The 49ers (0-1) host the New Orleans Saints (0-1) at 3Com Park in the home opener for a 1:00 PT kickoff. Mike Ditka is in his third year as head coach. Billy Joe Hobert starts at quarterback with Jeff Blake on the injury report.
Ricky Williams, the rookie back acquired in the Ditka draft trade, is making his second NFL start. Eddie Kennison and Keith Poole are the perimeter receivers; Joe Horn is the slot.[1][2]
Mike Ditka traded the New Orleans franchise's draft for Ricky Williams. He is in his third year as head coach with a roster he built to win in 1999. Sunday at 3Com is the kind of home opener the 49ers used to play in years when the offensive line was healthy and the receiver room was fully recovered. The Sunday issue is the same as the Sunday issue last week: whether the offensive line gives Young a clean pocket against a defensive front that produced eight sacks of Carolina last Sunday.
Week 2 puts the schedule's only winless-against-winless NFC game at 3Com Park. The Saints opened 0-1 with the Week 1 loss at Carolina. Around the league the second-Sunday stories are Trent Green's return from the 1998 preseason knee surgery, the Browns' first-ever home opener, the Jets opening 2-0 with Bill Parcells. The NFC West order has the Falcons and Panthers at 1-0 with the Rams not playing until Sunday night. The 49ers' Sunday is the schedule's only matchup of two 0-1 NFC teams.
Through one game the 49ers sit at 0-1 with a minus 38 point differential. Young threw for 96 in the opener; the 9-of-26 completion line was his worst single-game line since 1996. Garner averaged 5.5 a carry against an elite Jacksonville front. New Orleans opened with Hobert starting in relief of the injured Blake; Williams ran for 70 on 21 carries. Vegas opens the 49ers as 6-point home favorites despite the 0-1 start.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-0 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 1-0 | -- |
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-1 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-1 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-1 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 1-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 1-0 | -- |
| Buffalo Bills | 0-1 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-1 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Denver Broncos | 0-1 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-1 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-1 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-1 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 1-0 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-0 | -- |
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-1 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-1 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-1 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 1-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 1-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 1-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-1 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 1-0 | -- |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 1-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-1 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-1 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Terrell Owens 5 yard pass from Steve Young ( Wade Richey kick) | 0-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Eddie Kennison 2 yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert ( Doug Brien kick) | 7-7 |
| Saints | Keith Poole 58 yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert ( Doug Brien kick) | 14-7 |
| 49ers | Tommy Vardell 1 yard rush ( Wade Richey kick) | 14-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Lawrence Dawsey 12 yard pass from Billy Joe Hobert ( Doug Brien kick) | 21-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Terrell Owens 4 yard pass from Steve Young ( Wade Richey kick) | 21-21 |
| 49ers | Lance Schulters 64 yard interception return ( Wade Richey kick) | 21-28 |
Steve Young threw for 258 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 13, Terrell Owens caught two touchdowns and the 49ers beat the New Orleans Saints 28-21 at 3Com Park to even the record at 1-1. Charlie Garner ran for 72 and added 88 receiving yards on 5 catches. Billy Joe Hobert threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns for the Saints; Ricky Williams ran for 80 on 22 carries. The 49ers led 14-7 at halftime and 28-14 entering the fourth quarter.[1][2]
Steve Young threw for two hundred and fifty-eight and two touchdowns at 3Com Sunday. Terrell Owens caught two of them. Charlie Garner had the kind of full-spectrum afternoon that, in any other year, gets the second-year back into the offensive-rookie-of-the-year conversation: 72 rushing on 12 carries, 88 receiving on 5 catches.
The defensive front produced two sacks of Billy Joe Hobert. The secondary gave up three touchdowns to the Saints' backup quarterback but held Williams under 4 a carry. Ricky Williams ran for 80, the kind of opening-Sunday line the Saints' offense was built around. The 49ers' defense closed the fourth quarter with a Hobert interception that ended the visitors' last threatening drive.
The Sunday is the home opener the 49ers needed. Young's mobility off the Week 1 hits looked intact; he ran six times for 13. Garner answered the offensive line's Week 1 issues with the kind of receiving line that suggests Mariucci is going to run his check-down option more often than the playbook used to. 1-1 with the road trip to Arizona on Sunday next.
49ers 28, Saints 21. Margin: plus 7. Record: 1-1, minus 31 differential. • Young: 23-of-35 for 258, 2 TDs, 1 INT; 6 rushes for 13. • Garner: 12 carries for 72; 5 catches for 88. • Owens: 5 catches for 49, 2 TDs. • Phillips: 5 catches for 61 (first 49ers reception of his career). • Hobert: 20-of-37 for 223, 3 TDs. • Williams: 22 carries for 80 (3.6 ypc). • Kennison: 5 catches for 46, 1 TD. • Quarter scoring: SF 7-7-14-0; NO 0-7-7-7.
A 28-21 home win over the Saints. The 49ers improve to 1-1 with the home opener in hand.
How it unfolded
The 49ers opened with a 7-play touchdown drive ending in a Young 4-yard touchdown to Owens. New Orleans answered with a Hobert touchdown to Kennison in the second quarter to tie at 7. Young found Owens for the second touchdown to make it 14-7 at the half. The 49ers' third quarter produced two scores: a Tommy Vardell 1-yard touchdown run and a Young 12-yard touchdown pass to Greg Clark to push the lead to 28-14. The Saints added a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 28-21 and the 49ers' defense forced a turnover on downs at the 39 to close it.
The turning point
The second Owens touchdown. With the 49ers up 7-7 and the offense facing third-and-six at the Saints' 14, Young found Owens on a fade in the back of the end zone. The 14-7 cushion became 21-7 after the next 49ers possession.
By the numbers
Young 23-of-35 for 258 with two touchdowns; the cleanest passing line of his calendar 1999 season at this point in the year. Owens 5 catches for 49 and two touchdowns. Garner the full-spectrum afternoon: 72 rushing on 12 carries, 88 receiving on 5 catches. Lawrence Phillips 5 catches for 61 in his 49ers debut. Defensively the front produced two sacks of Hobert; the secondary surrendered three touchdown passes but held the Saints under 6 yards per attempt.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Young #8 | 23/35 | 258 | 2 | 1 | |
| NOR | |||||
| Billy Joe Hobert | 20/37 | 223 | 3 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Charlie Garner | 12 | 72 | 0 | 19 |
| Steve Young #8 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 14 |
| Lawrence Phillips | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Tommy Vardell | 5 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Chad Stanley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| NOR | ||||
| Ricky Williams | 22 | 80 | 0 | 15 |
| Lamar Smith | 2 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| Aaron Craver | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
| Tommy Barnhardt | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Billy Joe Hobert | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Charlie Garner | 5 | 88 | 0 | 53 |
| Lawrence Phillips | 5 | 61 | 0 | 17 |
| Terrell Owens | 5 | 49 | 2 | 22 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 5 | 47 | 0 | 19 |
| J.J. Stokes | 2 | 12 | 0 | 7 |
| Tommy Vardell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| NOR | ||||
| Keith Poole | 2 | 69 | 1 | 58 |
| Eddie Kennison | 5 | 46 | 1 | 21 |
| Lawrence Dawsey | 3 | 34 | 1 | 13 |
| Cam Cleeland | 2 | 32 | 0 | 26 |
| Andre Hastings | 2 | 23 | 0 | 12 |
| Aaron Craver | 3 | 14 | 0 | 11 |
| Ricky Williams | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
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