NEW ORLEANS (AP) — During San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan's tenure with the 49ers, opening a regular season with a pair of road victories has been rather auspicious.
The Niners went to the Super Bowl after doing so in 2019 and 2023, and to the NFC title game after opening 2021 with two wins away from the Bay Area.
Now comes a chance to do it again on Sunday, when the Niners (1-0), winners at Seattle in Week 1, visit the New Orleans Saints (0-1), who are rebuilding under rookie coach Kellen Moore.
But to do so, San Francisco will have to overcome injuries — including, most likely, to starting quarterback Brock Purdy, who was deemed a “long shot” to play after hurting his toe last Sunday.
Dynamic 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has faith in his team's ability to continue winning with an offense led by backup Mac Jones.
“Whether Brock is playing or not, it comes down to everybody executing at a high level,” McCaffrey said. “Mac’s been awesome. He’s been such a good guy in the locker room, such a good guy on the field. He shined a bunch of times in camp. He’s got a whole bunch of starts under his belt.”
For Niners defensive end Nick Bosa, San Francisco's Week 1 win was a prime example of how good teams weather injuries. With star tight end George Kittle sidelined by a hamstring injury, reserve Jake Tonges caught a late, go-ahead touchdown pass.
“In the NFL, you got to prepare for injuries,” Bosa said. “Jake is a prime example coming into the game last week and making the game-winning play.”
While the Niners might not be the same without Purdy, they'll still present challenges, Moore said.
“Structurally, they still have a lot of advantages, a lot of opportunities, within that system," Moore said, alluding to McCaffrey's 142 yards from scrimmage last week as a runner and receiver. "Certainly, Christian in the backfield is going to have a huge impact.”
Since the NFL put its current divisional structure in place in 2002, teams have opened a season with two road wins 16 times. Of those, 13 made the playoffs.
The Saints have injuries of their own, adding to the challenges they already faced entering this season.
New Orleans hired Moore after a 5-12 campaign in 2024 that was the Saints' worst since 2005.
Against Arizona last week, the Saints were competitive while playing without starting guard Trevor Penning and top defensive end Chase Young, who both also missed practice this week.
During the game, the Saints lost right tackle Taliese Fuaga to what appeared to be a relatively minor knee injury. Afterward, New Orleans learned that starting safety Julian Blackmon had a shoulder injury that is expected to end his season.
Rookie Jonas Sanker, a third-round draft choice out of Virginia, is Blackmon's likely replacement.
“His story follows my story,” safety Justin Reid said, noting that he, too, started the second game of his NFL career because of another player's injury.
“I already talked to Jonas a little bit about that,” Reid said. “He'll be ready for the moment. He shined in preseason."
The 49ers defense, which struggled late last season, looked much improved with coordinator Robert Saleh back calling the plays. Saleh helped build a dominant defense in San Francisco during his first tenure from 2017-20 before leaving to coach the New York Jets. The Niners’ defense regressed the past two years, but in the opener against Seattle, it allowed just 13 points and 3.2 yards per run.
“It’s felt amazing and surreal ever since he came back honestly," linebacker Fred Warner said. "I knew that was going to be the case out there. Just staying together throughout the chaos of the game and finding a way to win.”
The 49ers changed kickers after just one week, cutting 2023 third-round pick Jake Moody after two short misses in the opener and bringing in veteran Eddy Pineiro. Pineiro has made 88.1% of his field goals in his five-year career — fourth best in NFL history — but spent the summer training on his own and waiting for a spot to open up on a contender.
“I want to win games,” Pineiro said. “I want to be a part of a good culture.”
Saints second-year QB Spencer Rattler, who is still looking for his first win in what will be his eighth career start, found a reliable target last week in 6-foot-4 tight end Juwan Johnson.
Johnson had eight receptions for 76 yards, both team highs. He also nearly came down with a leaping, potential game-tying catch in the end zone in the final seconds, but the ball came loose when he was hit hard by two converging safeties as he crashed to the turf.
“Tough catch. I can’t be mad at that. He put everything on the line," Rattler said, noting that he and Johnson “had a great connection going back to last year," and that “it's going to be the same thing this year.”
“We got trust in him," Rattler said. "We're going to keep getting him the ball.”
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AP Pro Football Writer Josh Dubow in Santa Clara, California, contributed to this report.
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