So, you’re saying there’s a chance…? Prior to the new NFL year beginning, the entirety of the Canal Street Chronicles staff along with numerous other football news outlets and personalities were in agreement that we could chalk up the New Orleans Saints’ Week 2 game versus the San Francisco 49ers as a loss. However, coming out of Sunday with a 1-1 record after a win against the NFC West team doesn’t seem completely out of the realm of possibility.
San Francisco will be without two key members of their
starting offense this weekend as quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle will both be held out due to injury. The team is also facing a scenario in which they could be down two more players with wideout Juwan Jennings and offensive tackle Trent Williams both listed as questionable on Friday’s official injury report.
The 49ers will not just be any pushover team. They’ve got a solid roster with guys who will step in and fill the voids like former first-round draft pick QB Mac Jones. He is the 49ers’ projected starter against the Saints.
Christian McCaffrey is one of the top halfbacks in the league and I would expect for him to see a heavy dose of touches in both the run and pass games as San Fran plays shorthanded. On the flip side of things, New Orleans’ new defensive coordinator knows much about the opposition’s roster. Brandon Staley was an assistant head coach in San Francisco just a season ago.
Will his familiarity with the team pay dividends for the Saints, or will he be juked out of the gameplan by Kyle Shanahan?
New Orleans’ defense suffered a major loss after the loss to the Arizona Cardinals after discovering the severity of starting safety Julian Blackmon’s shoulder injury. With Blackmon out indefinitely, third-round pick Jonas Sanker will step into the starting role with big shoes to fill. The high number of reps and experience against some high-octane offenses should pay off in the longevity of Sanker’s career.
New Orleans should look to use more exotic looks on defense to disguise the pressures as they try to force Jones into uncomfortable downs and distances to get the Niners’ offense out of rhythm.
Obviously, nothing comes easy in the National Football League. However, in this instance, with San Francisco playing with a number of limitations, there is no better time for the Saints to try and steal a win on the schedule and build some momentum behind it. I think New Orleans will have a slight edge with their current defense against the 49ers’ current offense, but they cannot afford any messing around.
