This was an epic game as 4 touchdowns were scored in the last four minutes of the game. The Saints took the lead late in this game but their defense just couldn’t hold it. The 49ers drove 85 yards on 7 plays to score a TD with 9 seconds left on a 14-yard Alex Smith pass to TE Vernon Davis to crush the Saints’ hopes and send them home a loser.

Drew Brees will have to ice his arm after today as he completed 40 of 63 passes for 462 yards with 4 TD passes and 2 INTs. Chris Ivory led the way on the ground for the Saints in this game with 23 yards on 9 carries (2.6 ypc). Darren Sproles only rushed for 3 yards on 3 carries (1.0 ypc) today, but he also caught an amazing 15 passes for 119 yards (7.9 avg) with 1 TD grab. WR Marques Colston (9 rec, 136 yards, TD) and TE Jimmy Graham (5 rec, 103 yards, 2 TD grabs) led the way for the Saints in the passing game today. Devery Henderson pitched in with 4 grabs for 49 yards (12.3 avg). The Saints finished up with 37 yards rushing on 14 carries (2.6 ypc) and they completed 40 of 63 passes (63.5%) for 435 yards as the had possession of the ball for 31:20.

The defense was pretty awful in this game, especially late for the Saints. Safeties Malcolm Jenkins (8 tackles, 1 sack, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and Roman Harper (8 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Saints today. DE Cameron Jordan (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit) and LB Martez Wilson (3 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 1 tackle for a loss) also pitched in for the Saints in this game. The 49ers finished up with 143 yards rushing on 22 carries (6.5 ypc) and they also completed 24 of 42 passes (57.1%) for 264 yards in this game. The Saints had another solid season but it ends with a thud at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers.

The Saints didn’t get a lot of production out of their rookies last year. Here is a look at how the rookies played during the regular season:

22-year old DE Cameron Jordan was picked in the first round by the Saints last April. He played in all 16 games for the Saints this year and he had 31 tackles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 5 passes defensed. Jordan will likely be a starter down the road for the Saints.

The Saints dealt back into the first round to take 22-year old RB Mark Ingram. Ingram played in 10 games for the Saints this year and he carried the ball 122 times for 474 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs. He also caught 11 passes for 46 yards (4.2 ypc) this year. Ingram’s season ended early due to toe surgery.

23-year old LB Martez Wilson was picked in the 3rd round by the Saints. He played in 13 games for the Saints this year and he had 10 tackles and 1 sack. He’s likely to have a much bigger role down the road for the Saints.

23-year old CB Johnny Patrick was also a 3rd round pick. He played in 9 games for the Saints this year and he had only 5 tackles.

23-year old DE Greg Romeus was a 7th round pick. He spent his whole rookie year on I.R. with a knee injury.

22-year old LB Nate Bussey was also a 7th round pick. He didn’t play in any games for the Saints as a rookie.

GRADE FOR 2011: D

GRADE FOR THE FUTURE: C

The Saints were impressive last weekend in defeating the Lions in the SuperDome. But, not they head across the country to play the old school San Francisco 49ers on the road. The Saints have not been an elite team away from the SuperDome and the weather could effect the offense in a negative way. The 49ers earned the home field in this game due to a great defense and running game. Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball: The Saints are likely going to come out throwing the ball this weekend. To do that, they will have to keep rookie OLB Aldon Smith and DE Justin Smith out of the backfield. The Saints are hoping that it’s not to windy tomorrow at Candlestick Park. TE Jimmy Graham and WR Marques Colston are likely to be Brees’ top targets in this game, but the Niners have safety Dashon Goldson and CB Carlos Rogers to deal with them. That might cause Brees to throw the ball more to Lance Moore, Robert Meachem and Devery Henderson in this game. The Saints need to have success throwing the ball, because it’s going to be really hard to run on the Niners tomorrow. LBs Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman have been stopping opposing running games cold so far this year.

When the 49ers have the ball: The front seven of the Saints are going to get challenged tomorrow as the Niners love to run the football. Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter are both outstanding RBs and the Niners are going to try to control the clock and the football with the running game. If the Saints can slow down the Niners running game and force Alex Smith to throw the ball…..they are going to have success on D. WR Michael Crabtree is the Niners’ top WR and he doesn’t scare anyone. The Niners do sometimes have trouble with pass protection, so the Saints are likely going to blitz a lot tomorrow.

PREDICTION: 49ERS 23, SAINTS 20

The Saints were down 14-10 at the half yesterday before they turned up the heat on the Lions and won the game going away.  Drew Brees completed 33 of 43 passes for 466 yards with 3 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Pierre Thomas led the way on the ground for the Saints yesterday with 66 yards rushing on 8 carries (8.3 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg).  Darren Sproles also had a good game with 10 carries for 51 yards (5.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 4 passes for 34 yards (8.5 avg).  Chris Ivory pitched in with 13 carries for 47 yards (3.6 ypc) in this game.  Marques Colston (7 rec, 120 yards), Robert Meachem (4 rec, 111 yards, TD) and Jimmy Graham (7 rec, 55 yards, TD) led the way for the Saints in this game.  WR Devery Henderson also pitched in with 2 rec, 64 yards, TD in this game.  The Saints finished up with 167 yards rushing on 36 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 33 of 43 passes (76.7%) for 459 yards as they had possession of the ball for 37:36.

