Just over a month into the 2010 season, when the 49ers were 0-5 and had committed 15 turnovers, their error-prone quarterback, Alex Smith, made an executive decision.

Smith had an NFL-high 10 turnovers, including three in his career nadir, a 27-24 loss to the Eagles in which he was viciously booed by the home crowd. One of his issues: Smith said he was often told by the coaching staff to “Go make a play,” a nebulous command that went counter to his risk-averse nature.

As he reviewed that Eagles’ game, Smith decided to play his way. He finished the 2010 season with one interception in 152 pass attempts and his take-what-the-defense-gives-me approach was hailed by Jim Harbaugh when he arrived in 2011. In his first season with Harbaugh, Smith threw five interceptions in 445 attempts, the 49ers tied an NFL record with 10 turnovers and had their first winning season since 2002.

“I kind of put some decent football together at the end of that (2010) season and it led into (2011),” Smith said before the 2012 season. “I continued to play that way and it was reinforced. It was pushed. It was encouraged: ‘Play this way. If they’re giving you the check down on 3rd-and-10, take the check down.’”

Leading into the NFC Championship Game on Sunday in Seattle, Smith’s replacement, the more-dynamic Colin Kaepernick, has also expertly followed Harbaugh’s instructions. Among quarterback that threw more than 400 passes in 2013, Kaepernick’s eight interceptions were the second-fewest in the NFL (the leader, of course, was Kansas City’s Alex Smith with 7).

As mentioned in today’s newspaper story, the 49ers, since 2011, have posted these interceptions totals: 5, 8 and 8. Perspective: From 1946 to 2010, they never had fewer than nine interceptions in a season.

Since 2011, the 49ers have also had the fewest turnovers in the NFL (44) and produced three of the top five fewest-turnover seasons in franchise history.

The major blemish on their impressive resume is a five-turnover performance in a 29-3 loss at Seattle in Week 2. That was only game in the Harbaugh era in which they’ve committed more than four turnovers and it was their first five-turnover game since Smith’s turning point against the Eagles on Oct. 10, 2010.

Winning the turnover battle is a no-duh storyline in any game, but it will be a particularly intriguing one to follow Sunday. The Seahawks led the NFL in takeaways (39), while the 49ers are 31-5-1 since 2011 when they commit fewer than two turnovers.

Kaepernick will have to go make some plays, but he’ll have to do so judiciously against a defense that led the league in interceptions (28).

***************************************************************

A look at some of the 49ers’ turnover-related stats:

Fewest interceptions in a season in 49ers’ history:

1. 2011: 5

T2. 2013: 8

T2. 2012: 8

4. 1992: 9

T5. Four times: 10

Fewest turnovers in a season in 49ers’ history:

1. 2011: 10*

T2. 2012: 16

T2. 1960: 16

4. 2002: 17

5. 2013: 18

* Tied NFL record

Fewest turnovers in NFL since 2011:

1. 49ers, 44

2. Patriots, 53

3. Packers, 55

4. Seahawks, 60

5. Saints, 62

6. Panthers, 64

7. Rams, 66

8. Falcons, 67

9. Texans, 68

10. Ravens, 69

32. Jets, 100

Fewest interceptions thrown in NFL since 2011:

1. 49ers, 21

T2. Packers, 32

T2. Patriots, 32

4. Seahawks, 33

5. Broncos, 34

6. Rams, 35

T7. Colts, 42

T7. Panthers, 42

T9. Steelers, 43

T9. Cowboys, 43

32. Cardinals, 66