Saints vs. 49ers: 5 New Orleans Players Who Will Come Up Big in San Francisco

A New Orleans Saints victory against the San Francisco 49ers is going to come down to five players in Saints helmets.

Football is a game that takes all 11 men to win the football game, but the Saints will need outstanding performances from five of their best players to ensure a victory over this physical 49er team.

This is the moment that all Saints fans have been waiting for—the moment that the Saints prove to the media and prove to themselves that they can win a playoff game away from home and that they are just as dangerous on grass as they are on turf.

These are the five players that will prove to every media outlet that the Saints are the team to beat in the NFC no matter where the game takes place.

Darren Sproles

The Saints are going to need Darren Sproles' versatility when they face the 49ers' aggressive front seven.

The 49ers are tied for seventh in the league in sacks with 42 total this season and rank fourth in average yards per game with 308.2. In other words, they're a pretty stout defense, but this is where Sproles comes into play.

Not only will Sproles be receiving pitches out of the backfield to try and stretch this defense, but the Saints will move him all over the place to create mismatches and use him, as well as Pierre Thomas, in the screen game.

In the Saints' first playoff game against the Detroit Lions, Sproles rushed the ball six times for 40 yards and had five receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown. Going against a stingy defense that's tied for a league-best 14.3 points allowed per game, Sproles is going to have to make an impact wherever he lines up.

Jermon Bushrod

Because of the 49ers' ability to get pressure on the quarterback and sack him, Jermon Bushrod is going to need to have his best game yet.

Bushrod has been solid all season and received Pro Bowl honors for his outstanding play. In fact, the entire Saints offensive line has played tremendous, and they'll have to keep it up going into San Francisco.

The Saints gave up the league's fewest quarterback hits and tied for the second-fewest sacks allowed this season. Drew Brees is only as good as his offensive line allows him to be, and with the help of his offensive line in this game, he can skin this defense alive.

But with that said, the 49ers have some great pass-rushers and Aldon Smith is one of the league's best when it comes to sacking the quarterback, as he's totaled 14 this season.

It's up to Bushrod to protect Brees' blind side and the Saints offensive line to protect their star quarterback against this great 49ers defense.

Roman Harper

The 49ers won't kill you with their passing game, but they can trample you with their rushing game.

Enter Roman Harper. If I had to pick a safety that's best served for stopping the run, I'd definitely toss Harper's name in the hat.

Harper's coverage skills aren't the league's best, but when it comes to form tackling and making big plays in the backfield, Harper is your guy.

Harper had 95 tackles in the regular season and 7.5 sacks to go along with his two forced fumbles and fumble recovery for the Saints. Harper was listed as questionable for the game with his ankle, but after resting it this week, he should be good to go and have an enormous impact on the game.

Patrick Robinson

Expect Patrick Robinson to get picked on against the 49ers, and expect the young corner to make a big play on the ball at some point in the game.

Though Robinson started his NFL career shaky, he's definitely stepped up his game in the second half of the season and playoffs. Is Robinson a shutdown corner? Not at all, but the guy has the ability to make interceptions and big plays in critical moments.

Robinson led the Saints this season with four interceptions, and even though the 49ers don't possess a lethal passing game, Alex Smith can still hurt teams through the air.

Though Smith is having a solid season with 17 touchdown and only five interceptions, he's still known to make a few mistakes, and an arid pass from Smith could turn into a gold mine for Robinson and the Saints.

Drew Brees

Whether he wins the MVP or not, Drew Brees has established himself as one of the league's best.

To be the man, you've got to beat the man, and in order for Brees to establish himself as the league's best, he's going to have to go through Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. But the 49ers are up first.

After Brees' record-setting season, he followed it up with another brilliant performance that saw him throw for 466 yards, complete 76.7 percent of his passes and throw three touchdowns with no interceptions against the Detroit Lions.

The Saints will go as far as Brees takes them, and he can't afford to have any bad games this postseason. Brees will take care of business though, and take care of those 49ers to advance and meet Rodgers in the NFC Championship.