The 49er's shined up HC Dennis Erickson's debut by crushing the Chicago Bears 49-7 and defeating them in almost every single aspect of the game.

Jeff Garcia threw 19 of 35 for 229 yards and two scores and then rushed in one more himself. Garcia showed no signs of trouble from his back problems of this summer and had seven runs for 36 yards to prove it.

Garrison Hearst had 56 yards on 11 carries and 41 more yards on three catches while scoring on both a pass and a run. Kevan Barlow had more carries with 15 for 62 yards but that mostly came later on when the game was well in hand.

Terrell Owens caught seven passes for his standard 112 yards while Tai Streets had the other passing score. Already leading 33 - 7 at halftime, the 49ers rode out the game uncharacteristically by allowing Jeff Chandler to kick a total of five short field goals.

The anticipated long passing game never materialized since it was never needed.

It is hard to determine what was bad play of Chicago or just good play of San Francisco. The Bears were limited to only 150 yards of offense and only scored because an interception that started them close enough to the goalline.

What was hidden - or at least compensated for in the game - were the cornerback problems for San Francisco. CB Rashad Holman (nickel back) will now be out for three weeks with a right groin strain. CB Mike Rumph who was demoted last season filled in for Jason Webster who is still out with a knee injury and played well against the Bears.

The 49ers also had five series inside the redzone but settled for a field goal four times. Then again with the game so far out of hand it did not matter.

The Rams come off a loss to the Giants, 23-13 but much of the problem was that Kurt Warner played almost the entire game with a concussion. While he did throw for 342 yards, he fumbled the ball a near-record six times, losing three of them. One was in his own endzone and another was at the Giants' five-yard line.

Marshall Faulk was held to only 28 yards on nine rushes and 27 yards on seven catches and the Rams only attempted 13 runs in the game even though they only trailed 10-6 at the half.

Even with Faulk bottled up and Warner woozy the entire game, the Rams still were close to winning. They gave up one gift touchdown and missed the chance to kick a field goal that was the difference in the score. If Warner had not handled the ball like a Las Vegas blackjack dealer, the Rams would have won.

Shaun McDonald strained a ligament in his thumb and will miss this game. He will be replaced by Dane Looker and possibly Mike Furrey.

The Rams young secondary was impressive, holding Kerry Collins to only 202 yards passing with no touchdowns and breaking down only once when Amani Toomer caught a 77 yard pass. Tiki Barber did have little trouble gaining 146 yards on 24 carries though, a difference maker in the game.

This weekend will show if the 49ers really are all that and a bag of sourdough chips and if the Rams can bounce back with Marc Bulger who has been named the starter in the game. The 49er cornerbacks are nothing special and were never really tested by Chicago thanks to the Bears not blocking the pass rush. Back at home this is a game that either either propels San Francisco forward to an eventual playoff run while giving the Rams the sense that "it's happening again" or the two teams can be tied in the standings which is the intent of parity.

Bulger looked great last season but he did that against very soft secondaries at home. Once again, Bulger starts out at home against a soft secondary. The Rams should take this one in a close game.