Vernon Davis: 49ers TE Lifts Team to Win

Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Quietly, the San Francisco 49ers have crept back into the thick of things within the NFC West. With the Seattle Seahawks at 5-1, one would think the division belongs solely to them. But, without being talked about too often over the past couple of weeks — for the positives — the 49ers have jumped to 4-2 and look like a much better team than they did three weeks ago.

Sunday, the 49ers took on the Arizona Cardinals who have boasted a pretty good defense thus far and an improved offensive scheme compared to a year ago. Up until week six, Colin Kaepernick had not given us a big game since his week one career performance.

The Cardinals kept it close throughout the game with scores by Larry Fitzgerald and Andre Ellington, but in the end Kaepernick and the offense was too much.

One of the biggest reasons for Kaepernick’s 252 yard, two touchdown performance was that of his tight end Vernon Davis. Out of those 252 yards, Davis accounted for 180 of them and both touchdowns came at his hands.

To give you an idea of just how in sync these two were, the second-leading receiver was Anquan Boldin — three catches for 28 yards. You could say that without Davis, Kaepernick would be just another mediocre quarterback — and you’d be right.

What Davis brings to the table as such an athletic threat is unmatched throughout the league. The speed and size he has at the tight end position is one of the best combinations ever seen.

While the defense has continued to be one of the best, San Francisco is needing to depend much more on Kaepernick and Davis to score points. Don’t forget about running back Frank Gore, who ran for 101 yards Sunday. But, in the end, it’s Kaepernick and Davis who need to continue leading this team to wins.

Ryan Heckman is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ryanmheckman, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.