Saints vs. 49ers Monday Night Football: Live Reaction to Game's Biggest Stories
By on September 20, 2010
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Saints vs. 49ers serves as the third Monday Night Football game of the year (since there were two games last Monday), and below are are the major stories, stats, and reactions from the game.
The Saints come in with a chance to assert themselves as the top team in the still young NFL season, while the 49ers are hoping to either pull off a miracle win, or continue the inevitable 15-week discussion of who will be the team's next quarterback.
And yes, I'm a San Francisco fan, and I think it's safe to say that expectations can't be much lower after last week's loss to the not-so-super Seattle Seahawks.
Maybe the Niners defense plays like they're supposed to, and maybe the team wins the turnover battle to give the offense a chance.....or maybe Drew Brees throws for 450 yards and four scores to the pleasure of his fantasy owners everywhere.
Keep reading for reaction to the game's biggest developments, and info on what football fans are searching for online during the game.
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The New Orleans Saints are 2-0.
The San Francisco 49ers are 0-2.
That's what the standings show, but this 49ers team grew up a little on Monday night. The Saints, meanwhile, didn't look like Super Bowl champions.
Here's five quick things we learned from the Saints' thrilling 25-22 win in San Francisco:
1. New Orleans' Offense Just Isn't Clicking
Like last week, the Saints looked unstoppable in their opening possession, marching down the field for a touchdown. And like last week's victory over the Vikings, the Saints struggled moving the ball consistently after that.
The 49ers committed four turnovers, but the Saints were unable to capitalize consistently. After getting the ball in the red zone thanks to a muffed punt return late in the fourth quarter, the Saints failed to cross the goal line, keeping the 49ers in the game. Drew Brees was solid -- 28-38 for 254 yards and two scores -- but good NFL offenses make teams pay for mistakes. The Saints didn't do that Monday at Candlestick Park.
2. Alex Smith Looks Comfortable -- For Now
Smith was impressive Monday night. He threw two interceptions (one of them was clearly his fault, the other was a deflected pass), but for the most part, he showed a lot of composure in the pocket, and made good decisions.
His final stat line (23-32, 275 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) is a vast improvement over the dismal Week 1 performance in Seattle. Plus, he drove the 49ers down the field when it mattered -- had San Francisco not turned the ball over three times inside the Saints' 30 yard line, the team would be 1-1.
3. Frank Gore Fantasy Owners Should Be Happy
After a pitiful outing in Week 1, Gore and the 49ers run game looked rejuvenated against the Saints. Gore was fighting for extra yards and first downs, and the 49ers were able to control the clock.
Gore ended up with 20 carries for 112 yards, seven catches for 56 yards, and two
With the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers playing a thrilling Monday Night Football game (New Orleans won 25-22 thanks to a last second Garrett Hartley FG), fans are searching for "Monday Night Football Schedule 2010.
Here's the full schedule starting with next week's Green Bay @ Chicago matchup, through the end of the season:
Week 3: Green Bay @ Chicago
Week 4: New England @ Miami
Week 5: Minnesota @ New York Jets
Week 6: Tennessee @ Jacksonville
Week 7: New York Giants @ Dallas
Week 8: Houston @ Indianapolis
Week 9: Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati
Week 10: Philadelphia @ Washington
Week 11: Denver @ San Diego
Week 12: San Francisco @ Arizona
Week 13: New York Jets @ New England
Week 14: Baltimore @ Houston
Week 15: Chicago @ Minnesota
Week 16: New Orleans @ Atlanta
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Reggie Bush Injury Update:
After fumbling and quickly recovering a punt return in the fourth quarter of the Saints vs. 49ers Monday Night Football game, Reggie Bush got up favoring his right leg.
He dropped to the ground after a few steps and needed help off the field.
At this point, it's unclear how serious Bush's injury is, but he found himself on the wrong end of a pile up after recovering his botched punt return.
Bush was carted off the field after reaching the sideline due to what the Monday Night Football crew is calling "an apparent leg injury."
Look for many Saints fans and fantasy football owners to comb sports sites and search engines to get updates on Bush's injury, and how this shakes up the New Orleans backfield.
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Reggie Bush is a momentum killer for opposing teams.
