Canal Street Chronicles
The New Orleans Saints will likely have their best chance at a win on Sunday against a severely injured San Francisco 49ers. While the 49ers are dealing with a plethora of injuries, they are a well-coached team. If the Saints want to come out of Week 2 with a .500 record, they’ll have to take advantage of these key matchups.
The best way for the Saints to take advantage of the 49ers’ starting backup quarterback, Mac Jones, on Sunday is to make the game as uncomfortable as possible for the young quarterback. This is Jones’ first year with San Francisco and in a brand new system. The former first-round pick won’t be surrounded by top talent as the 49ers will be without George Kittle, along with injuries to Jauan Jennings and Christian McCaffrey.
Brandon Staley’s defense showed out in Week 1, logging five sacks against quarterback Kyler Murray and holding the promising Cardinals’ offense to 20 points. While the defense played plenty of “bend but don’t break” against Arizona, they should be in a better position against the very injured 49ers offense that also allowed plenty of pressures in their Week 1 win.
The offense for San Francisco will almost certainly be centered around superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. The 29-year-old running back struggled to run the ball in the team’s Week 1 victory, but was a threat as a receiver, logging 9 catches for 73 yards. With the ruthless amount of injuries to other star players, CMC will be a key player for the Saints to hone in on.
If New Orleans can control the 49ers’ run game, it will force Mac Jones and the San Francisco offense to be one-dimensional. While McCaffrey isn’t the only capable back for the 49ers, with the team trading for Brian Robinson Jr. during the offseason, the seasoned vet is still the star of the offense. Slowing down the running game will force Kyle Shanahan’s hand and make a team missing their WR1, WR3, and TE1 throw the ball.
But as said earlier, McCaffrey is a threat as a receiver, and New Orleans will have to account for him in the pass game. The Saints don’t have the talent to keep up with the All-Pro running back, but different personnel sets can help put the speed on the field that matches up with McCaffrey.
The Saints had an effective run game in Week 1, but as they fell behind in points, they abandoned it. When asked about the decision to shy away from the run, Head Coach Kellen Moore noted the Cardinals’ halftime adjustments.
No matter what the reason for the heavy pass game was, New Orleans made itself one-dimensional. Not being able to run the ball takes away bootlegs, play action, and allows defensive backs to play back. With defensive backs monitoring any deep shots, the Saints were forced to...
