Saints at 49ers
Drew Brees lofted the ball 30 yards into the San Francisco air. And while Niners cornerback Dashon Goldson overran the ball, Marques Colston turned around and took the ball. Goldson knocked it out, only to have Colston take it before it touched the ground.
That 30 yard completion set up Garrett Hartley's game-winning field goal with no time left as the Saints beat the 49ers 25-22. Hartley made 46, 37, and 19 yard field goals.
Early in the game, center David Baas had a horrible snap. To save a New Orleans touchdown, Alex Smith hit the ball out of bounds. The Saints got the ball, and Drew Brees found Reggie Bush over the middle for a touchdown.
Late in the quarter, San Francisco got good field position. They drove 27 yards down to the Saints 27, and it was second and 10. Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams decided to do a corner blitz, and speedy Malcolm Jenkins pressured Smith unblocked. Smith threw a high pass to Frank Gore, who tipped the ball into Saints safety Roman Harper's hands.
However, New Orleans would not be able to put up any more points. San Francisco got the ball back, and they got going. A screen pass to Delanie Walker put them inside the red zone, and then on third down, Alex Smith found Frank Gore, who reeled the ball in and raced into the end zone. The score was now 9-7.
On San Francisco's next possession, they got to the New Orleans 12 yard line. Alex Smith threw a pass to Walker, who was hit hard by Jonathan Vilma and fumbled. Malcolm Jenkins recovered the fumble, and the Saints avoided falling behind. The score would remain 9-7 at halftime.
On the Niners first second half drive, Alex Smith hit Michael Crabtree, who raced down the middle for 32 yards, and then he found Vernon Davis deep for 41 yards. Rookie Anthony Dixon zipped around the left guard and scored, giving the Niners a 5 point cushion.
However, Drew Brees led New Orleans 58 yards to the 3, where he found a wide open David Thomas for a touchdown. After a 3 and out by the Niners, Reggie Bush returned the punt 43 yards. The Saints went 3 and out, but Garrett Hartley nailed a 46 yard field goal to put New Orleans on top by 5.
Then San Francisco got the ball and started driving downfield. 10 yard passes were getting San Francisco chunks of yardage, and those chunks got the 49ers into the red zone. However, on second down, Jo-Lann Dunbar made an amazing play to tip the ball into Tracy Porter's hands. Porter caught the ball, and the 49ers lost another chance.
But again, New Orleans went 3 and out. So they punted it back to the Niners, who couldn't do anything either. But on the 49ers punt, Reggie Bush couldn't handle it. He muffed it, and although he recovered the ball, he was injured.
New Orleans couldn't make anything happen with the ball, and Thomas Morstead punted it deep into 49ers territory. With the wind and the chills of the San Francisco air, punts were hard to catch. Try telling Phillp Adams. He muffed it, and Courtney Roby came like a speeding bullet into the ball. He recovered, and it was Saints ball.
However, the 49ers goal line run defense was good, and after New Orleans got it to the 1, they didn't get any further. Garrett Hartley made a 19 yard field goal, and the Saints led by 8.
So for the Niners, it was all Alex Smith. He called his own plays, he did everything. He completed a pass to Vernon Davis for 16 yards, then scrambled for 12 and another 1st down. Then he found Josh Morgan on a slant, and Morgan picked up 15 yards. On second down, Frank Gore turned a 3 yard loss into an 18 yard gain. Then, Alex Smith gained another 12 yards on a scramble. The Niners were at the Saints 9.
And this time, they were able to capitalize. Frank Gore ran up the middle for a 7 yard touchdown, and the Niners were down just 2. They made the obvious decision to go for 2, and Alex Smith completed a pass to Vernon Davis. He caught it, but the refs ruled that he didn't break the plane. However, the ruling was challenged, and the play was reversed. It was tied at 22.
So now, it was up to Drew Brees. The Saints started at the 30 needed any points to win the game. Drew Brees noticed no one was covering Pierre Thomas, and 2 passes to him got the Saints to the 49ers 48. And then came the big play.
Marques Colston ran a post route down the left sideline, and with the ball hanging in the air, Colston turned around to see the ball coming straight at him. He plucked the ball out of the freezing cold air and gained 30 key yards for the Saints. New Orleans picked up 3 more yards, and they called timeout with 2 seconds left. Garrett Hartley was ready for a 32 yard field goal.
Before the kick, lots of movement caused a 5 yard penalty on New Orleans, making it a 37 yard kick. But that didn't matter to Hartley. As his foot reached the ball, the football looked to got through the posts easily. But all of the sudden, the trajectory changed. However, the ball
still sailed through the uprights. The Saints had won!
