With the San Francisco 49ers fading out of the NFC playoff picture, there is still plenty for which to play the remainder of the season.

Even if the playoffs are now a long shot, the 49ers must answer one huge question before the offseason.

Is quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, going to be the player on whom the 49ers pin their hopes heading into the future?

On Sunday, Smith will start his fifth game of the season when the 49ers face the surging Jacksonville Jaguars at Candlestick Park. The Jaguars have won three consecutive games.

There is increasing pressure on Smith to solidify his future with the 49ers in the final six games of the regular season.

"I still don't think his play is where we want it to be, but I think he's getting there," 49ers coach Mike Singletary said of Smith.

The 49ers own two first-round picks in the 2010 draft, and the organization needs plenty of help.

The club certainly needs a talented offensive lineman to enter the mix next season. The 49ers have also been searching for a dominant pass rusher for years. And if Smith falls on his face in the final six games, they will add a quarterback to the franchise's wish list.

And there might be even bigger concerns for the franchise.

Singletary entered his first full season as head coach with the thought that the 49ers would be the kind of team that could be physical and run the ball whenever they needed tough yards.

But through 10 games, the 49ers have not demonstrated that kind of physical presence. The two best halves of football seen from the 49ers this season have come after they've been down by 21 and 20 points at halftime against the Houston Texans and Green Bay Packers, respectively.

Only then has offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye abandoned two-back formations and put Smith in the shotgun formation.

Smith threw for 5 yards in the first half against the Packers. After being down 23-3, the 49ers lined up Smith in the shotgun formation. Rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who played in the spread offense at Texas Tech, clearly liked the emphasis on passing. He finished with four receptions for 77 yards, including his first career NFL touchdown.

"It kind of opened it up for all the playmakers we have," Crabtree said. "That would be good. (But) that's out of my range. All I can do is (run) the plays. . . . I really can do something in that spread. Coming from college, that's all we ran."

But Singletary is clearly resistant to change.

He said the 49ers' success in the second half against the Packers had a lot more to do with the defense than with the 49ers' offensive formation.

"I think that's a combination of a number of things," Singletary said. "Sometimes when you get behind, the defense is playing a different kind of defense. I think they relax a little bit. It's a different coverage. I think if you're in basic two-back set, you probably get the same result.

"But I think Alex can throw the ball, and I think he can throw the ball well. I think our offensive line did a decent job. Once we got in a rhythm, it was on. Unfortunately, we couldn't get (our defense) off the field to find out if we could close it out."

The numbers show that Smith has been particularly effective when lining up in the shotgun formation this season. He has completed 58 of 92 attempts (63.0 percent) for 639 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. His passer rating is 95.3 in the shotgun, and 61.3 when he's not in the gun.

"I don't necessarily think that whether the gun or under center has to do with it as much," Smith said.

SERIES HISTORY
3rd regular-season meeting. Jaguars lead series, 2-0, with both games in Jacksonville. This is the first meeting at Candlestick Park.

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