San Francisco 49ers: 5 Adjustments Team Must Make Against New Orleans Saints

The San Francisco 49ers have entered as the No. 2 seed in the NFC, and now, the team has to make postseason adjustments in order to have a successful run in the playoffs.

The 49ers are a team with no playoff experience, and they’ll be facing the New Orleans Saints' high-powered offense featuring record-setting quarterback Drew Brees.

Here are the adjustments they must make.

Play-Calling Must Cater to Alex Smith's Mobility

Alex Smith’s mobility is the key to success in the red zone, and the 49ers must convert 50 percent of their scoring opportunities inside the 20-yard line.

Smith can be used in roll-out-offensive-formation sets to isolate his receivers’ one-on-one matchups to improve their scoring opportunities.

The use of Smith’s speed and quickness will be extremely difficult for opponents to defend in goal-line situations.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman and head coach Jim Harbaugh can make the adjustments to tailor the offensive scheme to fit Smith’s strengths and avoid his weakness of being trapped when the pocket collapses.

Smith’s mobility will be a key factor, and the utilization of boot-leg plays should increase their efficiency on third down situations. The team has dealt with red-zone issues all year, and now, it’s time to make the adjustment and put the points on the board.

Michael Crabtree's Play-Making Ability Must Be Utilized

The targeting of Michael Crabtree must increase against the Saints and is a major adjustment that will bring success in the postseason.

Crabtree’s receiving numbers are rising, and it looks like he’s becoming Smith’s favorite target. He’s dedicated to being one of the best receivers in the game, and the production on the field is starting to flourish.

The 49ers' receivers are currently recovering from injuries, and they don’t want to get Smith in a position of throwing to receivers who didn’t gain experience in regular-season play.

Defensive coordinators will be looking to take Vernon Davis out of the game plan by forcing Smith to throw to new targets, which could lead to Crabtree becoming the No. 1 target.

Defense Must Step Up and Return to Form

Tackling will be a high priority for the 49ers against the Saints, as they have gotten away from the fundamental principle of “no yards after the catch” against receivers.

The 49ers struggled in this area against the Baltimore Ravens, and the team’s inability to stop the Ravens' third-down conversions hurt them.

The entire 49ers defensive unit must get to the football on every play and return to the form they held for the first three quarters of the season. Understandably, we’re talking about the No. 1 defense in the NFL, but the last two regular-season games against the St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks weren’t an indication of their best defensive football.

Goal-line defense will be crucial, and the 49ers have to keep running back Darren Sproles out of the end zone.

The defense must regain their form and not rely on their past performances of the regular season.

Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith Must Execute Game Plan

Game management is going to be critical adjustment in the playoffs. Jim Harbaugh and the coaches proved their abilities in the regular season, but the playoffs are a different mentality and require efficient management on every play.

It’s extremely important to make no mistakes in play calling and play challenges, and the 49ers must base their utilization of timeouts on strategy and not on play-clock expiration.

Harbaugh understands the importance of game preparation, situational football and the field-position chess match.  

The most important adjustment is when to go for it on fourth-and-one situations because they’ll be critical decisions to winning and extended the season. 

Saints head coach Sean Payton has already led his team in the playoffs and succeeded in winning the Super Bowl in 2009—by making those same decisions.

Special-Teams Play Must Be Flawless

Special teams coach Brad Seely must have his special-teams unit execute flawlessly and have them prepared for all scenarios that may arise.

The 49ers' return-game is in a state of flux because of injury to Ted Ginn Jr., and they’ve had a blocked punt and lost an onside-kick recovery in recent weeks. Ginn Jr. is one of the best in the business, and he always presents the possibility of going all the way on both kickoff and punt returns.

San Francisco has used Kyle Williams, Kendall Hunter and Reggie Smith as viable options for return duties, but none are able to match the speed and sure-handed catching skills that Ginn Jr. possesses.

Most inexperienced special teams fumble or get surprised by a fake field goal because unfamiliarity can cause a game-impacting play that quickly swings momentum. As a result, the 49ers' special teams play could turn out to be the most critical part of the game against the Saints.