2012 NFL Playoffs: 5 Keys to the 49ers Beating the Saints

After waiting for nine years, 49ers fans tomorrow will finally get their chance to see the 49ers back in the playoffs.

The 49ers will have their work cut out for them tomorrow as they play the New Orleans Saints. Perhaps no team is playing better than the Saints right now, and the 49ers are underdogs even playing at home.

The 49ers have thrived in the underdog role, though, and have have all the tools to beat the Saints, which include an effective running game, a quarterback that doesn't turn the ball over, and a defense that can get to the quarterback.

That is not to say that the 49ers don't have to improve in some areas to beat the Saints, such as protecting Alex Smith. But if the 49ers can do all of this tomorrow, then 49er fans could see their team in the NFC Conference Championship for the first time since 1997.

Protect Alex Smith

Greg Williams and his Saints defense love to blitz. This was evident the last time the 49ers played against the Saints, with the offense line not being able to protect Smith from the Saints blitzers and allowing six sacks.

As a result the 49ers offense could not get anything done and threw for only 10 yards. Even though that was an exhibition game, it's not like the 49ers haven't had their struggles protecting Smith during the regular season. They gave up the seventh most sacks in the league. 

In fact, the 49ers protection issues are why they lost to the Ravens, Cowboys, and Cardinals. In those games, the 49ers' offensive line gave up 20 sacks.

Even with such protection issues, Alex Smith has the highest QB rating when being blitzed. This is because when the 49ers offensive line does protect Smith from the blitz, even for just a couple seconds, Smith makes good decisions and gets the ball out quick.

Such plays are critical on third down conversions, since defenses are usually rushing the passer on third down. And converting third downs will allow the 49ers to sustain long drives, keeping the Saints offense off the field longer. Another way to sustain long drives is to get the running game going, which bring us to our next slide.

Get the Running Game Going

The 49ers' running game has been stagnant this past month. Frank Gore hasn't run for more than 100 yards since November.

In Gore's defense, it has been a while since he was 100 percent as he has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury. We can only hope that limiting his snaps in week 17 and having the bye week was enough time for Gore to get healthy.

The 49ers will need Gore healthy in this game because the Saints run defense has played well in the second half of the season (despite allowing an average 4.9 yards per carry). Just ask Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson, and Michael Turner, who were all held under 100 yards by the Saints D.

And, as mentioned in the previous slide, they need a healthy Gore to sustain long drives and keep Drew Brees off the field as long as possible.

Running the ball effectively will also leave the Saints susceptible to the play-action. An aggressive defense like the Saints will surely bite on a fake handoff every now and then, especially if the run game has been effective during the game, leaving the big play open.

This was evident in the Saints' loss to the Seahawks last year in the playoffs, when the defense, specifically Roman Harper, shot themselves in the foot by being overly aggressive.

Be More Efficient in the Red Zone

When it comes to the 49ers offense, the red zone should be renamed the dead zone. For whatever reason, the 49ers rarely come away with a touchdown when they cross the opposing 20 yard line. This will not cut it against the Saints, who on average score 34.2 points per game.

Yes, the Saints will most likely not reach this number playing against the 49ers top 5 defense. But it is a lot harder for a 49ers defense to defend a 9-0 lead than a 21-0 lead, as a large lead will cause the Saints offense to be one dimensional.

Being up 21-0 instead of 9-0 will also take more pressure off of Alex Smith. The 49ers offense does not rely on Smith like the Saints offense does with Brees. The 49ers do not want to put Smith in a situation where he has to carry the offense and starts taking risks that can result in turnovers, something he was so good at avoiding this season.

The only way the 49ers will be more effective in the red zone is if they take more risks. They can't be conservative and call three straight running plays. Instead, they have to do more of what they did against the Rams on Sunday; calling more pass plays in the red zone resulted in the 49ers scoring over 30 points in that game.

It should be noted that the 49ers offense has been much better at home, scoring close to 30 points a game, which is fourth in the league.

Blitz Drew Brees

As mentioned in previous slides, the less time the ball is in Drew Brees' hands, the better. The 49ers need to prevent him from dropping back to pass because that gives him more time to dissect the defense.

Though the 49ers know how to get to the passer, getting to Brees will not be easy. He has an offensive line that includes three Pro Bowlers and has allowed only 24 sacks, second in the league. Bringing Brees down is much easier said than done. Despite his small size, he is evasive and manipulates the pocket around him.

Blitzing aims not only to take the ball of the quarterback's hands, but also to upset the quarterback's timing. Perhaps no quarterback relies more on timing than Brees, who does so to overcome his lack of height. Taking away Brees' timing will cause him to miss him receivers and perhaps turn the ball over, limiting the Saints passing offense. And what are the Saints without their passing offense?

The 2-14 Rams were able to beat the Saints by blitzing Drew Brees effectively. In that game Brees was sacked six times and threw two interceptions.

The 49ers must do a good job of disguising their blitz packages though, as Brees is a veteran that has seen a lot of blitzes in his time. If he knows the defense is coming after him, he will call an audible and make you pay.

Make Jimmy Graham Disappear

To blitz effectively, though, the 49ers must blanket the matchup nightmare Jimmy Graham.

Graham is a freakish athlete that has the size to play tight end but the speed of a wide receiver. Linebackers are usually given the responsibility of guarding tight ends, but few linebackers can match Graham's athleticism. The 49ers are fortunate that they have an athletic linebacker in Willis. 

Willis ran the 40 yard dash in 4.37 seconds at his Pro Day. He also excels in coverage, registering 12 passes defended in 13 games. After suffering a hamstring injury, he played in Week 17, and with two weeks of rest since then, he should be at 100 percent.The 49ers will need him to cover Jimmy Graham, as you can't blitz effectively if you don't take away the quarterback's safety net.

Usually these safety nets are just dink and dunk throws to your tight end or running back. But Graham didn't break Kellen Winslow's record for most yards caught by a tight end by catching dink and dunk throws. Instead, he made big plays all year.

Having an athletic tight end like Jimmy Graham is like having a fourth receiver on the field.