vs.
Saturday, 4:30 p.m. ET, Candlestick Park
The Quarterbacks |
| Brees |
 |
| Smith |
There will be no comparisons when matching up the two healthy quarterbacks in this game?
Drew Brees set the single season passing record with 5476 yards passing eclipsing
Dan Marino and almost getting to the
6000 yard monumental goal. He also scored 46 touchdowns this season with 14 interceptions. Brees has been here before and taken them all the way and won the Super Bowl. Distribution of the ball is his weapon of choice, beware secondary. They were 1st in passing and 6th in rushing on the year so defensive signal calling will have their work to do!
The 49ers do have a capable quarterback
Alex Smith under center to get the job done. He will need to limit the turnovers and use the clock to his advantage. They have a very balanced offense 3193 yards passing, 2044 yards rushing for the season. The 29th in passing in the league shows you that Smith needs to keep the lanes open for rushing which was 8th overall this season.
Huge Advantage - Saints
Running Backs
 |
| Sproles |
 |
| Gore |
 |
| Thomas |
 |
| Hunter |
The running backs for the Saints are used to set up the pass or get the tough short yards on third down.
Darren Sproles has been a spark plug to the offense by stretching the defense in fear of the sweeps and catches out of the backfield. Sproles only had 603 yards rushing which led the team, but he had 710 yards receiving to add to his overall totals. Where he did his real damage though was in kick returns on special teams, his 1089 yards helped tremendously in getting good field position for Brees and company. The injury to
Mark Ingram led to more touches for veteran
Pierre Thomas and 562 yards rushing and 425 yards receiving showed he accepted the workload.
The 49ers will look to push the ball slower than the Saints by pounding the ball at them.
Frank Gore had another stellar season with 1211 yards rushing. A punishing back that has a nose for the end zone when the opportunity arises had eight touchdowns this year. He did have some help in rookie
Kendall Hunter and his 473 yards from scrimmage. Neither back is proficient in the passing game so the trenches is where they will live or die.
Slight Advantage - Saints
Wide Receivers  |
| Colston |
 |
| Crabtree |
 |
| Meachem |
 |
| Swain |
The high powered electrify offense comes from the air and catching the missiles are
Marques Colston 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns on 80 receptions helped the veteran earn his wings. The loss of
Lance Moore took a blow, but the arsenal never let up with
Robert Meachem stepping up and receiving 620 yards and six touchdowns. These numbers for a team that passes for over 5,000 yards seem bleak but Brees finds the player to catch the ball that will win.
Injuries and bad drafts have led to a week receiving corp for the 49ers.
Michael Crabtree their leader only had 874 yards and 4 touchdowns. A far cry from what you would expect from a prospected future star. This weekend we will see
Brett Swain on the side looking to capitalize on his opportunity on the big stage. He only had 2 catches in the regular season, so we have little to go on for preparation. Double teaming Crabtree might open lanes and leave islands for Smith and Swain to work.
Giant Advantage - Saints
Tight Ends
 |
| Graham |
 |
| Davis |
This season has been for the Saints the
Jimmie Graham show. A mind boggling 99 receptions from a tight end with 1310 receiving yards leading the team and 11 touchdowns. Will the 16th ranked defense of the 49ers be able to game plan an offense where the tight end is their leading scorer? Brees will be looking all day for his favorite receiver.
Can
Vernon Davis take a personal challenge and defeat the tight end war. He did have 67 receptions for 792 yards in the regular season. With a decimated receiving corp we may see plenty of balls going in his direction.
Advantage - No Brainer Saints
Prediction Ravens 38 - Texans 17
Now fans time to show your pride!
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