The New Orleans 26-21 to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome. Here's what we learned from the game:
Defensive woes
If you had told me before the game that a Mac Jones-led offense would hang 26 points on this Saints defense, I would have said โno way.โ The bread and butter of the 2025 Saints is supposed to be their defense. With the 49ers missing both starting quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, this was a game where the defense could perhaps feast. Especially when you consider how the Saints dominated Jones two years ago in a 34-0 victory when he was with the Patriots. The Saintsโ D letting the 49ers respond to a touchdown in the second quarter was a killer. The third-down defense wasnโt good, either (the 49ers converted on 8 of 15). The defense bowed up late to give the offense a chance, but asking the Saints to score more than 26 points is a tall ask.
Rattler review
start wasnโt great. He completed just one of his first seven pass attempts. Included in that slow start is what should have been an easy touchdown to Chris Olave, but Rattlerโs pass was behind Olave in the end zone. But eventually Rattler got going, completing 14 consecutive passes at one point. He also had a couple of key runs for first downs. Yeah, he missed some throws along the way. His progression, though, from where he was as a rookie to where he is now, is noticeable. He completed 25 of 34 passes for 206 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Saints can win games with Rattler at quarterback, but they will need to play much better in other areas.
Dome-field advantage?
Remember when the Superdome was intimidating? It isnโt now, and it definitely wasnโt on Sunday. The place was a sea of 49ers red. When the 49ers scored their first touchdown, you would have thought the Saints had scored based on how loud it was. The Saints have now lost five straight home games. The last time they lost five straight home games was in 2005, which deserves an asterisk considering those games werenโt in the Dome. The last time they lost five in a row in this building was at the end of the 1994 and beginning of the 1995 season. The two losses to start this season came against two beatable teams, especially since the 49ers were without Purdy. The road gets much tougher now. Now they hit the road to play at Seattle and Buffalo, two tough places to play.
