Saints Offense vs. 49ers Defense: Irresistable Force vs. Immovable Object
It's one of the most intriguing matchups of this postseason, unless the Saints play the Ravens or Texans in the Super Bowl.
This week when the New Orleans offense takes the field, it will face one of the NFL's most dominant defenses in San Francisco. On the season the 49ers allowed only 308.1 total yards per game and ranked No. 1 against the rush.
Now, they did rank No. 16 against the pass and allowed 230.9 pass yards per game. That being said, it's still better than any other pass defense in the NFC playoff bracket. The Falcons were No. 20, Lions No. 22, Giants No. 29, Saints No. 30 and Green Bay No. 32.
Additionally, the 49ers had 579 passes attempted against them, which ranked No. 10 in the league. So it's safe to say they have a good idea of how to defend the pass.
As for this week's NFC Divisional game, let's look at each dimension and how they match up.
Saints Rush Offense vs. 49ers Rush Defense
Since they are a pass-oriented offense, the Saints rushing attack doesn't get a lot of credit. Despite their leading rushing Darren Sproles having gained only 603 yards on the ground, New Orleans ran for more than 2,100 rushing yards (rank No. 6).
Using an array of backs that included rookie Mark Ingram, Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas, the Saints averaged more than five yards per carry.
As for this game, New Orleans will definitely try to come out blazing. But the Saints also need to keep a balanced attack to throw off San Francisco, but that won't be easy.
What's great about the 49ers defense is that they don't need to blitz relentlessly to get quarterback pressure or to stop the run. The 3-4 defensive front is perfect for playing teams like New Orleans. You match speed and quickness while still being able to control the trenches.
For New Orleans to have any success on the ground, they must simply hit the middle or run the toss outside. But the only way either will work is by quick development. No counters, traps, sweeps or draw plays will work as they take too long from the snap.
A dive, off tackle or quick toss are run plays that accelerate fast. They give the running back the option to use his vision to react mid-play.
Saints Pass Offense vs. 49ers Pass Defense
This is where it gets tricky. With San Francisco having the NFC's best pass defense in the postseason, slowing down Drew Brees is possible but highly unlikely. Still, San Francisco did rank No. 8 in allowing only a 57.5 completion percentage against them.
Fortunately for New Orleans, Brees is a quarterback who uses everything around him to its fullest potential, whether it's all his receivers, the time given in the pocket, his ability to scramble, or the field to manipulate defenders with his eyes.
Let's face it, you don't connect with six players 40-plus times (three were 80-plus) without taking what the defense gives.
It's Brees' quick release that's arguably his best attribute, mainly because he's able to generate excellent accuracy and speed on the release in such a short amount of time.
That will be San Francisco's challenge, because getting pressure on Brees isn't enough.
He must be sacked or hit on virtually every play to try to break down his confidence, which is damn near impossible.
As for those in coverage, getting as physical as possible with the Saints receivers is another key.
If there's one thing San Francisco can use to its advantage, it's hitting hard, gang tackling and having solid press coverage. In turn, that will also give the pass rushers that extra half-second to get the sack.
All this being said, though, it's obviously easier said than done.
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Of all the impressive feats the New Orleans Saints produced in Saturday's 45-28 wild-card win over the Detroit Lions, the ones that will help them most going forward likely went unnoticed.
We all knew the Saints could throw the football better than any other team in the league, which they proved against the Lions. Now what they'll need against the San Francisco 49ers are the kinds of consistent runs they received from their ground game. With that, they stand a good chance of reaching the NFC title game. Without it, they'll be watching that contest back home.
It really will be that simple for the Saints. They set an NFL playoff record with 626 total yards in their win over Detroit, with 466 of those coming from the arm of quarterback Drew Brees. Those who caught the game should've realized that the efforts of the Saints' runners -- specifically Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles and Chris Ivory -- also helped set the table for that barrage of points. It was their pounding and slashing that reminded a formidable Lions front four that it couldn't just focus on harassing the quarterback.
That trio helped the Saints gain 166 yards, average 4.6 yards a carry and set a tone that will have to be present in the Bay Area on Saturday. The 49ers earned the second seed in the NFC by being the antithesis of New Orleans. They were methodical on offense and brutally physical on defense. Their game plan this weekend won't be any different from the one that led to their 13-3 record. While the Saints will be looking to pass their way to victory, the 49ers will be looking to pummel their way to a win.
New Orleans is hearing all the usual dome-team blather about now, but the Saints have got to prove it's just that if they're going to win at the 49ers this week and maybe at Green Bay in the NFC title game. The Saints went 3-2 outdoors this season, losing at Green Bay and Tampa Bay, and winning at Jacksonville, Carolina and Tennessee. The wins against the Panthers and Titans were narrow, as were the losses to the Packers and Bucs. Indoors, the Saints have gone 11-1 this year, losing only at St. Louis in Week 8.
In their five games outdoors, the Saints averaged almost 26 points per outing, but topped 30 points only once, in a 42-34 season-opening loss at Green Bay. They've been considerably more potent with a roof over their heads, averaging almost 39 points per game, and eight times topping the 30-point plateau. In their past three games, all at home, the Saints offense has been machine-like, scoring exactly 45 points in wins against the Falcons, Panthers and Lions and rolling up more than 600 yards of offense in the last two.
The 49ers pose the stiffest defensive challenge New Orleans has faced all season, and San Francisco's personnel on that side of the ball will do more to decide the outcome than the grass playing surface and weather conditions. The 49ers were second in the league in fewest points allowed (14.3 per game), and their No. 1-ranked run defense (77.3 yards) and tied-for-league-best 38 takeaways are reasons for hope to San Francisco's faithful.
Drew Brees was ranked by 
