The 49ers (7-2-1) travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for a 5:30 PT Sunday Night Football kickoff against the New Orleans Saints (4-6).
Drew Brees leads the Saints' offense. Aaron Kromer is the interim head coach (Sean Payton suspended for bountygate). Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram split the backfield. Colin Kaepernick continues for the 49ers. Frank Gore at lead back.
Drew Brees and the Saints come into Sunday night at 4-6 in Aaron Kromer's interim year. Sean Payton suspended for the 2012 bounty-gate. The Saints' offense has produced 27 points per game. Jimmy Graham at tight end. Marques Colston at receiver.
The 49ers, at 7-2-1 with the Bears Monday-night home blowout fresh, travel to New Orleans in primetime for Kaepernick's second NFL start. Gore at lead back.
Favored by 2 on the road in primetime. The Sunday-night spot is the kind of game where the year-two team's new QB1, in his second NFL start, faces a Hall of Fame quarterback at the Superdome.
Week 12 Sunday Night Football is the late-November NFC primetime check. The Falcons (9-1) lead the NFC. The Bears (7-3), Giants (7-4), and 49ers (7-2-1) compete in the NFC's contender mix. The Saints (4-6) struggle in the NFC South. Around the AFC the Patriots, Texans, and Broncos continue at the top. The Sunday-night game is the kind of primetime spot where the year-two team's competitive identity gets tested.
Through ten games the 49ers are 7-2-1 with a +111 point differential. The Saints are 4-6 with a -31. Drew Brees has 25 TDs and 16 INTs through 10 games. Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram combine for 90 rushing per game. Marques Colston 9 TDs. Sean Payton suspended. Kaepernick 243 in W11 debut. Vegas opens the 49ers as 2-point road favorites; total 53.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 7-3 | W4 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-6 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 4-6 | L3 |
| New York Jets | 4-6 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 8-2 | W3 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 6-4 | L1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 5-5 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 2-8 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 9-1 | W4 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6-4 | L1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4-6 | W1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-9 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 7-3 | W5 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-6 | L2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 3-7 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-9 | L7 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 7-2-1 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 6-4 | W2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-6 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 3-6-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 6-4 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 5-5 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-6 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3-7 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 7-3 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 7-3 | W5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-4 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-6 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 9-1 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-4 | W4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5-5 | W3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2-8 | L2 |
2012 49ers @ Saints
49ers vs Saints 2012 Week 12
New Orleans Saints 21 x 31 San Francisco 49ers - week 12 - 2012 - Espn Brasil
San Francisco 49ers vs New Orleans Saints: 2012 NFL Football Picks Week 12
NFL 2012 Week 12 - San Francisco 49ers (7-2-1) vs New Orleans Saints (5-5) - 1st Half - NFL 2K5 - HD
NFL 2012 Week 12 - San Francisco 49ers (7-2-1) vs New Orleans Saints (5-5) - 2nd Half - NFL 2K5 - HDReveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Colin Kaepernick 7 yard rush ( David Akers kick) | 7-0 |
| Saints | David Thomas 6 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Marques Colston 10 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) | 7-14 |
| 49ers | Ahmad Brooks 50 yard interception return ( David Akers kick) | 14-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Frank Gore 6 yard pass from Colin Kaepernick ( David Akers kick) | 21-14 |
| 49ers | Donte Whitner 42 yard interception return ( David Akers kick) | 28-14 |
| Saints | Jed Collins 2 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Garrett Hartley kick) | 28-21 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | David Akers 27 yard field goal | 31-21 |
Colin Kaepernick threw for 231 yards and a touchdown and the 49ers beat the New Orleans Saints 31-21 on Sunday Night Football at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Frank Gore ran for 73 yards and a touchdown. Vernon Davis caught two touchdowns. Michael Crabtree caught five for 86. Drew Brees threw for 462 yards and four touchdowns. The 49ers' defense generated five sacks. The 49ers improved to 8-2-1 with their second-straight win.[1][2][3]
Colin Kaepernick threw for 231 yards and a touchdown to Vernon Davis Sunday night at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 49ers beat the New Orleans Saints 31-21 in the kind of Sunday-night primetime road win where the year-two team's new QB1, in his second NFL start, produced exactly the kind of complete-team performance the rebuild needed.
