers and almost no passing game at all. Jim Harbaugh better let John Harbaugh get the last piece of turkey at this year’s Thanksgiving for that.

Aldon Smith

Once the Super Bowl ended last year, everyone looked to the next year and Aldon Smith was a favorite to break the single-season sack record. After a couple bad decisions, he had to take a leave of absence. No one really expected Smith to be miss five games. Not for an injury, let alone for voluntarily enrolling into rehab. But the good news is that the 49ers activated Aldon Smith today. So it looks as if he’s getting his life back on track.

Impressive despite injuries

Michael Crabtree, Mario Manninghman, Vernon Davis, Chris Culliver, Ian Williams, Patrick Willis, LaMichael James, Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial, Eric Wright, Quinton Patton and Nnamdi Asomugha. These are the names of players who have missed at least one game this year because of injuries. After being relatively healthy for the past two years, the 49ers have experienced some unfortunate injuries on both sides of the ball. On defense they were most affected, but it seemed to have done the most damage on offense. But somehow, even without having key players, the 49ers have put on an impressive five-game winning streak. The defense was pieced together but somehow has stayed strong throughout injuries and other unforeseen events. The coaches found the team’s strong suit with the running game and the offense has ridden on the backs of the running game to a 6-2 record.

Dashon who?

Many fans were upset when the 49ers decided to let Dashon Goldson head off to free agency. Many though it would be tough to replace the All-Pro. It looks like it was easier than everyone thought. After trading up in the draft, the 49ers selected Eric Reid from LSU. Again, many fans were upset because the 49ers missed out on Kenny Vaccaro from Texas. And again, the 49ers coaches proved why they are leading the team and not the fans. Eric Reid has not only replaced Dashon Goldson, he might even be playing better than Goldson did. Reid seems to be better in coverage with a lot fewer penalties. If Reid continues to get better, the 49ers might have found a star.

They scored how many points?

Thirty-four, 35, 34, 32, 31 and 42. Those are the scores of all of the 49ers’ wins so far this season. Recently the 49ers have not been known for offense. They’ve been known for a stout defense that holds opponents to low scores and just enough offense to win. So far through eight weeks, in games that they win, the 49ers are averaging almost 35 points per game. That is unheard of for a 49ers’ fan. The exciting part is that they are doing this with almost no help from the passing game. Once receivers like Mario Manninghman and Michael Crabtree come back, the offense might be twice as scary.

Won three games in a row

This one is just for fun. After not being able to win three games in a row for the entire regular season last year, the 49ers are currently on a five-game winning streak.