49ers vs. Saints score, stats and summary for Preseason Week 2
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers welcomed the New Orleans Saints at Levi's Stadium for the teams' second preseason outing. The visitors came into the game on the back of a narrow 16-14 road win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 of the preseason, while the home side suffered a 17-13 loss against the Tennessee Titans in their opener.
While the result is inconsequential, both teams were keen on their starting quarterbacks getting reps ahead of their season openers three weeks from Sunday. The Niners got the 16-10 win over the Saints on home turf.
49ers vs. Saints Preseason Week 2 summary
Brock Purdy, who sat out of the 49ers' loss last week against the Titans, started the game for the home side but played only three series before being replaced by Joshua Dobbs.
On the Saints' side, veteran Derek Carr played the entire first quarter and just under two minutes of the second. He capped off his day with a long drive culminating in a 1-yard Taysom Hill touchdown run.
Dobbs was under center for the home team's first drive of the second half. He was dealing dimes until the Saints' defense stood tall and forced the 49ers' offense off the field 30 yards from the endzone. Kicker Jake Moody split the uprights from 47 yards to open his team's account.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler replaced Carr and in his second snap of the game, he fumbled the ball and turned over possession to the 49ers. However, Dobbs and the offense couldn't capitalize on the short field and had to settle for a field goal that cut New Orleans' lead to one point.
With 47 seconds left in the half, Dobbs pulled off the play of the game as he escaped a slew of sack attempts and got the first down with a 15-yard run. He followed it up with a 39-yard pass to wide receiver Jacob Cowing to set up 1st-and-goal for the home side from the 3-yard line.
The Saints' defense forced a 4th-and-goal, but Dobbs broke a tackle and skipped into the endzone with a second left on the clock to give the 49ers the lead at halftime.
Less than three minutes into the third quarter, the visitors cut the deficit to three points courtesy of a 52-yard field goal from kicker Blake Grupe, the only scoring play of the quarter.
Midway through the fourth, Moody restored the 49ers' six-point lead with a conversion from 36 yards out. Quarterback Jake Haener subbed in for Rattler to try and engineer a game-winning drive.
With 1:43 left on the clock, the Saints faced a 4th-and-7 from the 22-yard line and attempted a haymaker as Haener floated a pass to A.T. Perry in the endzone. However, it was slightly behind the receiver and he couldn't hold on to it, effectively ending the game.
The 49ers set up in victory formation, kneeled the ball thrice to secure a 16-10 win and open their preseason account.
49ers vs. Saints Preseason Week 2 stats
Carr was terrific for the Saints in his brief outings, completing seven of his nine pass attempts for 47 yards and setting up the game's first touchdown.
Mason Fairchild had a good outing as he hauled in three catches for 31 yards. Chris Olave also had a nice game, finishing with three catches for 26 yards.
Running back Jordan Mims carried the ball 10 times for 31 yards, while Jamaal Williams, James Robinson, and Taysom Hill rushed five times each for 32, 27, and 21 yards, respectively. The Saints' depth chart is stacked at running back.
For the Niners, Dobbs followed up his efficient outing against the Titans with another notable display. He completed 12 of his 21 pass attempts for 133 yards and had three carries for 25 yards and a touchdown.
His solid displays have cemented his place on the 49ers' depth chart as the backup to Purdy. Cowing was the home team's best wide receiver on the day. He finished with four catches for 51 yards.
The Niners play their final preseason outing against the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday at the Allegiant Stadium. Meanwhile, the Saints will host the Titans in their third and final game on Sunday.