Recap San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints - Third Quarter
The Saints and the 49ers each had a quarter to go their way. In the first quarter, it was the 49ers who couldn’t score and in the second, it was the Saints. Both teams had one touchdown each by the end of the second quarter while the Saints had a two point
lead due to a safety in the first quarter.
New Orleans had gained possession into the third quarter. The Saints drive began at the 16 yard line after wide receiver Courtney Roby took the ball 19 yards from the -3 yard line after a 73 yard kick from San Francisco’s 30 yard line. Brees started off
brilliantly with a 20 yard pass to tight end Jeremy Shockey. In five plays and with a penalty at hand, the Saints managed to get to the San Francisco 44 yard line.
While Brees looked for a receiver, Patrick Willis found a hole in the Saints offensive line. The offensive line parted in the middle with Jonathan Goodwin veering right and Carl Nicks to the left. Willis shot through and before Brees could react, he had
already been taken down. This was the second sack of the day that the Saints conceded, the first coming off the hands of Ahmad Brooks. The Saints were taken back 10 yards, but sacking the quarterback is its own reward.
Brees though is a veteran and got back on his feet almost unfazed. In the very next play, he regained lost ground with a 10 yard short, right pass to Pierre Thomas. The Saints still ended up punting the ball.
The 49ers were in the zone so to speak. After regaining possession at the 14 yard line, the drive began with a 4 yard rush by Frank Gore. Smith took over after this point. The San Francisco defence had been extraordinary throughout the night and the offence
needed to measure up to it.
Smith took his time and waited for Michael Crabtree to open up. Cornerback Tracy Porter ran down the field alongside Michael on the outside. Michael suddenly cut right and opened a space between himself and Porter long enough for Smith to complete the pass.
Michael wasn’t done just yet. As soon as he had his hand on the ball, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned back, broke free from Porter but still had Jenkins on his tail. The extremely quick Michael then flipped around to get outside of Jenkins’ reach,
who was coming at him too fast to be able to react. That manoeuvre, though effective, cost him time in which Porter got back on Michael and brought him down. Had either of the Saints made the tiniest of mistakes, Michael would have taken the ball all the way
to the end zone for a touchdown. The 49ers moved up 32 yards in that play. While Smith waited for Michael to open up, San Francisco’s offensive line kept the Saints at bay and effectively protected their quarterback.
Before the eruption of excitement amongst the San Francisco fans could even begin to settle down, they were treated to another spectacular play on the field. Smith was seeking out Vernon Davis who had gone deep right while the Saints closed in on the quarterback.
Before anyone could lay a hand on Smith, he let the ball fly ahead of Davis. Saints’ cornerback Jabari Greer was covering Davis but Davis was slightly ahead of him and caught the pass as Greer brought him down.
With back-to-back 32 and 41 yard passes, Smith had taken San Francisco right into the end zone at the 9 yard line. Frank Gore rushed 2 and 5 yards in successive plays to take the 49ers 2 yards short of the end zone. Anthony Dixon finished off the drive with
the final two yards dash for touchdown, putting the 49ers in the lead with just six minutes to go in the third quarter. The extra point was good.
New Orleans, as true champions, bounced right back. Saints’ wide receiver Courtney Roby returned with a 39 and a 66 yard kick from the San Francisco’s 30 yard line. Because of the 20 yards in penalties by the overly aggressive San Francisco defence, the
Saints’ offence was able to drive 58 yards to the San Francisco 3 yard line in 8 plays. Brees finished off the drive with a 3 yard touchdown pass to tight end David Thomas.
New Orleans had now regained their two point lead. The 3rd quarter ended with Saints 16 over the 49ers 14 points.
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