New Orleans hosts Atlanta next week, while the 49ers play in Kansas City.
That 30 yard completion set up Garrett Hartley's game-winning field goal with no time left as the Saints beat the 49ers 25-22. Hartley made 46, 37, and 19 yard field goals.
Early in the game, center David Baas had a horrible snap. To save a New Orleans touchdown, Alex Smith hit the ball out of bounds. The Saints got the ball, and Drew Brees found Reggie Bush over the middle for a touchdown.
Late in the quarter, San Francisco got good field position. They drove 27 yards down to the Saints 27, and it was second and 10. Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams decided to do a corner blitz, and speedy Malcolm Jenkins pressured Smith unblocked. Smith threw a high pass to Frank Gore, who tipped the ball into Saints safety Roman Harper's hands.
However, New Orleans would not be able to put up any more points. San Francisco got the ball back, and they got going. A screen pass to Delanie Walker put them inside the red zone, and then on third down, Alex Smith found Frank Gore, who reeled the ball in and raced into the end zone. The score was now 9-7.
On San Francisco's next possession, they got to the New Orleans 12 yard line. Alex Smith threw a pass to Walker, who was hit hard by Jonathan Vilma and fumbled. Malcolm Jenkins recovered the fumble, and the Saints avoided falling behind. The score would remain 9-7 at halftime.
On the Niners first second half drive, Alex Smith hit Michael Crabtree, who raced down the middle for 32 yards, and then he found Vernon Davis deep for 41 yards. Rookie Anthony Dixon zipped around the left guard and scored, giving the Niners a 5 point cushion.
However, Drew Brees led New Orleans 58 yards to the 3, where he found a wide open David Thomas for a touchdown. After a 3 and out by the Niners, Reggie Bush returned the punt 43 yards. The Saints went 3 and out, but Garrett Hartley nailed a 46 yard field goal to put New Orleans on top by 5.
Then San Francisco got the ball and started driving downfield. 10 yard passes were getting San Francisco chunks of yardage, and those chunks got the 49ers into the red zone. However, on second down, Jo-Lann Dunbar made an amazing play to tip the ball into Tracy Porter's hands. Porter caught the ball, and the 49ers lost another chance.
But again, New Orleans went 3 and out. So they punted it back to the Niners, who couldn't do anything either. But on the 49ers punt, Reggie Bush couldn't handle it. He muffed it, and although he recovered the ball, he was injured.
New Orleans couldn't make anything happen with the ball, and Thomas Morstead punted it deep into 49ers territory. With the wind and the chills of the San Francisco air, punts were hard to catch. Try telling Phillp Adams. He muffed it, and Courtney Roby came like a speeding bullet into the ball. He recovered, and it was Saints ball.
However, the 49ers goal line run defense was good, and after New Orleans got it to the 1, they didn't get any further. Garrett Hartley made a 19 yard field goal, and the Saints led by 8.
So for the Niners, it was all Alex Smith. He called his own plays, he did everything. He completed a pass to Vernon Davis for 16 yards, then scrambled for 12 and another 1st down. Then he found Josh Morgan on a slant, and Morgan picked up 15 yards. On second down, Frank Gore turned a 3 yard loss into an 18 yard gain. Then, Alex Smith gained another 12 yards on a scramble. The Niners were at the Saints 9.
And this time, they were able to capitalize. Frank Gore ran up the middle for a 7 yard touchdown, and the Niners were down just 2. They made the obvious decision to go for 2, and Alex Smith completed a pass to Vernon Davis. He caught it, but the refs ruled that he didn't break the plane. However, the ruling was challenged, and the play was reversed. It was tied at 22.
So now, it was up to Drew Brees. The Saints started at the 30 needed any points to win the game. Drew Brees noticed no one was covering Pierre Thomas, and 2 passes to him got the Saints to the 49ers 48. And then came the big play.
Marques Colston ran a post route down the left sideline, and with the ball hanging in the air, Colston turned around to see the ball coming straight at him. He plucked the ball out of the freezing cold air and gained 30 key yards for the Saints. New Orleans picked up 3 more yards, and they called timeout with 2 seconds left. Garrett Hartley was ready for a 32 yard field goal.
Before the kick, lots of movement caused a 5 yard penalty on New Orleans, making it a 37 yard kick. But that didn't matter to Hartley. As his foot reached the ball, the football looked to got through the posts easily. But all of the sudden, the trajectory changed. However, the ball
still sailed through the uprights. The Saints had won!
New Orleans hosts Atlanta next week, while the 49ers play in Kansas City.
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