San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints - Second Quarter
Monday night’s prime time feature didn’t disappoint at all. The New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers was expected to be a one-sided event in the favour of the Saints but turned out to be a hotly contested battle. Though in the end it was the Saints
who won, but the San Francisco fans were thoroughly delighted.
The first half of the game went the Saints’ way. While there was some action from the 49ers’s part, no points were scored. The quarter ended with the Saints at 9 and the 49ers still at zero but in the final minute, the Saints quarterback was sacked in an
amazing play which rejuvenated San Francisco. The first quarter ended with the 49ers hauling the ball to their 39 yard line. When play resumed, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith went to task and started the second quarter with a six yard pass to tight end Nate
Byham.
The 49ers continued to close in on the end zone a few yards at a time. At the 37 yard line, Smith upped the ante with a 22 yard pass to tight end Delanie Walker. One play later, Smith followed it up with a 5 yard pass to Frank Gore. The 49ers were at the
12 yard line and were all set for a touchdown.
The 49ers’ quarterback had thrown an interception in the first half when under pressure but performed flawlessly this time round. Saints’ linebacker Marvin Mitchell had broken through the offensive line and had a clear path towards the quarterback. Alex
didn’t have much time and needed to react quickly. Frank Gore, the receiver, went right and was open while Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma closed in on him. Alex, with almost perfect timing, threw a pass at Gore. Gore was too quick for Vilma and crossed into
the end zone for a touchdown.
The first points for San Francisco were on the board within 5 minutes of the first quarter.
The 49ers were back with a vengeance. The next Saints drive proved that the 49ers were not going to just roll over. Under Drew Brees, the drive started off slowly at the 20 yard line and started. Pierre Thomas tried to break through the 49ers defence but
was stopped for no gain. Smith attempted a pass at Reggie Smith but nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin made sure that pass couldn’t be completed. Still at the 20 yard line, Smith again aimed for Reggie and this time was successful. Patrick Willis cut of Reggie for
an 11 yard gain for the Saints. The Drive slowed down again as Pierre Thomas rushed 3 yards and Brees passed two.
The Saints took their first time out at this point. After the timeout, Brees attempted another pass and that too failed. The Saints opted for the punt.
San Francisco started their drive on the 17 yard line. In the next 5 plays the 49ers covered 17 yards. Then Smith geared up for two consecutive 15 yards passes separated by a 4 yard Rush by Gore. At the 32 yard line, in a brilliant 20 yard play, the 49ers
made it into the end zone. Gore went up the middle, powering through the Saints’ defensive line while 3 Saints tried to stop him. Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins eventually was able to stop Gore when he looked all but unstoppable.
Jenkins dominated the next play too for the Saints. Smith aimed for Delanie Walker who caught the ball but was flung round by Jonathan Vilma, causing a fumble. Jenkins hurled himself at the ball just 5 yards short of the end zone averting a possible San
Francisco touchdown.
With just a minute left in the quarter and just two points differentiating the Saints and the 49ers, the Saints won the possession once again. New Orleans took two timeouts and four plays to get from the 3 yard line up to the 19 yard line. The second quarter
ended at the Saints leading 9 against the 49ers at 7 points.
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