Stopping the Saints
Added on Jan 12, 2012 by Scott in
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The 49ers face a tall order on Saturday afternoon: slowing down a Saints offense that has scored 177 points in their last four games. Drew Brees is playing the best football of his career. The receiving corps is deep and dangerous. The playcalling is the best in the game. But if any defense is equipped to get the job done, it would be the Niners.
San Francisco boasts the number one rush defense and ranks second in points allowed with 14.3 per game. The most points they’ve yielded at home is 27, way back in a Week 2 loss to Dallas. Since then, they’ve gone undefeated in Candlestick, allowing a total of 43 points in seven games. To put that in perspective, New Orleans scored 45 against Detroit in the Wild Card round.
It’s fair to say the Niners have yet to face an offense as powerful as the Saints, but they did defeat three of the Top 10 offenses in the league. Neither Philadelphia, Detroit or the Giants scored more than 23 points. In bend-don’t-break fashion, the Niners gave up gaudy yardage stats but slammed the door shut on the end zone.
As for New Orleans, they’re much less potent on the road. They’ve eclipsed 30 only three times and looked especially mortal at Tampa and Tennessee. Their number one ranked pass attack is built for the Superdome’s artificial fast track. Put them on grass and they’re not nearly as intimidating. Their best road performance (42 points) came indoors at Minnesota.
It’s a classic confrontation between a stifling defense and an explosive offense. San Fran has had two weeks to prepare for Brees and Co. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio coached dominating defenses in Baltimore, so he possesses the experience and knowledge to devise a winning gameplan. Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Dashon Goldson and Carlos Rogers are all Pro Bowlers. NaVorro Bowman is a rising star.
It’s easy to pencil in the Saints for a victory, but underestimating the Niners would be foolish.
