SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Winning, they say, is the ultimate deodorant.
And yet, something still smells foul in the San Francisco 49ers’ locker room, even after Sunday’s 22-17 feel-good victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. And no, we’re not talking about the constant chatter about coach Jim Harbaugh and the players reportedly wanting him gone.
Rather, it’s the 49ers continuing to have issues once they cross the opponents’ 20-yard line and having to settle for field goals rather than punching it in for touchdowns.
“As long as we win,” said quarterback Colin Kaepernick, “that’s all that matters.”
True enough. But if the Niners had not stalled in the red zone in the Super Bowl against the Baltimore Ravens two seasons ago or against the Seattle Seahawks in last January’s NFC title game, San Francisco might have two more Lombardi Trophies to join the five already in their case.
But Kaepernick has a point -- winning the game is the important thing, by hook or by crook. On Sunday, after the Niners had to settle for three Phil Dawson field goals in four red zone trips, the quarterback was proven correct.
To a degree. But keep this in mind: On top of their red zone woes, the 49ers have yet to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter this season.
“We need to maximize our potential,” right guard Alex Boone said.
Coming into the game, the 49ers had scored touchdowns on 50 percent of their red zone attempts, which ranked tied for 20th in the 32-team NFL. This a year after the Niners were 11th in red zone offense and 21st in 2012.
Obviously, if the 49ers knew what went wrong on the shorter field, they would fix it. But can running back Frank Gore put his finger on it?
“I can’t answer that,” he said. “We have to get better. Watch the tape and clean up whatever it is. We just have to get better.”
Added left tackle Joe Staley: “We’ve got to do better at that. We’re definitely not coming away with enough touchdowns. It’s definitely something we will improve on. We have to.”
Against the Chiefs, the 49ers’ red-zone trips resulted in a 31-yard field goal on their first offensive possession, a 9-yard Kaepernick touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson, a 27-yard field goal and a 30-yard field goal.
“No expiration date on Phil Dawson,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said of his 39-year-old kicker, who made five field goals.
“He made some real strong, important kicks today that won us the football game. If he doesn’t make those, it changes the game, changes the field position. He stood up there and knocked them down like a Hall of Famer. I feel awesome for Phil. He can stand in front of the mirror and say, ‘I’m Phil Dawson. I’m a football player.'”
One other time, the Niners got to the Chiefs’ 20-yard line but never got closer and had to settle for a 52-yard field goal … by Phil Dawson, football player.
“We always want to finish with seven points,” Kaepernick said. “But when Phil comes on the field, we’re confident we got three.”
And on this day, five Dawson field goals and a touchdown were enough.