San Francisco 49ers fans have traveled well this season. That will happen when your team puts out a good product, as the Niners have this year. Running back Raheem Mostert even went as far as to say that he is expecting a neutral crowd on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the team's NFC showdown against the New Orleans Saints.
"How I see it is it's going to be a neutral site because I know our fans are going to show up because every game we've gone to, so far, has really felt like a home game, especially for these away games," Mostert said this week. "Even in Baltimore, we had a lot of fans cheering for us."
Expecting a crowd-altering contingent of 49ers fans at the Superdome might be a tall order. It's considered one of the loudest home crowds in the NFL with the passionate fanbase and the noise created from the indoor stadium.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan joined KNBR on Friday morning and discussed the challenge of playing such an impactful conference game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Every little advantage helps. That's why the team remained on the East Coast this week rather than return home to the Bay Area.
The 49ers are practicing at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, and have been blasting the music during their on-field sessions. The offense has been utilizing silent cadence the last couple of weeks in preparation for this challenging two-game road trip.
"It's always a challenge when you go on the road to any of these loud places," Shanahan told Adam Copeland, Tony Rhein, and Donte Whitner. "I think a good thing working or us is, last week at Baltimore, that was the loudest place we've been, so far.
"It was probably the first environment we've been in, on the road, where it was a very loud place. Definitely a step behind Seattle, and also behind the Superdome, but it was a good start for us, so we've led into this second week of doing the silent cadence, and I think we'll be a lot better at it, going into this game."
Both the 49ers are Saints enter the game with matching 10-2 records. Although, New Orleans is currently clinging to the best record in the NFC after San Francisco's loss in Baltimore this past weekend.
The Saints hold the edge over the Seattle Seahawks, also 10-2, thanks to an early-season win. Seattle, meanwhile, leads the NFC West thanks to a Week 10 win over the 49ers at Levi's Stadium.
The 49ers and Seahawks play again in Seattle during Week 17.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
