49ers vs. Saints: Pregame Report
The Saints start off the back half of their season by dueling with the 49ers, a team that came in and shocked them last year inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. While the game itself doesn't have nearly the hype it did a season ago, it's certainly an important one for each team. Here's how Week 10's matchup shapes up.
Where to Watch: FOX - Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, and Lindsay Czarniak (field reporter)
Broadcast Map: Courtesy of 506sports.com, 49ers-Saints in Green
Saints-49ers in Green
506sports.com
Where to Stream: FOX Sports Go, NFL Mobile, Hulu + Live TV, fuboTV, Sling TV, YouTube TV
Where to Listen: WWL Radio locally (105.3FM) with Zach Strief, Deuce McAllister, and Steve Geller (sideline reporter); SIRIUS: 82 (SF), 133 (NO) | XM: 380 (SF), 227 (SF)
Jersey Combo: Black jerseys, Black pants
Referee: Brad Rogers
Current Lines: Over/Under (49), Saints -10
Last 5 Matchups
- 12/8/19 - 49ers 48, Saints 46
- 11/6/16 - Saints 41, 49ers 23
- 11/9/14 - 49ers 27, Saints 24 (F/OT)
- 11/17/13 - Saints 23, 49ers 20
- 11/25/12 - 49ers 31, Saints 21
All-Time Series: 49ers lead 48-26-2, San Francisco also has one postseason victory over New Orleans (2011)
In a highly anticipated battle of 10-2 juggernauts, the Week 14 clash between these two did not disappoint. There was a large sea of red in the Superdome, but New Orleans came out of the gate swinging. By the early stages of the second quarter, the Saints had found themselves up 20-7, thanks largely in part to two Jared Cook touchdown passes. Sadly, he was lost after the second one scored due to a concussion. However, Drew Brees and company kept rolling.
San Francisco would bounce back quickly, answering in just 14 seconds from a bomb to Emmanuel Sanders. New Orleans responded accordingly, powered behind a red-hot Drew Brees performance on the day that saw him have six total touchdowns (one rushing, five passing). After taking a 27-14 lead, that's where things started to unravel for New Orleans.
The 49ers would get two touchdowns in a five-minute span before halftime, seemingly capturing all the momentum. The Saints would only be able to muster field goals in the third quarter, while San Francisco got a big touchdown from George Kittle. An early fourth quarter touchdown saw the 49ers extend their lead to 42-33, but the Saints would not go away. Michael Thomas would get a touchdown pass from Brees to cut the lead to two, and San Francisco added a field goal with less than three minutes to go.
It looked like the Saints would escape with a hard-fought comeback win after Brees connected with Tre'Quan Smith to take a 46-45 lead with just 53 seconds left, but the two-point attempt failed, and George Kittle would do his best Hulk impression to setup the game-winning Robbie Gould 30-yard field goal as time expired in a wild one.
Things to watch: All eyes are on New Orleans to see how they handle things after such a huge statement win over the Bucs. They enter this game heavily favored, which can create a false sense of security for many. This is a favorable back half of the season for the Saints, and the last thing they need to do is overlook a team like San Francisco. They should be fine, but we want to see it.
Alvin Kamara needs just 29 rushing yards to become the first player in NFL history to record 500 rushing and 500 receiving yards in each of first four seasons. Drew Brees is aiming for his 3rd in row against the 49ers with a 120+ rating and 4th in row against them with 3+ TD passes. Michael Thomas needs just four receptions on Sunday to surpass Jarvis Landry (481) for the most catches by a player in his first five seasons.
Catch up on some of our 49ers-Saints coverage from the week...
