49ers vs. New Orleans Saints

Garrett Hartley kicked a 37-yard field goal with 1:19 remaining and the New Orleans Saints beat the 49ers 25-22 at Candlestick Park on Monday Night Football. Frank Gore ran for 112 yards and a touchdown, including a 7-yard score that tied the game at 22 with 5:02 left. Alex Smith threw for 275 yards and a touchdown but lost two interceptions. Drew Brees was 28-of-38 for 254 with two touchdowns. A David Baas high-snap safety in the first quarter gave New Orleans the early lead the 49ers chased all night.[1][2][3]

Garrett Hartley made his 37-yard field goal with 1:19 left Monday night at Candlestick. The 49ers lost 25-22 to the defending Super Bowl champion Saints in the kind of primetime home game where a franchise with stated Super Bowl ambitions had a chance to authenticate the talk.

Frank Gore went off for 112 yards rushing on 20 carries and a touchdown, including the 7-yard score that tied the game at 22 with five minutes to go. Alex Smith threw for 275 and a touchdown to Gore on a swing pass but turned the ball over twice. The David Baas high-snap safety in the first quarter, the kind of opening drive disaster that defines a primetime loss, gave New Orleans two points and the football.

Drew Brees did Drew Brees things: 28-of-38 for 254 and two touchdowns to Devery Henderson and Pierre Thomas. Marques Colston caught seven for 89. The 49ers' defense held up; the special teams and the second interception did the team in. 0-2 with the kind of competitive loss that does not actually move the team into the conversation. Kansas City on the road next.

Saints 25, 49ers 22. Margin: -3. Two-game record: 0-2, -28 differential.

* Frank Gore: 20 carries for 112, 1 rushing TD (7y); 4 catches for 29, 1 receiving TD.
* Alex Smith: 23-of-32 for 275, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 82.2 rating.
* Vernon Davis: 4 catches for 78.
* David Baas: high-snap safety in 1Q gave NO 2-0 lead.
* Drew Brees: 28-of-38 for 254, 2 TDs.
* Marques Colston: 7 catches for 89.
* Garrett Hartley: game-winning 37-yard FG with 1:19 left.
* 49ers 0-2; Saints 2-0.

A 25-22 Monday Night Football home loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Saints. The 49ers fall to 0-2.

How it unfolded

The David Baas high snap on the second 49ers possession went out the back of the end zone for a safety, and the Saints took a 2-0 lead. Garrett Hartley added a field goal to make it 5-0. Vernon Davis caught a touchdown to put the 49ers up briefly, then the Saints answered with a Brees touchdown to Devery Henderson before halftime. The third quarter went back and forth: another Brees touchdown to Pierre Thomas, a Joe Nedney field goal, a Hartley field goal. Frank Gore's 7-yard run with 5:02 left tied the game at 22. Brees moved the ball methodically into Hartley range and the kicker made the 37-yarder with 1:19 left.

The turning point

The Baas safety in the first quarter. It is rare for a game's defining play to come on the second possession, but the field-position swing changed the way the rest of the half played out. The 49ers spent the night trying to overcome a 2-0 deficit that turned into 5-0 and then 12-7.

By the numbers

Alex Smith 275 passing on 32 attempts with one TD and two INTs. Gore 112 rushing on 20 carries with a TD. Davis 78 receiving on 4 catches. Brees 254 on 38 attempts. Marques Colston 89 receiving. Pierre Thomas 18 carries for 46 rushing and the receiving TD.

Personnel watch

Frank Gore in his best game of the young season. Vernon Davis productive. Michael Crabtree quiet (4 catches for 28). Baas the snap that defined the night. The 49ers' defensive front generated three sacks of Brees.

What it means

0-2 with the road trip to Kansas City on Sunday. The competitive loss is the kind that gets a team coached harder but does not change the standings. Singletary's public Super Bowl talk is one tough week away from being a daily storyline.