San Francisco 49ers: Top 10 games of the decade
By James Jones
No. 9: 49ers @ Saints: Week 10 — Nov. 25, 2012
Sporting a 7-2-1 record going into New Orleans for a Week 12 matchup against the 5-5 Saints in 2012 might not warrant making this list to some.
In fact it’s a perfect game to place at No. 9 for multiple reasons.
For starters, regardless of the Saints record at the time, the 49ers still had to travel to New Orleans for this contest. Second, they had to stare down quarterback Drew Brees in his prime in order to keep pace in the NFC standings. And lastly, San Francisco had to pull off a win in perhaps the most difficult venue to leave victorious in all of football, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
None of that appeared to matter to Jim Harbaugh’s squad on this November day, however, as it hurried, harassed and, for all intents and purposes, had its way with the Saints’ future Hall of Famer.
The 49ers defense finished the day with five sacks and two interceptions, the second of which came after Dashon Goldson upended wide receiver Marques Colston, and fellow safety Donte Whitner plucked the ball out of the air and returned it 42 yards for the score.
The game was still hanging in the balance before Whitner’s pick six, which was largely due to Brees throwing his first interception of the game. Linebacker Ahmad Brooks snagged the pass and took it to the house for six points as well. Brees’ errant throw knotted the score at 14 going into halftime.
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick led a 6-play, 80-yard drive, which ended when he hit Frank Gore in the flat for a 6-yard touchdown. Gore’s score made it 21-14 in favor of San Francisco.
The next Saints possession ended when Brees was intercepted on the Whitner pick detailed earlier. Extending their lead to 28-14 would normally seem like a comfortable cushion with the defense the 49ers fielded.
Against Brees and the Saints? Not so much, as he led a touchdown drive on their next series. A drive, which included a beautifully thrown 43-yard pass to wide receiver Lance Moore, to the 49ers 10-yard line.
The teams traded punts before Kaepernick and Gore led a 16-play, 90-yard drive ending on a David Akers field goal and a 31-21 lead with 7:53 to play. The drive took 9:28 off the clock at a time when the 49ers needed to drain time more than ever.
On the Saints’ ensuing drive, Brees was sacked for an 8-yard loss on first down. The possession would result in a turnover on downs, all but sealing the 49ers victory and moving them to an 8-2-1 record.
This win would prove integral to their playoff positioning, as the team finished 11-4-1. The Green Bay Packers ended their own season at 11-5, thus setting up the teams’ meeting in the NFC divisional playoff game in January.