Hard-earned victory

SAN FRANCISCO - Just like a year ago, the 49ers defeated the St. Louis Rams for their first victory of the season.

But there was a lot more substance to what happened Sunday on Candlestick Point. The 49ers did not get lucky this time. In fact, they made the task more difficult than required, but still had the wherewithal to produce a stirring 20-13 victory against an NFC West opponent.

"We won, but we made a lot of mistakes," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "That's a good thing, to be able to make mistakes and still pull off a win."

The 49ers played without the left side of their starting offensive line because of injuries to tackle Jonas Jennings and guard Larry Allen. It looked as if they would have little room for error against the Rams.

But the 49ers won in front of 67,791 fans despite playing far from a perfect game.

Running back Frank Gore, who did everything else right, fumbled on the Rams' 2 in the first half. Moreover, on three trips inside the Rams' 20, the 49ers managed only six points, frittering away prime scoring chances.

"I'm not really frustrated, but they didn't really stop us," 49ers receiver Antonio Bryant said. "We've got to do the right things. We want to be better. There are things we can do a lot better. That's good. We don't want to be exactly where we need to be now."

The makeshift offensive line, which included left tackle Adam Snyder and left guard Tony Wragge, received the game ball from Nolan in the locker room afterward. The line generated holes for Gore, while doing a fine job of protecting quarterback Alex Smith.

The 49ers took control of the game early in the second half, scoring a touchdown on Gore's 32-yard run, then bouncing back to take a 17-10 lead on Bryant's 72-yard scoring pass from Smith three plays after the Rams' offense was forced to punt after a three-and-out.

"That's what I'm most proud of," 49ers guard Justin Smiley said. "With Adam and Tony stepping in, it's hard to fill the shoes of Larry and Jonas, but they were tested from last Sunday to this Sunday."

The 49ers (1-1) had an encouraging 34-27 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in the season opener - a game they easily could have won if not for two costly turnovers. This time, they compensated for their mistakes with enough big plays.

Gore bounced back strong in the second half to make amends for his miscue near the goal line. He rushed for a career-high 127 yards on 29 carries. He ran out the final 3:38 of the game behind an offensive line that wore down the Rams' front seven.

After his first-half fumble, Gore said, running backs coach Bishop Harris had a talk with him.

"He told me to relax, that I'm trying too hard," said Gore, who has lost fumbles in both of the team's first two games. "I put us in a bad situation by losing the ball, but the offensive line and my coaches told me to just be myself. I tried to redeem myself."

Smith generally had plenty of time to throw against a Rams defense that rattled Denver quarterback Jake Plummer last week into three interceptions and four sacks. Smith completed 11 of 22 passes for 233 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

"He's our leader," said Bryant, who appeared frustrated with Smith on occasion in the first half. "He came back out there and took the victory."

The 49ers outgained the Rams in total yards, 360-265, a stark contrast with their season-opening victory against St. Louis last season. In that game, the 49ers managed just 217 total yards, while the Rams rolled up 405. Somehow, the 49ers managed a 28-25 victory. But there was no question which was the better team Sunday.

"They didn't surprise us with anything, but they did out-execute us at times," Rams defensive end Leonard Little said. "That was huge."

And so was the 49ers' defense.

The big question around the 49ers is whether they have the manpower on defense to generate a pass rush. Ask Rams quarterback Marc Bulger, who was sacked six times and hurried five times.

"They have Bryant Young, and he's a great player," Bulger said. "He brings a lot of heat. They brought some linebackers and created different looks."

Young had one sack, while rookie outside linebacker Manny Lawson and blitzing nickel back Chad Williams recorded two apiece. Defensive lineman Marques Douglas also had a sack and a forced fumble, which led to the 49ers' final points on Joe Nedney's 20-yard field goal with 5:20 remaining in the game.

The Rams, under new coach Scott Linehan, did not show the aggressiveness on offense they fashioned during the Mike Martz regime. Bulger threw for just 185 yards, and Pro Bowl receiver Torry Holt had just 30 yards on five catches.

"This was huge," 49ers cornerback Walt Harris said. "Not just defensively, but as a team. We needed this win. We knew at the end of the Arizona game how good we could be. There is room for improvement, but I'm excited about this win at home."