As a special teams return man, he's as dangerous and explosive as players get.
So why, would a 49ers team down by two points -- a team that held the New Orleans Saints to 16 points through three quarters -- choose to roll the dice and kick the ball to Bush?
It's a good question, and one that all NFL coaches should ask themselves before the boom a punt to Bush in any NFL game. Special teams big plays are disastrous for opposing teams. If you're leading, a big return means you let the opponent back in the game without forcing them to work against the clock.
If you're losing, a big return by the opposing team puts your defense in a hole.
Instead of kicking the ball out of bounds, the 49ers, down by two points, kicked right at Bush early in the fourth quarter of Monday night's game.
The result? A 43-yard return from Bush into San Francisco territory.
Despite a good defensive stand, the 49ers gave up three points thanks to Bush's return -- three points that could prove costly by the end of the night.
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Alex Smith looks impressive.
I know, I know -- plenty of room to make some sort of "Inception" reference here and act like this is all a dream (or a dream within a dream within a dream), but Smith looks precise, he looks poised, and looks like a legitimate NFL quarterback against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football.
Smith is currently 15-18 with 195 yards and a touchdown pass to Frank Gore, and the 49ers trail just 16-14.
Aside from a bad first-quarter interception, Smith's decision making has been solid, leading the 49ers on two touchdown drives, and a near score before halftime that ended with a Delaney Walker fumble.
After looking confused and unsure of himself last week against the Seahawks in Week 1, Smith looks like a different quarterback through almost three quarters.
Jerry Rice appropriately gave tribute to Bill Walsh during his Monday Night Football halftime speech, which gives any NFL fan an excuse to look up, and marvel at, Walsh's incredible coaching tree.
The coaches to work directly under Walsh include Mike Homgren, Jim Fassel, Sam Wyche, George Seifert and Paul Hackett.
The coaches to work under those names include Tony Dungy, Jon Gruden, Mile Steve Mariucci, Mike Shanahan, Brian Billick and many more.
Walsh's influence on the game, and the network of NFL coaching is undeniable.
Click here to see the full Bill Walsh Coaching Tree
Drew Brees is one of the most precise, skilled and well-liked quarterbacks in the NFL, but there's one thing he hasn't done so far this season: make fantasy football players who drafted the New Orleans QB very happy.
For the second straight week, Brees and the New Orleans offense followed a strong opening touchdown drive with a sluggish first half.
Through the first half of Monday Night Football, Brees is 10-15 for 84 yards and one score. Brees hasn't turned the ball over, but after a pretty pedestrian first six quarters of the NFL season, fantasy football owners have to be a little frustrated with what they're getting out of Brees.
Of course, piling up yards and scores doesn't always lead to winning on the football field -- just ask Donovan McNabb and Peyton Manning, who have both suffered losses after big games this season.
Jerry Rice is currently trending on Twitter, and by night's end, "Jerry Rice Stats" will be a popular search term across the Web as NFL fans revisit the San Francisco 49ers wideout's numbers following the retiring of his No. 80 jersey on Monday Night Football.
And Rice's resume is impressive, to say the least.
Below are some of his many accomplishments:
Career Receptions: 1,549 (No. 1 all time)
Career Receiving Yards: 22,895 (No. 1 all time)
Career Touchdowns: 197 (No. 1 all time)
13 Pro Bowl selections (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002)
11-time NFL First Team All Pro (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996)
Three Super Bowl Rings
Super Bowl MVP
Member, NFL Hall of Fame (Class of 2010)
Frank Gore, like the San Francisco 49ers, is showing signs of life.
Gore has piled up eight rushes for 35 yards, and three catches for 15 yards, including a much-needed touchdown for both 49ers fans, and Frank Gore fantasy owners.
Last week, Gore and the 49ers' run game disappointed, harnessing just 38 yards on 17 carries.
So far against the Saints, Gore has a couple of hard runs, and is proving to be a threat out of the backfield. A healthy Gore is a scary thing for opposing defenses, as seen by his touchdown in the second quarter.
Also -- Gore couldn't have scored without a good pass (yes, you read that correctly) from Alex Smith. Swinging the ball to Gore more often might be just what Smith and the 49ers' passing offense needs to move the ball more consistently up and down the field.
