A Battle of the Defenses

In one of two games of the week, the San Francisco 49ers will face off against the New Orleans Saints. For both teams, this game has great importance to their respective division races. In the NFC West, the 49ers (6-3) are playing catch-up to a dangerous Seahawks (9-1) team who has not only been displaying their talent as one of the leagues best, but in doing so through a 5 game winning streak. In the NFC South however, the race for first is a tight one between the Saints, who stand first with a 7-2 record and the Carolina Panthers, who are a close second with a 6-3 record. So as the Saints and 49ers are both in need of big wins, this week’s matchup could dictate the pace of the rest of their seasons. But with both teams having strong offenses, the key to a win for either team will be a stronger defense. With the Saints being a league 2^nd in passing yards/game with 324.9, and the 49ers being 4^th in the league in rushing yards/game with 147.7, the opposing defenses have their work cut out for them. Yet with these high stats, both teams display that their offenses are very one-dimensional. The Saints are 23^rd in the NFL in rushing yards/game with 97.8, while the 49ers are 32^nd in passing yards/game with 173.9. But as defense is a key factor this week, the 49ers have one of the most well rounded defenses in the league, and with that said, will have the upper hand in this matchup. In passing and rushing yards allowed per game, the 49ers are 8^th with 211.7, and 12^th with 105.1 yards allowed, respectively. Although the Saints are 3^rd in the league in passing yards allowed with 199.9, their run defense ranks a league 23^rd with 117.7 yards allowed on the ground per game, which will cause trouble as the 49ers gain most of their yards off the run. As the run defense seems to be the Saints Achilles heel, the 49ers will be able to use their running ability to their advantage, which will then open up the play action game and allow the 49ers to stretch out the Saints defense and ultimately, gain the win this week.