By Janie McCauley, AP Sports Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alex Smith threw two of his three touchdown passes to Vernon Davis, Frank Gore ran for a score in his second straight 100-yard rushing game and the 49ers beat the Buccaneers 48-3 on Sunday for their best start in nine years.

Carlos Rogers returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown and tight ends Davis and Delanie Walker each caught TD passes of 20-plus yards in San Francisco's third straight win since blowing a late lead in a Sept. 18 overtime loss to the Cowboys.

If anybody questioned how good these Niners (4-1) really were after wins against teams such as Seattle or Cincinnati, the past two weeks are more telling: a comeback win at Philadelphia and a lopsided home win over the NFC South leaders.

Josh Freeman never found the flow that made him so effective in the rout here last November and the Bucs (3-2) were a step behind in a short week after beating the Colts on Monday night.

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