The Saints were lucky that they were ballhogs offensively because the Lions were moving the ball at will on their defense.  Safety Roman Harper (7 tackles) and CB Jabari Greer (7 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions) led the way for the Saints on D yesterday.  Safety Roman Harper pitched in with 6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) also pitched in yesterday.  The Lions finished up with 32 yards rushing on 10 carries (3.2 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 43 passes (65.1%) for 380 yards.  The Saints will advance to the second round of the playoffs and they will visit the 49ers next weekend.

The Saints are rolling into the playoffs on a 8-game winning streak, while the Lions have three of their last four games to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 season.  The Saints were an incredible 8-0 at home this year where they outscored teams by an average of 41.1 – 17.9!  The Saints beat the Lions 31-17 in New Orleans just five weeks ago.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to come out throwing the ball as usual in this game.  The Lions had 41 sacks and 21 interceptions this year, so Brees will likely have to get rid of the ball quickly while making good decisions with the football…..which he almost always does.  Brees won’t have WR Lance Moore in this game due to a hamstring injury.  That will be o.k. though as he still has TE Jimmy Graham and WRs Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem to throw the ball to.  The Saints are not a passing only team though, so they are going to run the ball some against a Lions’ D that is giving up 128.1 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  Darren Sproles, Chris Ivory and Pierre Thomas will likely share the carries in the running game.  Sproles is also going to test the Lions’ linebackers out of the backfield on a few pass plays.

When the Lions have the ball:  The Lions are going to try to fight fire with fire tomorrow.  The Saints are going to have to get pressure on Matt Stafford, because he also has an outstanding set of WRs and TEs to throw to.  The Saints will likely double cover WR Calvin Johnson, and it still might not stop him as he has been awesome so far this year.  Nate Burleson, Titus Young, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler give Stafford more targets to throw to if the Saints are giving to much attention towards stopping Calvin Johnson.  The Lions’ secret weapon is RB Kevin Smith.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 37, LIONS 27

32-year old Drew Brees led the Saints to a 13-3 record in 2011 and a return trip to the playoffs.  He also threw for 5,476 yards last year, smashing Dan Marino’s all-time record of 5,084 yards passing in a season, which stood for 27 years!  Brees played in 16 games (all starts) for the Saints this year and he completed 468 of 657 passes (71.2%) for 5,476 yards with 46 TD passes and 14 INTs (110.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 21 times for 86 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD run this year.  Brees has now played in 154 games (153 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 3,613 of 5,479 passes (65.9%) for 40,742 yards with 281 TD passes and 146 INTs (94.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 283 times for 565 yards (2.0 ypc) with 8 TD runs so far in his career.  Brees is now 92-61 (60.1%) as a starting QB during the regular season in his NFL career.

25-year old Chase Daniel continues to hold the clipboard and the ball on field goal and extra points.  Daniel played in 16 games (0 starts) for the Saints this year and he has completed 4 of 5 passes (80%) for 29 yards without a TD pass or INT (90.8 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 3 times for -3 yards (-1.0 ypc) so far this year.  Daniel has now played in 29 games (0 starts) so far in is NFL career and he has completed 6 of 8 passes (75%) for 45 yards without a TD pass or INT (88.0 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 13 yards (2.6 ypc) so far in his NFL career.

UPDATE:  (2/5/2012) – Drew Brees has been named the 2011 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

The Saints have placed 28-year old LB Will Herring on the Injured Reserve List, ending his season due to an undisclosed injury.  Herring played in 11 games for the Saints this year and he had 9 tackles, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 65 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 118 tackles, 1 sack, 7 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.

The Saints totally destroyed the Panthers last Sunday.  Drew Brees was incedible, as usual, as he completed 28 of 35 passes for 389 yards with 5 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards.  Chase Daniel finished up this game at QB for the Saints as he completed 3 of 3 passes for 20 yards without a TD pass or INT.  Chris Ivory led the way on the ground for the Saints in this game with 127 yards rushing on 19 carries (6.7 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Darren Sproles rushed for 40 yards on 6 carries (6.7 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 29 yards (5.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Pierre Thomas pitched in with 5 carries for 30 yards (6.0 ypc) and 3 receptions for 36 yards (12.0 avg).  WR Marques Colston led the way through the air for the Saints in this game with 7 grabs for 145 yards (20.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  TE Jimmy Graham (8 rec, 97 yards, TD) and FB Jed Collins (2 rec, 3 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Saints in this game.  The Saints finished up with 208 yards rushing on 35 carries (5.9 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 38 passes (81.6%) for 409 yards as they had possession of the ball for 34:34.

The defense didn’t play good against the run, but it didn’t matter in this game.  LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar led the way for the Saints in this game with 6 tackles.  CBs Tracy Porter (4 tackles and 1 fumble recovery) and Patrick Robinson (4 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also had solid games for the Saints.  The Panthers gave up 164 yards rushing on 24 carries (6.8 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 25 passes (60%) for 137 yards.  The Saints are now 13-3 on the year.

22-year old rookie RB Mark Ingram will miss the rest of the season as he is going to undergo toe surgery this Wednesday.  Ingram played in 10 games (4 starts) this year for the Saints and he carried the ball 122 times for 474 yards (3.9 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He also caught 11 passes for 46 yards (4.2 avg) this year.  With Chris Ivory back healthy, the Saints should be o.k. without Ingram in the playoffs.

The Saints have re-signed 28-year old TE Tory Humphrey.  Humphrey played in 6 games for the Saints last year and he caught 1 pass for 12 yards.  He has now played in 23 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has caught 13 passes for 181 yards (13.9 avg).  Don’t expect Humphrey to get a lot of P.T. going forward unless something happens to Jimmy Graham.