SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Mariucci: It was our best game of the season

The 49ers had a good day in last week's 37-13 romp past the St. Louis Rams.
VINDICATOR STAFF REPORT
Fresh off the franchise's biggest regular-season win in four seasons, San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci admits things couldn't have gone much better in Sunday's 37-13 thrashing of the St. Louis Rams.
"It was our best game of the year," said Mariucci after the Niners snapped a six-game losing streak to their NFC West Division rivals. "We had two weeks to prepare, we were fresh and we were on a mission."
The 49ers scored on all four of their first-half possessions, and had a balanced offensive attack (27 rushes and 27 passes).
Mariucci also credited strong play by third-year cornerbacks Jason Webster and Ahmed Plummer, plus pressure from the defensive front four against Rams quarterback Jamie Martin.
"We took advantage of some of their replacement guys," Mariucci said Tuesday at the team's headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif. "We maybe didn't hit on all eight cylinders, but it was close."
Most productive game
The Niners' (3-1) offense enjoyed its most productive game as quarterback Jeff Garcia completed 18-of-26 passes for 214 yards to raise his passer rating to 81.1 in the rout.
Tailback Garrison Hearst rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown and wide receiver Terrell Owens made seven catches for 89 yards.
Mariucci said the turning point against the Rams was Webster's interception and 37-touchdown return four seconds before halftime.
"That had to be demoralizing to them," Mariucci said of the 49ers' 27-3 halftime edge. "Anytime a team scores points just before the half, whether it's a field goal or a touchdown, it's a big boost for the team's demeanor going into the locker room. That was pretty much the straw that broke the camel's back."
Played key roles
In snapping the streak, Webster and Plummer played key roles as the 49ers shut down the Rams' (0-5) vaunted aerial attack.
"When we drafted them three years ago, there was little competition at cornerback, so we drafted them to come in and start," said Mariucci of the 49ers' first- and second-round picks of 2000. "They went through growing pains like you would expect, but they've grown up fast."
Mariucci noted that the Rams aren't as strong without Orlando Pace (injury) and Ryan Tucker (free-agent, Browns).
Next up for the first-place 49ers, owned by John and Denise DeBartolo York of Canfield, is a trip to Seattle for Monday's game against the Seahawks (1-3), one of two new division rivals.
The 49ers have a half-game lead over the Arizona Cardinals (3-2).
First visit to stadium
This will be the 49ers' first road trip since opening the season on Sept. 5 against the New York Giants in the Meadowlands in New Jersey. It also will be their first visit to the Seahawks' new open-air stadium built on the site of the former Kingdome.
"I hear it's great, but I've only seen it from television," Mariucci said. "The Kingdome was loud and I'm sure this one will be as well. It will be up to our offense to handle crowd noise, but we have a veteran unit that won five road games last year."
Monday's game will be Mariucci's first coaching a meaningful game against former boss Mike Holmgren since a NFC playoff game in 1998 when the Niners defeated Holmgren's Packers 30-27 on a final-play touchdown by wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Mariucci said the 49ers expect the Seahawks (1-3) "to look a lot like us on offense. We've got to be able to stop the run first.
Dilfer has completed 58 of 100 passes for 692 yards and two touchdowns. Alexander has 249 yards and four touchdowns on 68 carries. He's also caught 17 passes for 182 yards and two more scores.