49ers 2020 schedule: 5 must-win games for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: Week 10 @ New Orleans Saints
You might as well announce the 49ers will play the Saints on the road every year, as it seems to be the case.
In 2019, the Niners pulled off a thriller of thrillers over the Saints at the Mercedes Benz Superdome, thanks to tight end George Kittle‘s clutch fourth-down catch and run while dragging three Saints defenders with him into field-goal range.
Turns out, that victory was key for San Francisco securing the No. 1 overall seed in the conference. The win didn’t clinch the NFC, of course. But considering the Saints finished with the same 13-3 record as the 49ers, yet only won the third seed in the conference, that victory was clearly huge for the red and gold.
And it could be the same again this year, too.
The Saints got stronger this offseason by adding former Niners wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in free agency, pairing him with arguably the best wideout in the game, currently, Michael Thomas.
Beating the Saints in New Orleans is no easy task for any team, and even the 49ers had difficulties doing it a year ago.
It’s likely San Francisco will face a similar situation again against another team challenging in the playoff picture.