49ers-Saints Preview

SCOUTING REPORT

Depleted Saints should still squeak out a winThe Saints are reeling after two tough road losses, and they continue to have problems on defense. The offense has been productive, but QB Drew Brees must now find a way to be effective without TE Jeremy Shockey for the next several weeks. The Saints' running game has stalled, while they depend on Brees' arm to keep them in games. Meanwhile, the 49ers, who have won their last two games, will enter this contest with a fair amount of confidence.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
SFO	7-9	339	381	4-4	3-5	3-3	5-7
NOR	8-8	463	393	6-2	2-6	2-4	5-7
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

San Francisco Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Smith 60.5 2350 18 12 Hill 56.1 943 5 2

New Orleans Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Brees 70.6 4388 34 11 Brunel... 50.0 102 0 1

San Francisco Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Gore 229 1120 4.9 10 Coffee 83 226 2.7 1

New Orleans Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Thomas 147 793 5.4 6 Bell 172 654 3.8 5

San Francisco Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Davis 78 965 12.4 13 Crabtr... 48 625 13.0 2

New Orleans Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Colsto... 70 1074 15.3 9 Hender... 51 804 15.8 2

Full Player Stats: San Francisco | New Orleans

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	SFO	311.0
	NOR	411.0
Yards Passing	SFO	211.2
	NOR	311.1
Yards Rushing	SFO	99.9
	NOR	99.6
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	SFO	326.0
	NOR	339.5
Pass Yds Allowed	SFO	219.2
	NOR	221.7
Rush Yds Allowed	SFO	106.8
	NOR	117.8

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
New Orleans leads 5-2
Oct 28, 2007	SFO 10, @NOR 31
Dec 3, 2006	SFO 10, NOR 34
Sep 19, 2004	SFO 27, NOR 30
Oct 20, 2002	SFO 27, NOR 35
Jan 6, 2002	SFO 38, NOR 0
Nov 11, 2001	SFO 28, @NOR 27

A revamped offense has given the San Francisco 49ers reason to be optimistic. Despite having an even more prolific attack than the 49ers, the New Orleans Saints are having a harder time finding the bright side of the season's first three weeks.

The new-look 49ers look to win three straight games for the first time in nearly two years on Sunday when they visit the Saints, who hope to bounce back from close losses in their last two games.

San Francisco ranked last in the league in points (219), scrimmage yards (4,162), touchdowns (24), first downs (218), sacks allowed (55) and third-down conversion rate (31.4 percent) in 2007, the team's fifth straight losing campaign.

The 49ers addressed those issues by hiring offensive mastermind Mike Martz to be their offensive coordinator, and the move has already paid dividends. After a forgettable performance in a season-opening loss to Arizona, San Francisco (2-1) compiled 365 total yards in a 33-30 win over Seattle on Sept. 14 and 370 in a 31-13 victory over Detroit last Sunday.

The 49ers, who haven't won three straight games in a single season since Nov. 5-19, 2006, topped 350 yards only once last season.

"We've got so much stuff in our offense now," said running back Frank Gore, who ran 27 times for a season-high 130 yards and a touchdown last week. "It felt so great to move the ball like that. The pass game is a whole lot better, and the more we throw the ball, the better it is for me in the running game. It's going to be crazy all year. We're going to do a lot of good things."

San Francisco's success is riding primarily on Gore and journeyman quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan, who's made his first three career starts this season after spending the previous six years with seven different NFL teams. O'Sullivan completed 16 of 23 passes for 189 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against Detroit, and eight different San Francisco players caught at least one pass.

"I think guys really have the confidence now to know that everybody is going to have an opportunity to make plays," receiver Arnaz Battle told the team's official Web site. "Each play you don't know who is going to be that guy. Everybody is excited about getting the ball."

While San Francisco is up to 11th in the league in total offense with 342.0 yards per game, New Orleans (1-2) is fourth in that category (396.7), but has come up short in its last two games.

The Saints gave up 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of a 29-24 loss to Washington on Sept. 14, and Martin Gramatica missed a potential go-ahead 43-yard field goal with 1:55 remaining in a 34-32 loss to Denver last Sunday.

"What's hard about a game like this is there's a lot left on the field," Saints coach Sean Payton said.

Payton's frustration stems mostly from his team's struggles on the ground. New Orleans has been held to 143 rushing yards on 44 carries over its last two games, and was particularly ineffective in short-yardage situations last Sunday, failing five times to convert pivotal running plays when it needed to gain little more than a yard.

Those struggles could allow for Deuce McAllister's return to the lineup this week. McAllister, a four-time 1,000-yard rusher with the Saints, has only two carries in one game this season after missing the last 13 games of 2007 to have surgery on both knees. He's healthy, but Payton has been reluctant to throw the veteran back into the mix.

"Deuce's playing time is coming, but at the same time, it's got to come at the right time when I feel like he's ready," Payton said.

Reggie Bush has been limited to 152 yards on 42 carries this season while Pierre Thomas has rushed 22 times for 75 yards.

The Saints' struggles on the ground last week overshadowed a strong performance from Drew Brees, who recorded his third career 400-yard game by completing 39 of 48 passes for 421 yards and a touchdown without an interception.

Brees, though, will be without one of his top targets for the foreseeable future. Tight end Jeremy Shockey will miss three-to-six weeks with a sports hernia. Shockey, acquired from the New York Giants in a trade shortly before training camp, had 16 receptions for 151 yards in his first three games with New Orleans.

Brees is undefeated in three career starts against the 49ers. He's thrown for 858 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in those games, including the Saints' 31-10 victory last Oct. 28.

New Orleans has won seven of nine in the series, including four straight.

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