There aren’t many national analysts who like the New Orleans Saints this week, but there’s no doubting whether the San Francisco 49ers are a tough matchup for them — and anyone else. Their offense has rallied around a midseason trade to acquire star running back Christian McCaffrey, and their stingy defense is led by a hot head coach candidate in DeMeco Ryans.
So how do you see this one playing out? Here are our staff picks for Week 12’s game:
49ers 28, Saints 17
Bold prediction: Rookie cornerback Alontae Taylor single-handedly doubles the Saints’ season interception numbers with two picks against the 49ers. Teams have continuously picked on the second-round selection and with weapons like wideouts Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, it’s reasonable that head coach Kyle Shanahan and crew will do the same. Taylor has been closer and closer to picks over the last few weeks and Sunday, the dam breaks as he comes up with two takeaways on Jimmy Garoppolo. Unfortunately, though, it won’t be enough as the San Francisco defense stifles the New Orleans offense at every turn. — Ross Jackson
Saints 35, 49ers 31
Bold prediction: The Saints defense will score a touchdown in this one. In what could potentially devolve into a shootout, it might come down to which defense make the play of the game first and I’ll give that nod to the New Orleans Saints. Jimmy Garoppolo can only be improved so much by a stellar arsenal of weapons. The New Orleans Saints need to jump at the opportunities that they’re given. — Dylan Sanders
49ers 24, Saints 16
Bold prediction: The Saints keep Christian McCaffrey out of the end zone. He’s a challenge to stop in the open field, and it’ll be tough sledding without Pete Werner in the lineup, but New Orleans is one of the best red zone defenses around the league, and I like them to cut off McCaffrey’s scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, they’ll struggle to score points of their own against an elite defense, and the 49ers have enough other weapons to take advantage of the extra attention going McCaffrey’s way. — John Sigler
