49ers vs. Bills preview

<p class="bold allcaps">49ERS TODAY</p> <p><b>At Buffalo Bills, 10 a.m.</p><p>TV: Ch. 2Radio: KNBR 680-AM, KSAN 107.7-FM</p><p>THE LINE: </b>Buffalo by 7</p><p><b>THE SERIES: </b>The Bills lead, 5-4. This is the fourth meeting between the teams in Buffalo, the first since 1998. The 49ers are 1-2 against the Bills on the road.</p><p><b>LAST MEETING: </b>At the tail end of the Dennis Erickson-Terry Donahue era, the 49ers had all but given up. With Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett at quarterback, the 49ers scored a late touchdown to avoid being shut out in a 41-7 loss at Candlestick Park on Dec. 26, 2004.</p><p><b>INJURY REPORT</p><p>49ers: </b>KR Allen Rossum (ankle), S Dashon Goldson (knee) are out; CB Walt Harris (hamstring), WR Josh Morgan (groin), WR Arnaz Battle (foot) are question- able; LB Patrick Willis (ankle), WR Jason Hill (groin) are probable.</p><p><b>Bills: </b>CB Jabari Greer (knee), LB Teddy Lehman (ham- string), TE Robert Royal (hamstring), DE Aaron Schobel (foot) are out; S Donte Whitner (shoulder) is doubtful; DE Copeland Bryan (foot), LB Keith Ellison (ankle), TE Derek Schouman (hamstring) are questionable.</p><p><b>WHAT’S AT STAKE</b></p><p>The Bills need a victory to remain in the hunt for an AFC wild-card berth. The 49ers are looking for their first victory against a decent opponent.</p><p><b>SPOTTING TRENDS</p><p>49ERS (3-8): </b>Things were bad under Mike Nolan but are no better so far with Mike Singletary at the helm. The 49ers are 1-3 under Singletary after Nolan was fired. The 49ers have not been able to generate a running game on the road. To remain competitive in this game, running back Frank Gore has to find some openings through which to run. Gore had just 26 yards on 14 carries against the Cowboys last week, as the 49ers were out-schemed and out-played. Gore was responsible, too, as he missed a couple of alleys his line opened for him. Other times, he simply had nowhere to go. This will be an opportunity for a bounce-back game from cornerback Nate Clements, who will likely see a lot of the Bills’ top receiver, Lee Evans.</p><p><b>BILLS (6-5): </b>After getting off to a 5-1 start, the Bills have fallen on tough times. Buffalo lost four consecutive games against Miami, the Jets, New England and Cleveland before ending the skid with a dominating 54-31 rout of Kansas City last week. Offensively, the Bills rely on their Stanford-Cal connection. Quarterback Trent Edwards has been up-and-down this season. Statistically, he ranks in the middle of the pack of NFL starters with a respectable 86.6 passer rating. He’s thrown 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The man who makes the offense click is running back Marshawn Lynch, in his second year from Cal. Lynch is similar to Gore. He leads the Bills with 710 yards rushing with seven touchdowns, while also being a big part of the passing game. Lynch is tied for the team lead with 42 receptions.</p><p><b>QUOTE TO NOTE</b></p><p>“I’m not auditioning. I’m just doing my job. Everything else will take care of itself. Either it’s good enough or it’s not.”</p><p>— Singletary on his interim title</p><p>and what it means for next season</p><p><b>THE 49ERS WILL WIN IF . . . </b>They get the run game going, while avoiding turnovers and getting a couple takeaways in return.</p><p><b>THE BILLS WILL WIN IF . . . </b>They play even an average game.</p><p><b>KEY MATCHUPS</b></p><p>DE Justin Smith vs. LT Jason Peters</p><p>Smith is quietly having a strong season for the 49ers. Today, he’ll be matched against one of the top left tackles in the league.</p><p>RB Frank Gore vs. LB Paul Posluszny</p><p>Gore has averaged just 55.8 yards in five road games. Posluszny leads the Bills with 94 tackles on the season.</p><p>LB Patrick Willis vs. RB Marshawn Lynch</p><p>Willis, the 49ers’ leading tackler, will have to shed blockers and bring down Lynch or it will be a long day for San Francisco’s defense.</p><p>— Matt Maiocco</p>