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Saints 21, 49ers 31: Niners Knock Down Saints

The San Francisco 49ers defense scored 14 points, wore down the New Orleans Saints, and came out on top, 31-21. Vote for your Saints player of the game, skim the recap, study the stats, and then discuss anything and everything in the comment thread.

One of five second half sacks by the Niners defense.
One of five second half sacks by the Niners defense.
Chris Graythen

Two Drew Brees interceptions returned for touchdowns, no running game, and an overpowering 49er pass rush with five second half sacks were too much for the Saints to overcome as they traded punches for a while, before eventually falling to San Francisco by a final score of 31-21.

Marques Colston's record-setting touchdown reception, and Brees's continuing passing streaks were nice, but they don't mean much in the loss as the Saints came up short against a very good 49ers team in an important game that could have set the Saints up for a nice run right into the playoffs.

Speaking of playoffs, the three teams ahead of the Saints for the final wild card spot lost, so while the Saints missed the chance to control their own destiny, at least they aren't eliminated yet.

I'm going to get out of the way now so we can all start breaking down this loss and then set it aside to get fired up for Falcons Hate!!!

Review the recap, check the stats, vote for your non-Drew Brees Saints player of the game, and then let it all hang out (within reason) in the comment thread.

49ers vs Saints coverage

Niners Nation

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Team Stats

San Francisco New Orleans
1st Downs 18 19
Passing 1st downs 10 12
Rushing 1st downs 7 4
1st downs from penalties 1 3
3rd down efficiency 6-13 3-11
4th down efficiency 0-0 1-3
Total Plays 56 67
Total Yards 375 290
Passing 231 231
Comp-Att 16-25 26-41
Yards per pass 9.2 5.6
Rushing 144 59
Rushing Attempts 31 21
Yards per rush 4.6 2.8
Red Zone (Made-Att) 2-4 3-3
Penalties 10-68 4-53
Turnovers 2 2
Fumbles lost 1 0
Interceptions thrown 1 2
Possession 30:06 29:54

Top Performers

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Passing Cmp Att Yds TDs
D. Brees 26 41 267 3
Rushing Car Yds Avg TDs
C. Ivory 8 34 4.2 0
M. Ingram 10 27 2.7 0
Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs
D. Sproles 7 65 9.3 0
L. Moore 3 61 20.3 0

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Passing Cmp Att Yds TDs
C. Kaepernick 16 25 231 1
Rushing Car Yds Avg TDs
F. Gore 19 83 4.4 0
K. Hunter 4 28 7 0
Receiving Rec Yds Avg TDs
D. Walker 3 81 27 0
M. Manningham 5 69 13.8 0