Josh Morgan is a little-known name to those outside of the San Francisco Bay Area, but he's might be on the radar of fantasy football owners after the 49ers' Monday Night Football outing against the Saints.
Morgan has three catches for 35 yards thus far and Alex Smith continues to look to him over Michael Crabtree.
Sure, Morgan isn't going to get fantasy football owners dozens of points every week, but in deeper leagues, he could be a good bye-week filler.
At the very least, he's turning into a viable option in a San Francisco offense that needs more weapons than Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and Crabtree if they're going to make a serious run at the Saints, or any other team.
With the San Francisco 49ers retiring Jerry Rice's number, the list of the greatest wide receivers in NFL history is likely something that a lot of NFL fans will start thinking about during and after the halftime ceremony that celebrates Rice's tenure in San Francisco.
That means fans will flock to the Web to look for lists and takes on who, exactly, the best wideouts in NFL history are.
It's hard to argue against Rice being the greatest ever (although some NFL historians will tell you Don Huston's stats are equally, if not more impressive), filling out the rest of the list is a fun debate.
How high is Randy Moss on your list? How about the often underrated Isaac Bruce or James Lofton? Have the likes of Hines Ward or Larry Fitzgerald earned a spot on the Top 25 yet?
Check out this list of the Top 25 Greatest WRs in NFL History to get in on the debate.
"Why Did Reggie Bush Lose His Heisman Trophy" might have been a popular search trend over the past week, but he opened up Monday Night Football by making his fantasy football happy with a quick 6-yard catch across the middle from Drew Brees.
Bush absolutely blistered Patrick Willis by cutting to the inside, and Brees hit him in stride. Looks to be a long night for the 49ers -- offense can't move the ball (and committed a major goof with a bad snap that led to a safety), and the defense is showing no sign of stopping Brees.
Against the Saints, a 9-0 hole isn't the way to start the game.
With Jerry Rice getting his No. 80 officially retired at halftime of tonight's Saints vs. 49ers Monday Night Football game, football fans are searching for Rice's all-time stats, including how his record 208 touchdowns compare to other players.
Here's a look at the Top 20 all-time touchdown leaders in NFL history:
1. Jerry Rice (208)
2. Emmitt Smith (175)
3. LaDainian Tomlinson (153)
4. Randy Moss (150)
5. Terrell Owens (147)
6. Marcus Allen (145)
7. Marshall Faulk (136)
8. Cris Carter (131)
9. Marvin Harrison (128)
10. Jim Brown (126)
11. Walter Payton (125)
12. John Riggins (116)
13. Lenny Moore (113)
14. Shaun Alexander (112)
15. Barry Sanders (109)
16. Don Huston (105)
16. Tim Brown (105)
18. Steve Largent (101)
19. Franco Harris (100)
19. Curtis Martin (100)
During tonight's Monday Night Football game, fans will undoubtedly search for the New Orleans Saints' schedule. Whether it's to see if New Orleans can repeat last year's unbelievable 14-0 start, or just to see who Drew Brees and company will face next week, fans can't get enough of schedules during Monday Night Football.
Here's a look at who the Saints have on tap the rest of the season:
Week 1, Sept. 9: Vikings @ Saints (W 14-9)
Week 2, Sept. 20: Saints @ 49ers (MNF)
Week 3, Sept. 26: Falcons @Saints
Week 4, Oct. 3: Panthers @ Saints
Week 5, Oct. 10: Saints @ Cardinals
Week 6, Oct. 17: Saints @ Bucs
Week 7, Oct. 24: Browns @ Saints
Week 8, Oct. 31: Steelers @ Saints
Week 9, Nov. 7: Saints @ Panthers
Week 10, Nov. 14: Bye
Week 11, Nov. 21: Seahawks @ Saints
Week 12, Nov. 25: Saints @ Cowboys
Week 13, Dec. 5: Saints @ Bengals
Week 14, Dec. 12: Rams @ Saints
Week 15, Dec. 19: Saints @ Ravens
Week 16, Dec. 27: Saints @ Falcons
Week 17, Jan. 2: Bucs @ Saints
San Francisco 49ers: Like this team?
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