This afternoon, the 49ers will travel to New Orleans to face the high powered Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The two teams last met on November 25, 2012 when the 49ers beat the Saints 31-21 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Offensively, the 49ers are ranked 22nd in the league while the Saints are ranked 2nd. Defensively, the 49ers are ranked 6th in the league while the Saints are ranked 7th.
The last time the 49ers visited the Superdome, they fell short of winning Super Bowl XLVII. This season, the Saints are 5-0 at home and have outscored opponents 176-75 playing there. Running back Frank Gore, who ranks sixth in the NFL with 700 yards rushing, has averaged 91.5 yards and 5.4 yards per carry in his last four games against the Saints. The 49ers got back Mario Manningham last week, but he was only able to haul in three catches for 30 yards against the Panthers.
Tight end Vernon Davis and safety Eric Reid both suffered concussions last week, but are expected to play against the Saints. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree will not play against the Saints and will continue to watch from the sideline.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees has completed over 74% of his passes at home this season, averaging over 367 passing yards per game. He has also thrown 18 touchdowns compared to only 2 interceptions at home. The team averages over 35 points per game at the Superdome.
This season, Brees has thrown for 3,064 yards compared to Colin Kaepernick, who only has 1,675 yards.
The game kicks off at 1:25 PM PT and, as usual, you can visit 49erswebzone.com for the latest news and updates during and after the game.
The game will be televised on FOX. The Saints are 3.5 point favorites.
Within Yahoo! Sports, a popular mobile scores application, 65% of fans believe that the Saints will win this game.
Within our Pick 'em contest, 64% of fans believe that the 49ers will win this game.
You can follow the game live on NFL.com's Game Center.
You can also discuss the game with fans in the 49erswebzone.com forums. Become a fan of 49erswebzone.com on Facebook and Google+ or follow us on Twitter.
Out: WR Quinton Patton (foot), DT Ray McDonald (ankle)
Doubtful: TE Garrett Celek (hamstring)
Questionable: TE Vernon Davis (concussion), WR Mario Manningham (knee), RB Bruce Miller (hamstring), S Eric Reid (concussion), LB Dan Skuta (foot)
Probable: CB Tarell Brown (knee), DT Quinton Dial (ankle), RB Frank Gore (ankle), GMike Iupati (knee), P Andy Lee (neck), DT Justin Smith (shoulder)
Saints Injury Report
Out: S Kenny Vaccaro (concussion), TE Benjamin Watson (concussion)
Probable: TE Jimmy Graham (elbow, foot), S Roman Harper (knee), DE Akiem Hicks (back), S Malcolm Jenkins (knee), DE Cameron Jordan (ankle), LB Curtis Lofton (hamstring, ankle), DT Tyrunn Walker (knee)
Article photo by Derick E. Hingle of USA Today Sports
