NEW ORLEANS, La. (AP) — A potential preview of the NFC championship game, though the 49ers have to surpass Seattle to win the NFC West after losing at Baltimore last week and dropping to the fifth spot in the conference.
The 49ers have the league’s No. 2 rushing offense but the Saints are No. 3 against the run so it’ll be a matchup of strengths. Jimmy Garoppolo will have to avoid turnovers. His first-quarter fumble against the Ravens led to a touchdown. San Francisco is spending the week in Florida preparing for the game.
Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas present a difficult challenge for the league’s top-ranked defense. The Saints already secured the NFC South and want to solidify the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
