For those who bet the under between the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints Week 14 matchup, oops.
The Niners outlasted the Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, pulling off a crazy back-and-forth 48-46 win, which saw two lead changes with less than two minutes remaining. San Francisco overcame a 20-7 deficit earlier in the game and eventually held a 42-33 lead in the fourth quarter, only to see that evaporate as New Orleans would eventually take a 46-45 lead with 1:30 remaining in regulation.
Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and Co. got to work, though, which saw tight end George Kittle pick up a vital 39-yard catch-and-run grab, further aided by a facemask penalty against the Saints, to put the 49ers into field-goal range.
Kicker Robbie Gould converted with time expiring, and the Niners pulled off the incredible 48-46 road win to improve to 11-2 on the season.
"We win different ways every week," Garoppolo told reporters after the game. "I feel like I say the same thing to you guys every week. That's what a good football team does. You find a way to win. Tough games like this, whatever it may be. I think our guys are built for everything. Handling the environment, it was pretty loud out there, but I thought we did well with it."
Giving up 46 points to a potent Saints offense won't look good for San Francisco's top-notch defense, which entered the contest with a league-best 1,611 pass yards allowed. Quarterback Drew Brees put a dent in that stat by tossing for 349 pass yards and five touchdowns, yet Garoppolo was able to answer back, too.
On the day, Jimmy G went 26-of-35 for 349 yards, four touchdowns and an interception, which bounced off the hands of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and into New Orleans' defense. Still, Garoppolo's 131.7 passer rating was enough to outlast Brees and the previously top-seeded Saints.
"Drew is one of the best ever," Garoppolo continued. "Love watching him play, love studying him on film. The guy is unbelievable."
Brees and the Saints offense helped ensure San Francisco wouldn't be able to win the game solely because of its defense, which suffered a number of notable injuries both before and during the contest. Safety Jaquiski Tartt was inactive with a ribs injury, EDGE Dee Ford re-aggravated his hamstring injury and the Niners also lost cornerbacks K'Waun Williams (concussion) and Richard Sherman (hamstring) during the bout.
As such, the offense was asked to shoulder the load.
"This game meant a lot, and it was a big one for us," Garoppolo added.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
