SAINTS (3-4) VS. 49ERS (1-6)
SUNDAY, 1 P.M. ET, LEVI’S STADIUM, SANTA CLARA, CALIF. uTV: CBS, DIRECTV 712
Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale
About the Saints: New Orleans is coming off its most complete victory since 2014, rallying from an 11-point deficit for a 25-20 victory at home against the road-weary NFC Westleading Seattle Seahawks. The Saints’ much maligned defense turned in its best outing of the season, bending but not breaking in the final two minutes to preserve the win. Now the question is whether that suddenly invigorated defense will show up on the West Coast and do its fair share in support of a prolific offense led by QB Reaching .500 after starting 1-3 seemed improbable, but now it’s clearly within reach, considering the state of the 49ers. How the favored Saints handle the moment at Levi’s Stadium will be telling,
About the 49ers: This venerable franchise is mired in a six-game losing streak and spent the bye week swimming in a sea of speculation involving potential trades of T and WR the futures of GM and coach and QB
ongoing national anthem protestations. With each passing week, it seems clear that Kelly’s team will be a player in the No. 1 draft pick sweepstakes. “We are what we are,” Kelly said. “We’re 1-6 right now.” If they can’t find ways to become more respectable on both sides of the ball going forward, the losses are sure to mount. Through seven games, they ranked last league-wide in total offense and 30th in total defense.
If Unger does his job against Buckner, the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, then the Saints The Saints’ Drew Brees has a 104.7 passer rating, 8.5 points above his career mark.
likely are going to extend the 49ers’ recent troubles against the run and enable Brees to go through his progressions in the pocket.
Player to watch: Saints RB Mark Ingram. Whether he escapes coach Sean Payton’s doghouse this week remains to be seen. He was benched in the first quarter vs. Seattle after a costly turnover for the second consecutive game, this one resulting in a 34-yard return for a touchdown by safety Earl Thomas.
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
Veteran RB turned in yeoman’s work in Ingram’s absence, rushing for a season-high 102 yards on 26 carries against the NFL’s sixth-stingiest run defense.
Rushing yards and rushing touchdowns allowed by the 49ers through their first seven games (most in the NFL), including six consecutive games in which an opposing running back eclipsed 100 yards rushing.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Best defense wins. This game promises to be a shootout, because both teams are yielding points and yards in alarming fashion. The most glaring deficiency involves the 49ers’ run defense, which is yielding a league-high 185.1 yards a game. Thus, a slight edge goes to the Saints’ defense because a sluggish 49ers offense likely will have trouble keeping pace with the Saints and Brees.
Kelly gave his team time off during the bye week, but he and his staff went through the tedious task of selfscouting. What came into sharp focus is they are missing numerous potential differencemakers because of injuries.
Injured No. 1 CB (broken fibula) and rookie DT (broken fibula) are close to returning for the Saints. Each is making progress after working on a limited basis last week, suggesting their return this week is possible. Veteran LB (quad) appears to have emerged unscathed in his first action of the season against Seattle.
Brian Allee-Walsh