Frank Gore ran for 73 yards and a touchdown. Vernon Davis caught two touchdowns. Michael Crabtree caught five for 86. The 49ers' offense produced 31 points. The kind of Sunday-night primetime road game where the offensive identity, in Kaepernick's second NFL start, was firmly in the conference's top tier.
Drew Brees threw for 462 yards and four touchdowns. The 49ers' defense generated five sacks of Brees and forced three takeaways. The kind of Sunday-night primetime road win where the year-two team's competitive identity, in two-straight wins with the new QB1, was the year's signature primetime moment. 8-2-1 with the Rams on the road next.
49ers 31, Saints 21. Margin: +10. Eleven-game record: 8-2-1, +121 differential.
A 31-21 Sunday Night Football road win over the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The 49ers improve to 8-2-1.
How it unfolded
Kaepernick led an opening touchdown drive ending in a Vernon Davis catch. Brees answered. Frank Gore ran in a touchdown. Davis caught his second touchdown. The 49ers led 17-14 at halftime. The third quarter was a Kaepernick touchdown drive and two more Brees touchdown drives. The 49ers led 24-21 in the fourth quarter. Gore ran in a goal-line touchdown to make it 31-21. The 49ers' defense closed it out.
The turning point
Davis's second-quarter second touchdown. With the year-two team's offensive identity in operation against the Saints' defense and the Sunday-night primetime road crowd seeing Kaepernick's second NFL start, Davis's second catch pushed the 49ers ahead 17-7 and the rest of the day was a complete-team performance.
By the numbers
Kaepernick 16-of-25 for 231 with one TD. Gore 18 carries for 73 with a TD. Davis 7 catches for 106 with two TDs. Crabtree 5 catches for 86. Brees 26-of-46 for 462 with four TDs. Pierre Thomas 13 for 70. Colston 8 for 100. The 49ers' five sacks and three takeaways.
Personnel watch
Kaepernick's second NFL start producing the win. Vernon Davis's two-touchdown game. The defense's five sacks of Brees. The kind of Sunday-night primetime road performance where the year-two team's competitive identity, in two-straight wins with the new QB1, was the year's signature primetime moment.
What it means
8-2-1 with the Rams on the road next week. The Sunday-night primetime road win is the kind of result that, in Kaepernick's second NFL start, has the year-two team's QB1 question definitively answered. The Rams game in St. Louis is the next test.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Colin Kaepernick | 16/25 | 231 | 1 | 1 | |
| NOR | |||||
| Drew Brees | 26/41 | 267 | 3 | 2 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Frank Gore | 19 | 83 | 0 | 14 |
| Kendall Hunter | 4 | 28 | 0 | 21 |
| Colin Kaepernick | 6 | 27 | 1 | 15 |
| Anthony Dixon | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Brandon Jacobs | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| NOR | ||||
| Chris Ivory | 8 | 34 | 0 | 7 |
| Mark Ingram | 10 | 27 | 0 | 7 |
| Pierre Thomas | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drew Brees | 2 | -2 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Delanie Walker | 3 | 81 | 0 | 45 |
| Mario Manningham | 5 | 69 | 0 | 40 |
| Bruce Miller | 3 | 37 | 0 | 26 |
| Michael Crabtree | 3 | 26 | 0 | 15 |
| Frank Gore | 2 | 18 | 1 | 12 |
| NOR | ||||
| Darren Sproles | 7 | 65 | 0 | 35 |
| Lance Moore | 3 | 61 | 0 | 43 |
| Marques Colston | 4 | 36 | 1 | 13 |
| Jimmy Graham | 4 | 33 | 0 | 12 |
| Joe Morgan | 1 | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| David Thomas | 4 | 24 | 1 | 9 |
| Jed Collins | 2 | 9 | 1 | 7 |
| Devery Henderson | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
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