The 49ers (1-6) host the New Orleans Saints (3-4) at Levi's Stadium for a 1:25 PT kickoff after the Week 8 bye.
Drew Brees leads the Saints' offense. Sean Payton coaches New Orleans. Colin Kaepernick continues at quarterback for the 49ers. Carlos Hyde at lead back. Mark Ingram and Travaris Cadet split the backfield for the Saints.
Drew Brees and the Saints come into Sunday afternoon at 3-4. Sean Payton's offense remains one of the league's most efficient passing attacks. Michael Thomas, the rookie second-round pick, has been the offensive breakout. Mark Ingram continues at running back.
The 49ers come out of the Week 8 bye with Kaepernick the starter. Hyde at lead back. The Sunday-afternoon home game is the kind of Sunday where the rebuilding 49ers' offense, with Kaepernick now installed as the QB1, faces a Hall of Fame quarterback at home.
Underdog by 5.5 at home. A spot where the rebuilding team can play with momentum from the Bucs game.
Week 9 is the early-November NFC sort. The Cowboys (6-1), Vikings (5-2), Falcons (5-3), and Seahawks (4-2-1) lead the NFC. The Patriots (7-1), Raiders (6-2), and Broncos (6-2) lead the AFC. The 49ers (1-6) and Saints (3-4) compete in their conferences' lower tier. The Sunday home game is the kind of week the rebuilding 49ers face one of the league's most-established passing offenses.
Through seven games the 49ers are 1-6 with a -75 point differential. The Saints are 3-4 with a +25. Drew Brees averages 290 passing per game with 14 TDs and 5 INTs. Michael Thomas averages 8 catches per game. Kaepernick 398 yards in Week 7 debut. Vegas opens the Saints as 5.5-point road favorites; total 53.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 7-1 | W4 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4-4 | L2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 3-4 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 3-5 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 4-3 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-4-1 | T1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 3-4 | L4 |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-8 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 5-3 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 4-4 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-5 | L1 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 2-5 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 6-2 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 6-2 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 5-2 | W3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 3-5 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 4-2-1 | L1 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 3-4-1 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3-4 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-6 | L6 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-1 | W6 |
| Washington Redskins | 4-3-1 | T1 |
| New York Giants | 4-3 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 4-3 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota Vikings | 5-2 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-3 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-4 | L1 |
| Chicago Bears | 2-6 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-3 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 3-4 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3-4 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2-5 | W1 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Phil Dawson 49 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Saints | Tim Hightower 4 yard rush ( Wil Lutz kick) | 7-3 |
| Saints | Michael Thomas 1 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) | 14-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Mark Ingram 5 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) | 21-3 |
| 49ers | DuJuan Harris 47 yard pass from Colin Kaepernick ( Phil Dawson kick) | 21-10 |
| Saints | Mark Ingram 75 yard rush ( Wil Lutz kick) | 28-10 |
| 49ers | Phil Dawson 48 yard field goal | 28-13 |
| 49ers | Vance McDonald 65 yard pass from Colin Kaepernick ( Phil Dawson kick) | 28-20 |
| Saints | Wil Lutz 26 yard field goal | 31-20 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Phil Dawson 46 yard field goal | 31-23 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Saints | Michael Thomas 32 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Wil Lutz kick) | 38-23 |
| Saints | Wil Lutz 41 yard field goal | 41-23 |
Drew Brees threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns and the New Orleans Saints crushed the 49ers 41-23 at Levi's Stadium. Brandin Cooks caught two TDs. Michael Thomas caught one. Colin Kaepernick threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 35. Carlos Hyde ran for 84. The 49ers' defense produced zero sacks. The 49ers fell to 1-7.[1][2][3]
Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. The Saints beat the 49ers 41-23 in the kind of Sunday-afternoon home loss where the rebuilding 49ers' defense, against a Hall of Fame quarterback, could not generate any pressure.
Brandin Cooks caught two touchdowns. Michael Thomas caught one. Coby Fleener caught one. The 49ers' defense produced zero sacks. The kind of Sunday afternoon home game where the defense's competitive trajectory continued to slide.
Colin Kaepernick threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 35. Carlos Hyde ran for 84. Torrey Smith caught a touchdown. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home loss where the offense produced 23 points and was still 18 short. 1-7 with the Cardinals on the road next week.
Saints 41, 49ers 23. Margin: -18. Eight-game record: 1-7, -93 differential.
A 41-23 home loss to the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers fall to 1-7.
How it unfolded
The Saints built a 24-7 first-half lead behind two Brees touchdown passes. Kaepernick threw a touchdown to Torrey Smith to make it 24-14. Brees added a third touchdown. Kaepernick threw a second TD to Vance McDonald. The Saints added another touchdown drive to make it 38-21 in the third quarter. A late Saints field goal pushed the final to 41-23.
The turning point
Brees's third touchdown pass right before halftime. With the 49ers' offense having pulled within striking distance at 24-14, the Saints' answering drive ending in another Brandin Cooks score effectively closed the game before the second half began.
By the numbers
Kaepernick 17-of-31 for 192 with two TDs plus 35 rushing. Hyde 17 carries for 84. Torrey Smith 5 catches for 71 with a TD. Brees 32-of-43 for 323 with four TDs. Cooks 6 catches for 87 with two TDs. Coby Fleener 5 catches for 76 with a TD.
Personnel watch
The defense in another zero-sack game. Brees in his usual prime-form efficient day. Kaepernick's first home start producing two touchdowns. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home performance where the rebuilding 49ers' competitive identity, against the league's elite, continued to slide.
What it means
1-7 with the Cardinals on the road next week in the divisional rematch. The Sunday-afternoon home loss is the kind of result that confirms the 49ers' season is effectively over. The Chip Kelly regime, six months after hire-day, looks comprehensively in trouble.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Colin Kaepernick | 24/39 | 398 | 2 | 1 | |
| NOR | |||||
| Drew Brees | 28/39 | 323 | 3 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| DuJuan Harris | 10 | 59 | 0 | 19 |
| Colin Kaepernick | 5 | 23 | 0 | 11 |
| Mike Davis | 2 | 11 | 0 | 7 |
| NOR | ||||
| Mark Ingram | 15 | 158 | 1 | 75 |
| Tim Hightower | 23 | 87 | 1 | 9 |
| John Kuhn | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
| Drew Brees | 2 | -2 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Quinton Patton | 6 | 106 | 0 | 31 |
| Vance McDonald | 3 | 84 | 1 | 65 |
| DuJuan Harris | 5 | 83 | 1 | 47 |
| Garrett Celek | 4 | 76 | 0 | 31 |
| Jeremy Kerley | 3 | 22 | 0 | 17 |
| Torrey Smith | 2 | 18 | 0 | 13 |
| Mike Davis | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| NOR | ||||
| Michael Thomas | 5 | 73 | 2 | 32 |
| Brandin Cooks | 5 | 66 | 0 | 28 |
| Coby Fleener | 3 | 42 | 0 | 26 |
| Josh Hill | 4 | 40 | 0 | 32 |
| Willie Snead | 3 | 36 | 0 | 19 |
| Brandon Coleman | 2 | 25 | 0 | 19 |
| Tim Hightower | 1 | 15 | 0 | 15 |
| Mark Ingram | 2 | 13 | 1 | 8 |
| John Kuhn | 2 | 9 | 0 | 6 |
| Travaris Cadet | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
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