NEW ORLEANS – Open with back-to-back street wins, then end deep within the playoffs, perhaps even the Tremendous Bowl. That’s the 49ers’ script for odd-numbered years, or so it has performed out in 2019, ’21 and ’23.
That historical past certainly will spark boundless optimism Sunday if the 49ers beat the host Saints to observe up a season-opening comeback win in Seattle.
A harsh actuality verify, nonetheless, is that they’ll burrow into the Superdome with out quarterback Brock Purdy and tight finish George Kittle, who sustained accidents within the Week 1 win and may very well be sidelined into subsequent month.
Such is life within the NFL, the place accidents wreak havoc, maybe much more so with the 49ers. Sarcastically, the 49ers needed to cancel a joint observe in final 12 months’s coaching camp with the Saints due to damage attrition.
The Saints are present process their very own roster upheaval. For as a lot discuss because the 49ers’ protection has generated with a brand new solid round Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, the Saints entered this season with 25 new gamers beneath first-year coach Kellen Moore.
Listed here are 5 keys to victory for the 49ers (past “1. Do. 2. Not. 3. Get. 4. Damage. 5. Anymore.”):
1. 2017 DRAFT REUNION
The 49ers’ Christian McCaffrey and the Saints’ Alvin Kamara are two of the NFL’s most versatile working backs, and so they’ve been that since arriving within the 2017 NFL Draft. Search for every offense to depend on them greater than their quarterback.
McCaffrey sidestepped final week’s calf problem to wrack up 142 yards (69 speeding, 73 receiving) within the opening win at Seattle. It was his thirty first profession recreation with 50-plus speeding and 50-plus receiving yards, the second-most behind Corridor of Famer Marshall Faulk’s 41.
Such manufacturing isn’t something new for McCaffrey or Kamara. Their stats, since 2017, when McCaffrey was Carolina’s first-round select of Stanford and Kamara was New Orleans’ third-rounder out of Tennessee:
McCaffrey: 6,456 speeding yards (52 touchdowns, 1,339 carries), 4,539 receiving yards (29 touchdowns, 533 catches).
Kamara: 6,824 speeding yards (61 touchdowns, 1,554 carries), 4,774 receiving yards (25 touchdowns, 575 catches); he has performed 20 extra video games than McCaffrey. Kamara debuted Sunday with 45 speeding yards (and a landing) and 12 receiving yards
2. QUARTERBACK MATCHUP
Neither quarterback has gained an NFL begin contained in the Superdome. So don’t rule out a tie. However significantly …
Spencer Rattler went 0-6 as a second-round rookie final 12 months, and final Sunday’s 20-13 loss to Arizona dropped him to 0-7 because the Saints’ starter. Rattler, a 2024 fifth-round decide, stored that job after beating out Tyler Shough, a rookie second-rounder.
Rattler is simply 6-foot with a profession 57.3-completion share (4 touchdowns, 5 interceptions). However he can transfer, and the 49ers notoriously wrestle with quarterbacks who can escape the pocket (21.9 yards per rush).
“This quarterback, I’m telling you, he’s going to be a family (identify) by the tip of the 12 months,” defensive coordinator Robert Saleh mentioned. “He’s a twitchy athlete, he has a heck of an arm, he’s very decisive, he’s correct.”
Mac Jones, Purdy’s alternative, will probably be making his fiftieth profession begin, and though he’s performed in over half the NFL stadiums, that is his Superdome debut, even tracing to his three years at Alabama. Jones is 20-29 as a starter, together with a 10-7 mark as a 2021 Professional Bowl rookie for the Patriots, who took him Fifteenth total after the 49ers audibled within the draft course of to pick out Trey Lance No. 3.
After three years in New England and final season’s seven spot begins in Jacksonville, Jones arrived this spring and matured properly into Kyle Shanahan’s scheme, up till an Aug. 16 knee sprain ended his 13-of-16 preseason efficiency in Las Vegas. Ought to Jones go down on this recreation, then it may very well be Adrian Martinez claiming his first win, within the Superdome or wherever within the NFL.
3. PROTECT JONES BETTER
Jones isn’t thought of as cell and elusive as Purdy, who sustained a left-shoulder damage on a second-quarter hit Sunday earlier than his toe damage on a scramble simply earlier than halftime.
Warning: Left deal with Trent Williams is battling a knee damage, after uncharacteristically permitting six pressures within the season opener. Left guard Ben Bartch and proper guard Dominick Puni are additionally battling knee points.
Purdy was pressured on 57.9% of his drop-back passes within the opener, the very best single-game fee of his profession. He responded by going 13-of-20 for 126 yards with one landing, two interceptions and a sack.
The Saints’ stress may finest come from Cameron Jordan, a Fifteenth-year veteran out of Cal who had 1 1/2 sacks in Sunday’s opener, as did Carl Granderson. Former 49ers defensive finish Chase Younger has been sidelined by a calf damage.
“It’ll be a superb entrance. Cam positively hasn’t slowed down,” proper deal with Colton McKivitz mentioned. “It’ll be a superb problem for us up entrance. And clearly with Brock being out, we’re going to must be at our greatest on Sunday.”
4. 49ERS D-LINE VS. SAINTS O-LINE
Just like the Seahawks every week in the past, the Saints current a homegrown offensive line, however with 4 first-round picks: left deal with Kelvin Banks Jr. (2025), left guard Trevor Penning (2022), proper guard Cesar Ruiz (2022) and proper deal with Taliese Fuega (2024); Fuega damage his knee within the Saints’ opener and was restricted in observe this week.
The 49ers’ revamped defensive entrance got here by within the clutch within the season opener, or not less than Nick Bosa did in producing a strip-sack fumble restoration within the ultimate minute to clinch that victory.
“We put some actually good effort on tape. That was an enormous emphasis of ours,” Bosa mentioned. “The run recreation, we held up properly. There’s so much to enhance on.” Seattle’s two-back mixture of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet totaled simply 67 yards (3 yards per carry).
High draft decide Mykel Williams recorded one deal with in 39 snaps as a flexible lineman, to which Bosa mentioned: “He’s stout, sturdy. He must clear up some issues in his head to permit him to play sooner, however he has the instruments.”
Bosa was a rookie in that 2019 epic win in New Orleans and didn’t play within the 2020 encore due to an ACL tear.
5. KICKER’S FIRST IMPRESSION
Eddy Piñeiro, Jake Moody’s overdue alternative at kicker, performed the previous three seasons for the Carolina Panthers, so he has expertise kicking of their NFC South rival’s historic dome. “It was enjoyable. It’s a bit darkish, not too many lights. Nevertheless it’s loud,” mentioned Piñeiro, whose 88.1 field-goal share ranks fourth in NFL historical past; ex-Niner Robbie Gould is ninth (86.5%).
Getty Pictures
Then-Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro of the Carolina Panthers celebrates after making a game-winning discipline purpose in a 2203 recreation. (Eakin Howard – Getty Pictures)
In New Orleans’ season opener final Sunday, the Saints blocked a field-goal try within the ultimate 5 minutes. That could be a reminder to notice that Moody was not the only perpetrator of the 49ers’ particular groups blunders in recent times, and porous safety resulted in a blocked field-goal try Sunday in Seattle.
“On the finish of the day, I’ve obtained to make kicks, and if I don’t, I’ll be out of right here,” mentioned Piñeiro, who additionally drew curiosity from Atlanta. “Thank God this chance got here up and that is what I needed. … At this level, I wish to win. This was the perfect alternative. I needed to go someplace we will win and that is the place.”
