Five Takeaways From the 49ers’ 48-46 Win Over the Saints

After losing week 14 on a last-second field goal versus the AFC-leading Ravens, the 49ers remained on the road to take on the NFC-leading New Orleans Saints.

Hopefully you didn’t bet the under. Both offenses were firing on all cylinders on Sunday. The two teams battled blow-for-blow, but the 49ers ultimately came out on top, winning a 48-46 thriller on a Robbie Gould 30-yard field goal.

Kittle and Gould’s Late Heroics Earn Big Win

Things were not looking good for the 49ers, trailing the Saints 46-45 with under a minute to play. Needing just a field goal, San Francisco found themselves fourth-and-2 on their own 33 yards line with 39 seconds left.

With the game on his shoulders, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not panic. It’s hard to, when you have Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle on your side. Garoppolo dropped back and quickly got it to Kittle, who got away from C.J. Gardner-Johnson for the first down and more. Kittle went untouched for 18 yards, and carried Marcus Williams for another 20, while having his face mask yanked, to put the 49ers in prime position.

The best tight end in football putting the team on his back. George Kittle setting the #49ers up for the game-winner.
(🎥: @NFL)pic.twitter.com/e8H9iKK5dR
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) December 8, 2019

After two clock-bleeding plays, Gould trotted onto the field with a chance to win the game.

Last year, the 30-yard field goal would have been a guarantee, but the 2019 kicking unit for the 49ers has been nothing short of an adventure.

Gould’s eight missed field goals this season are the most in his 15-year career. Of course injuries, a new holder and long snapper uncertainty have played a part, but Gould has certainly struggled nonetheless. Add in that the 49ers cut Chase McLaughlin, who was 7-for-8 on field goals for San Francisco. The pressure was as high as it could be.

Yet, the veteran was unphased by all the noise, nailing the game-winner.

Brees and Thomas Torch 49ers’ Defense

From the opening-drive, the Saints and Drew Brees showed the confidence, creativity and fearlessness on offense to dismantle the NFL’s best defense. Brees threw three touchdowns and sneaked another one across in the first half, and added another two passing touchdowns in the second to finish with 349 yards and five touchdown passes.

The 27 points scored by New Orleans in the first half tied the game-high allowed by the 49ers this season.

Tight end Jared Cook caught two touchdowns on the Saints’ first two drives, and Josh Hill added a third. On the fourth drive, Brees was able to sneak it over the line on fourth-and-goal on the one yard line to make it 27-14.

After going 4-for-4 on touchdown drives to start the game, the Saints’ offense cooled down a little, only to come alive in the final 10 minutes. Brees hit Michael Thomas for a 49-yard catch and a 21-yard touchdown.

Thomas entered the day leading the NFL with 1,290 receiving yards, 110 receptions and 107.5 receiving yards per game. He finished Sunday’s contest with 11 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown.

On his final drive, aided by a mix of a key injury, dropped interception and costly penalty, Brees was able to hit Tre’Quan Smith for a go-ahead touchdown.

Sanders’ Big Day

There is no arguing that the 49ers’ offense changed for the better following the acquisition of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. After catching a touchdown in each of his first two games, Sanders has not found the end zone in four straight games.

Needing to pull every trick out of the bag to keep up with the Saints’ offense on Sunday, head coach Kyle Shanahan held nothing back, especially when it came to Sanders.

Down 20-7, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo aired it out to Sanders for a 75-yard touchdown. Sanders and safety Marcus Williams battled for positioning, but Williams fell to give the veteran a head start in a race for the end zone.

Sanders’ fun didn’t stop there. On the next drive, Sanders took the ball on a pitch from fellow wide receiver Deebo Samuel, finding Raheem Mostert wide-open for his second career touchdown pass.

In total, Sanders had seven catches for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Two-Point Stops Win the Game

The Saints and 49ers both scored rather easily on their opening drives, foreshadowing the offensive dominance to come. On their second drive, the Saints retook the lead on a Cook touchdown, but rather than kick the extra point, Payton chose to go for two.

Hill took the ball and was immediately stopped by former BYU teammate Fred Warner. The call was a little confusing at the time and wound up being a major difference in the game.

After three quarters of countless scoring drives, the 49ers found themselves leading 35-33 in the fourth quarter. Garoppolo hit Kendrick Bourne for a touchdown and Robbie Gould hit the extremely important extra point, making it a nine-point game.

The Saints were able to respond with a touchdown of their own, but were unable to tie the game. New Orleans was able to hold San Francisco to a field goal, and score a touchdown to take a 46-45 lead, but once again failed on the two-point conversion, meaning the 49ers needed only a field goal to win the game.

More Injuries

The 49ers lost four vital players on Sunday. Edge rusher Dee Ford and cornerback Richard Sherman exited with hamstring injuries, nickel corner K’Waun Williams had a concussion and center Weston Richburg injured his knee.

Ben Garland replaced Richburg and played well. As for the defensive backs, D.J. Reed and Emmanuel Moseley took over for Williams and Sherman.

The win on Sunday was huge, but the losses, if at all extensive, could hurt the 49ers.