For this Week 10 preview, we stop in The Big Easy where the San Francisco 49ers (4-5) head to face the New Orleans Saints (6-2). These two teams had an epic battle last December with the Niners coming out on top 48-46. The Saints will be looking to avenge that loss and keep their lead on the NFC South. The Niners will be looking to get back to .500 and stay in the hunt for a playoff berth after dropping their last two games.
Niners Outlook
The 49ers offense is gutted by injuries. They will be without quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, wide receiver Deebo Samuel, tight end George Kittle, and running backs Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert. Kyle Shanahan will have to be more creative than ever if he hopes to keep up with the Saints offense in the dome. He will likely try to run the ball with Jerick McKinnon and JaMychal Hasty to keep Drew Brees and company off the field. It could be a difficult task as the Saints are second in the NFL against the run and recently held the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to eight yards on five carries. The Niners have also only managed 107 yards on the ground combined in their last two games.
If the run proves ineffective, Nick Mullens will have to air it out. Brandon Aiyuk is back after missing Week 9. In the previous two weeks, he had 14 receptions for 206 yards and a touchdown. Fellow wideout Richie James came out of nowhere last week with a 9-184-1 line. The Niners defense will be tasked with stopping a Saints offense that is averaging 30.5 points per game and has only turned the ball over seven times this season. If they can’t get after Brees, it could be a long day.
Saints Outlook
After a Week 3 loss at home to the Green Bay Packers, the Saints sat at 1-2. They have since won five in a row. While four of those victories were by one score or less, last week’s win showed exactly what the Saints are capable of when clicking in all facets of the game. Michael Thomas came back against the Bucs. He will likely ramp it up and play more than 55 percent of the offensive snaps. Alvin Kamara will also like to avenge last year’s performance on a personal level. The Saints running back managed only 43 yards from scrimmage and had a fumble against the Niners last season. Emmanuel Sanders also made it back last week and chipped in 38 yards and a TD. He will be playing against his former team and may be looking to prove in person that he can still get it done.
Defensively, the Saints front four has been getting after the quarterback. Cameron Jordan gets a lot of the publicity and deservedly so, but Trey Hendrickson has been an absolute beast this season. The big defensive end leads the team with 7.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, and 13 QB hits. With Jordan commanding double teams and the attention from backs, Trey is getting it done. Of the 22 sacks New Orleans has logged this season, 18 have come from the defensive line. Demario Davis and Malcolm Jenkins each have two.
Game Info
Date: November 15th, 2020
Start time: 4:25 P.M. EST
Location: New Orleans, LA
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
TV Info: FOX
Betting Odds Sponsored by Jazz Sportsbook
Point Spread: SF +10 (-115) | NO -10 (-105)
Moneyline: SF +350 | NO -440
Over/Under: O 49 (-110)｜U 49 (-110)
The Saints are coming off their best game of the season, and the Niners are struggling and banged up. It is tough to lay 10 points in the NFL so even though the Saints probably cover, garbage time for San Fran could come back to bite you. Speaking of garbage time, New Orleans should have a lead and while they are tough against the run, they can be susceptible to the pass. Mullens could be airing it out for a large part of the fourth quarter. For that reason, you should roll with the over.
Prediction
The Saints will be too much for Shanahan’s team. Defensively they will harass Mullens and keep McKinnon in check. Offensively, New Orleans should be able to hang 30 or more on the Niners like the Seahawks and Packers did the past two weeks.
Final Score: San Francisco 22, New Orleans 33
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
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