(By: Daisy Barringer)

In case you’ve been in a drunken blackout all week: Colin Kaepernick will start against the Saint Louis Rams on Sunday. According to Harbaugh, Colin’s “hot hand tips the scale,” and that is why we’ll see poor Alex Smith standing on the sideline with that depressing, “Put me in coach,” expression on his face. Lest you feel too sorry for Smith though, Kaepernick is not THE official starter for the 49ers. No no. As Harbaugh so eloquently (sarcasm) explained it: "We'll go with Colin. And we'll go with Alex. They're both our guys."

I'm sure Alex is so relieved. Other than the fact that he thinks it totally sucks, that is.

Listen, I’m not going to debate this decision by Harbaugh. It’s been talked to death by everyone in the media and at some point there’s no longer a point. Lots of people think Kaepernick is the next coming of Christ. Lots of people think we should stick with Smith and his experience. Unfortunately, all that matters is what Harbaugh thinks.

Here’s the last (probably not really) I’m going to say about it: Alex Smith was the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his last full game against the Cardinals, but then he got a concussion. And now he’s on the bench. Did he do anything wrong? Nope. If he hadn’t gotten that concussion, would he be starting? Yes, I think so. Does this scenario present a potential problem where players lie about their concussion symptoms because they don’t want to lose their starting jobs? Absolutely. Is there anything anyone can do about that? No.

So it is what it is. Kaepernick starts. Alex waits in the wings. Again.

All of this distraction aside, what we should really be discussing is how we’re going to beat the Rams on the road this Sunday. So let’s do that, shall we?

The Good

• The 4-6-1 Rams have beaten only one team this season (Seahawks) with a winning record.
• Momentum. Kaepernick just won on the road in one of the loudest domes in the NFL. Sure he was helped by our defense and the fact the Drew Brees is currently self-imploding but there’s no way that win didn’t instill confidence in him. He needs to leverage that, but still play smart. No INTs into coverage this time, please.
• Aldon Smith. I’m basically obsessed. The league just named him Defensive Player of the Month despite the fact that the month actually included a bye week. Impressive. I’m so excited to see what he can do to Bradford. Like literally giddy just sitting here (fine, I’m lying in bed) thinking about it.
• Rams leading wide receiver, Danny Amendola, was in a walking boot all week and watching practice. He says he’ll be playing on Sunday, but even if that’s the case, he should be fairly ineffective.
• The Rams still have a slim chance at making the playoffs, which makes this game huge for them. Normally, this would concern me, but for some reason, I see it overwhelming them and giving the Niners the win.

The Bad

• The Niners couldn’t contain RB Steven Jackson last time and, as a result, he had his first 100-yard game of the season. The 49ers rush defense is ranked 4th in the NFL; the Niners better play like that’s the case. (Jackson does have a foot injury, which should help.)
• Kendall Hunter and Kyle Williams were both placed on season-ending injured reserve this week. Hunter was a key complement to Gore’s running game, so it will be interesting to see how the Niners handle this. Brandon Jacobs? Anthony Dixon? La Michael James? Frankly, after La Michael James’ little Twitter tantrum this week, I’m not really feeling him. That being said, I’m also incredibly eager to see him play. As far as Kyle Williams goes, the door is open for rookie A.J. Jenkins, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.
• Delanie Walker has a hip injury that kept him out of practice several days this week. He says he’s going to be ready to play on Sunday, but we need him in there. We also really, really need Kaepernick to throw Vernon Davis the ball.
• Akers is injured. Usually I’m so supportive of my players when they screw up, but I can’t even with this guy right now. Just suck it up and kick field goals. DONE.
• 10 a.m. game on the road. Need I say more?

The Rest of It

• The Niners have an unfortunate pattern this season: Win, win, loss. Win, win, loss. Win, win, tie. Win, win, _____. I think we’ll know fairly quickly which team we’re getting on Sunday as in all of the losses (and the tie), the entire team has started the game with lackluster play. As always, we need to score first and set the momentum.
• It’s the Rams. Not exactly an intimidating team, but our last meeting did end IN A TIE. (I can get over guys I dump in like three hours, but I’m still pissed about that tie.) We can’t underestimate them even if they deserve just that.
• It’ll come down to what it always comes down to. If we don’t make mistake on offense, force mistakes on defense, and if Akers can manage not to shank his field goals, we should have this one in the bag.

Watch San Francisco at New Orleans on Sunday at 10 a.m. PST on FOX.