The 49ers (3-5) travel to the Louisiana Superdome for a 12:00 ET kickoff against the New Orleans Saints (1-7). Mike Ditka's third year is collapsing; the Saints have lost seven of eight. Billy Joe Tolliver is the listed starter in his second straight start after the Billy Joe Hobert injury.
Ricky Williams is the back. Keith Poole and Eddie Kennison are the receivers. The Saints' offense averages 14 points across the first eight games.[1][2]
Steve Stenstrom starts at quarterback for the 49ers in the road game at the Superdome. Jeff Garcia entered the concussion protocol Tuesday after the Steelers' six-sack afternoon. The third-string quarterback on Mariucci's roster, four games into his Garcia-relief run, is the starter Sunday. The Saints are 1-7 with seven straight losses. Ditka's team has not won since the Week 2 victory at 3Com.
Week 10 has the Saints hosting the 49ers plus a slate where the conference's wild-card race is essentially settled. The Rams sit at 6-1; the Bucs 6-2; the Vikings 5-3. The AFC has the Jaguars at 6-2 and the Dolphins at 6-2. The Browns are 1-7. Inside the NFC West the Falcons are 2-6, the Saints 1-7, the Cardinals 2-6. The Sunday at the Superdome is the conference's only matchup of two teams in the divisional bottom half.
Through eight games the 49ers sit at 3-5 with a minus 84 point differential, the conference's worst. Stenstrom starts in relief of the concussed Garcia. Garner averages 84 from scrimmage across the first eight games. The Saints are 1-7 with Tolliver averaging 180 passing yards per game and Williams 4.0 a carry. New Orleans averages 14 points and gives up 27. Vegas opens the 49ers as 3-point road favorites despite the 3-5 start.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 7-1 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 6-2 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-3 | -- |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3-5 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-8 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 1-8 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 7-1 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-2 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 6-2 | -- |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-3 | -- |
| New York Jets | 2-6 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-2 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5-3 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-4 | -- |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-4 | -- |
| Denver Broncos | 3-6 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 6-2 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 3-5 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-5 | -- |
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-7 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-7 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | 6-2 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-4 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-4 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-4 | -- |
| Chicago Bears | 4-5 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 5-3 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 5-3 | -- |
| Dallas Cowboys | 4-4 | -- |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-6 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2-7 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Billy Joe Tolliver 2 yard rush ( Doug Brien kick) | 0-7 |
| 49ers | Wade Richey 52 yard field goal | 3-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Billy Joe Tolliver 2 yard rush ( Doug Brien kick) | 3-14 |
| 49ers | Wade Richey 22 yard field goal | 6-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Andre Hastings 11 yard pass from Billy Joe Tolliver ( Doug Brien kick) | 6-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Doug Brien 28 yard field goal | 6-24 |
Billy Joe Tolliver threw for 242 yards and a touchdown and the New Orleans Saints beat the 49ers 24-6 at the Louisiana Superdome. Steve Stenstrom went 18 of 32 for 157 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in his first NFL start. Charlie Garner ran for 60 on 12 carries. Ricky Williams ran for 99 on 30 carries. The 49ers were shut out of touchdowns and scored on two Wade Richey field goals.[1][2]
Steve Stenstrom started at quarterback for the 49ers at the Superdome and the 49ers lost 24-6 to a 1-7 Saints team. The 49ers were shut out of the end zone for the first time since 1991. Two Wade Richey field goals accounted for the total offense.
The Sunday is the kind of road afternoon that, in calendar 1999, frames the franchise's structural collapse. Stenstrom 18-of-32 for 157, no touchdowns, one pick. The offense's longest play was a 22-yard completion to Greg Clark in the second quarter. The Saints' defense, the league's 27th-ranked unit by points entering the day, produced four sacks and held the 49ers to 191 total yards.
The 49ers walk back to the airport 3-6 with the home game against the Rams next Sunday. The road record is 1-4. The wire copy is going to spend the column on Mariucci's situation. The film room is going to start with the protection on the Stenstrom dropbacks and work outward to the third-down playcall against the Saints' Cover 2 shells.
Saints 24, 49ers 6. Margin: minus 18. Record: 3-6, minus 102 differential.
A 24-6 road loss at the Superdome. The 49ers fall to 3-6, shut out of the end zone for the first time since 1991.
How it unfolded
The Saints opened with a Williams short rushing touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. A Wade Richey field goal in the second quarter cut it to 7-3. New Orleans answered with a Tolliver-to-Keith Poole 49-yard touchdown to push the lead to 14-3 at halftime. The third quarter produced a Williams 4-yard rushing score to make it 21-3 and a Richey 38-yard field goal for 49ers' second points. The fourth quarter added a closing Saints field goal to make the final 24-6.
The turning point
The second-quarter Poole 49-yard touchdown. With Tolliver dropping back from his own 30 and the 49ers' Cover 2 shell loose in the deep half, Poole ran a post over the safety. The 14-3 halftime cushion was the margin the offense could not close against the Saints' defensive front.
By the numbers
Stenstrom 18-of-32 for 157 with one pick; the worst quarterback line by a 49ers starter since 1996. Garner 60 on 12 carries; the running game produced 86 yards. Owens 5 catches for 56. Defensively the front produced one sack of Tolliver. The 49ers gave up 374 yards on 62 plays. Williams 99 rushing on 30 carries was the kind of workhorse afternoon Ditka has been building the offense around.
Personnel watch
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Steve Stenstrom | 18/32 | 157 | 0 | 1 | |
| NOR | |||||
| Billy Joe Tolliver | 12/15 | 242 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Charlie Garner | 12 | 60 | 0 | 12 |
| Fred Beasley | 6 | 26 | 0 | 12 |
| Steve Stenstrom | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| NOR | ||||
| Ricky Williams | 30 | 99 | 0 | 13 |
| Billy Joe Tolliver | 6 | 36 | 2 | 14 |
| Lamar Smith | 3 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Terrell Owens | 5 | 56 | 0 | 18 |
| J.J. Stokes | 4 | 35 | 0 | 16 |
| Jerry Rice #80 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 10 |
| Fred Beasley | 2 | 19 | 0 | 12 |
| Charlie Garner | 2 | 8 | 0 | 6 |
| Greg Clark | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| NOR | ||||
| Keith Poole | 2 | 74 | 0 | 42 |
| Ricky Williams | 3 | 57 | 0 | 29 |
| Andre Hastings | 2 | 53 | 1 | 42 |
| Eddie Kennison | 3 | 41 | 0 | 20 |
| Scott Slutzker | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Lamar Smith | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
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