Game review
OFFENSE
With Jerick McKinnon serving as their lead back and Nick Mullens as their QB, the 49ers had no running game ( 49 yards) and no downfield passing game. The result: They had 195 yards and three points in the final 44- plus minutes. Mullens is clearly a second- stringer and he had no first- class options beyond wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and tight end Jordan Reed, his targets on 20 of his 38 passes. It didn’t help Mullens that the 49ers were not prepared to deal with the endless blitzes of DB C. J. Gardner- Johnson, who spent much of the afternoon in their backfield. It’s telling that a highlight was an 8- yard reception on 3rd- and- 9 by Reed, whose one- handed, left- handed, off- the- turf catch was … kind of unbelievable.
DEFENSE
Granted, QB Drew Brees was a spectator for the final two quarters, but they largely contained one of the NFL’s top offenses. The Saints had 237 yards, one TD drive longer than 22 yards and All- Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas ( two catches) was a rumor. As far as defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw: So that’s why he was a first- round pick. He disrupted a screen pass, split a double- team to make a stop on 3rd- and- 2 and had the first 1.5 sacks of his career. The decision to replace safety Marcell Harris with Tarvarius Moore helped lead to a lack of big passing plays: New Orleans wide receivers didn’t have a catch longer than 15 yards.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Yuck. Two muffed punts led to TD drives of 21 and 22 yards and had Kyle Shanahan talking about using Aiyuk as the primary punt returner. First, Trent Taylor didn’t field a punt that bounced off Ken Webster. Next, Richie James bobbled a punt that extinguished any chance the 49ers had in the fourth quarter. And that wasn’t all: They also allowed a 75- yard kickoff return that led to a field goal, meaning their miscues led directly to 17 of the Saints’ 27 points.
COACHING
Give Shanahan three extra days to prepare and watch him deliver a picturesque scripted opening: Their 13- play, 75- yard, seven- plus- minute, gamestarting TD drive made you briefly forget their limited attack was facing a potent defense. It didn’t last. They didn’t adequately adjust to Gardner- Johnson’s off- theedge pressure, which also helped limit their outside running game. Shanahan’s decision to hand off to McKinnon, in a shotgun formation, on 4th- and- 1 was probably first- guessed by many.
OVERALL
The 49ers needed to get a few breaks and play nearly flawlessly. They got the former — the Saints’ muffed punt was a key part of S. F.’ s stellar first quarter — and New Orleans’ offense became nearly inert after Jameis Winston replaced Brees. But the 49ers, as currently constructed, might not beat the Jets if they commit four turnovers. It wasn’t going to happen against New Orleans.