San Francisco 13 @ New Orleans 27 Final - FOX

Scoring Plays:
1Q - SF - Nick Mullens to Brandon Aiyuk 4 yd TD pass (PAT Good) | SF 7, NO 0
End of Quarter Score - San Francisco 49ers 7, New Orleans Saints 0
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2Q - SF - Robbie Gould 32 yd FG GOOD | SF 10, NO 0
2Q - NO - Wil Lutz 49 yd FG GOOD | SF 10, NO 3
2Q - NO - Alvin Kamara 2 yd TD rush (PAT Good) | SF 10, NO 10
2Q - NO - Drew Brees to Alvin Kamara 3 yd TD pass (PAT Good) | SF 10, NO 17
End of Quarter Score - San Francisco 49ers 10, New Orleans Saints 17
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3Q - NONE
End of Quarter Score - San Francisco 49ers 10, New Orleans Saints 17
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4Q - NO - Wil Lutz 23 yd FG GOOD | SF 10, NO 20
4Q - NO - Alvin Kamara 1 yd TD rush (PAT Good) | SF 10, NO 27
4Q - SF - Robbie Gould 40 yd FG GOOD | SF 13, NO 27
Final Score - San Francisco 49ers 13, New Orleans Saints 27
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Hello Who Dats & Who Datettes... and welcome to the Saints Week 10, Game 9 Thread

Once again, we welcome our main nemesis of the Dome Patrol days of the late-1980s/1990s back into the Superdome, the San Francisco 49ers.

The Saints have to be on top of the world right now, having won 5 straight games including 2 very tough roads games, and more importantly, are coming off of an absolutely amazing performance Sunday night in Tampa Bay where the Who Dats made an emphatic statement to the NFL world that the road to the NFC South title still runs through New Orleans and that reports of the Saints demise as Super Bowl contenders was woefully premature.

The biggest part of the win last Sunday night wasn't that the Saints retook the NFC South lead by a 1/2 game, but rather that the Saints completed a dominant sweep of the supposed new top dog in the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meaning any tie in the standings with the Bucs will go in the Saints favor from now to the end of week 17.

Quite frankly, the key to it all is health, and the Saints are abundantly healthy for the 1st time since... well probably even the offseason.

That's not even taking into account the newest member of the team who should see his 1st reps in a Saints uniform today, former LSU Tiger Kwon Alexander. Alexander has been on the sideline for the 49ers since suffering a high ankle sprain in SF's week 5 loss at Miami, though his return to the field seemed likely for SF's TNF game vs. Green Bay last week, but that didn't happen as he was traded to the Saints earlier in that week. He didn't play in Tampa on Sunday night to give him an extra week to learn the Saints system.

While the 49ers are coming off of a Super Bowl season in 2019, the team that comes into the Dome today is nothing like the team that made it to Miami in February just before the world went to hell.

And it's not like the 49ers got poached in free agency or anything like that (though 2 members of that team are now Saints... the aforementioned Alexander & WR Emmanuel Sanders), but instead the injury bug has done the most damage to the 49ers roster heading into today's game. SF will be without its starting quarterback (Garoppolo), running back (Mostert & Tevin Coleman), tight end (Kittle), wide receiver (Deebo Samuel & Jalen Hurd), defensive linemen (Ansah & Nick Bosa), & defensive backs (Richard Sherman & Jaquiski Tartt). Quite frankly... it's a M*A*S*H unit for the 49ers coming into today's game.

But... as the saying goes... these are all professionals and you CANNOT take this 49er team lightly or think it's Saints varsity vs. 49ers JV. We've seen the Saints struggle in games like this before. Even though it'll be Nick Mullins trying to throw to Kendrick Bourne (who just got cleared from the COVID list himself) for pivotal yards.

The 49ers 4 wins on the season have come at New York... twice (against the Jets & Giants), at New England, & home vs. Arizona.

Can the Saints take advantage of a defense that has allowed 35.5 PPG in their last 2 games (Ls @ SEA & vs. GB) & an offense that scored 22 PPG in those same 2 games?

The last time these 2 teams played, on December 8, 2019 in week 14, it was a doozy as both teams lit up the Superdome scoreboard. Playing for the 49ers, current Saint Emmanuel Sanders had 157 receiving yards on 7 catches and a touchdown & even threw a 35 yd TD pass as well. Drew Brees hit Tre'Quan Smith for an 18 yd TD pass with 1:00 remaining, but it would not hold up as a Robbie Gould 30 yard FG as time expired (we will not talk about the Kittle play) gave the 49ers a 48-46 win, a win that ended up giving the 49ers homefield advantage throughout the playoffs which they turned into a Super Bowl berth. That loss, while only the 3rd & final defeat of the regular season for the Saints in 2019, was enough to doom the Saints to the Wild Card round where the Saints fell to the Vikings in the playoffs.

LET'S CRASH THE 49ERS WAGON TRAIN AND SEND THEM BACK TO THE WEST COAST BANKRUPT

Injury Report: (Players only currently on the 53-man roster who have a game designation from the Friday injury report listed here)
SF-
Tevin Coleman (Knee) OUT
Deebo Samuel (Hamstring) OUT
K'Waun Williams (Ankle) OUT
Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (Hamstring) OUT
Trent Taylor (Back) QUESTIONABLE
River Cracraft (Quadricep) QUESTIONABLE

NO-
Dwayne Washington (Back) QUESTIONABLE

Weather: Back in the Superdome means no weather issues for the game. Capacity for today's game has been set at 6,000 fans in attendance by almighty queen LaToya.

Uniforms: Back home in the Dome for the first time in 3 weeks means we're back in all-black



Current Standings:
NFC West:
Seahawks 6-2
Cardinals 5-3
Rams 5-3
49ers 4-5

NFC South:
Saints 6-2
Buccaneers 6-3
Falcons 3-6
Panthers 3-6

Betting Line: Saints (-9.5) O/U 49

Want to listen to Zach Strief, Deuce McAllister, & Steve Geller instead of Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, & Lindsay Czarniak?
Find your local Saints Radio Network affiliate at this link

Today's Officials: (all officiating crews are subject to change)
Referee: #126 Brad Rogers


Umpire: #110 Tab Slaughter
Down Judge: #6 Jerod Phillips
Line Judge: #65 Walt Coleman IV
Field Judge: #42 Nate Jones
Side Judge: #103 Eugene Hall
Back Judge: #78 Greg Meyer
Replay Official: TBA
Replay Assistant: TBA
**Due to "regionalization" of crews due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Brad Rogers has no members of his 2019 crew with him in 2020. Umpire Tab Slaughter is in his rookie season as a NFL official.**

Inactive Lists:
SF-
WR Deebo Samuel
CB Ahkello Witherspoon
CB K'Waun Williams
RB Tevin Coleman
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

NO-
RB Dwayne Washington
CB Ken Crawley
OL Derrick Kelly
DE Carl Granderson
LB Chase Hansen