Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. San Francisco 27 at New Orleans 35 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers: Jeff Garcia bought time with his feet to allow receivers to get open against a fierce New Orleans pass rush. Didn't force the ball into Terrell Owens who was double- and triple-teamed for most of the game, he instead looked to Tai Streets and his running backs for completions. He threw his first interception of the season late in this game on a play where the cornerback made a terrific play. It was not a bad throw by Garcia. Terrell Owens had weak numbers for Terrell Owens. Just 4 catches for 61 yards but a nice touchdown catch where he easily out jumped the defensive back. He faced double- and triple-teams all day long and wasn't able to control a game like is able to do. Late in the game he had a drop on a tough pass that would have put the 49ers in scoring position. Tai Streets started for the injured J.J. Stokes and made the most of his opportunity. He benefited tremendously from the coverages that were rolled over to address Owens. He got involved early and was actively targeted throughout the game. Streets made several important catches on third down and on the last 49ers drive. He finished with 6 catches for 80 yards. Garrison Hearst is still the primary back due to hard running and excellent help on passing plays. He's not as big as Barlow but he uses his experience to maximize his time on the field. He finished the game with 14 carries for 82 yards and added 4 catches for 43 yards with two short rushing TD's. He would have had a 60+ yard TD but for an ankle tackle that held him to a 20-yard gain in the 3rd quarter. Despite being smaller than Barlow, Hearst saw goalline opportunities and scored on a short yardage TD. New Orleans Saints: Aaron Brooks may have finally moved into the upper echelon of fantasy QB. He threw for three TD's and rushed for another. He showed maturity and patience in the red zone by not forcing passes and by not taking sacks. His passes were tight spirals and on target. He definitely has a favorite receiver in Joe Horn but isn't afraid to throw to any open man on the field, completing passes to 6 different receivers. He used his legs to buy time in the pocket against a strong SF pass rush and had nice gains on called bootlegs. He finished 23-35 for 254 yards and NO interceptions. Deuce McAllister is a big part of this year's Saints' explosion offensively. He's a punishing runner (22-139) and an active part of the passing game (5 catches for 35 yards and a TD). He also had a 53-yard run from scrimmage. He has the patience of a more veteran runner, allowing blocks to set up before barreling into the line or around the corner. The 49ers appeared to finally have McAllister locked down early in the 3rd quarter but he was just too explosive, carrying for 46 yards in the Saints last two possessions. Joe Horn called a personal three-touchdown day in the local papers and got close with two scoring catches on Sunday. He is clearly Brooks' favorite target and totaled 8 catches for 109 yards. He was the featured recipient of scoring chances provided by SF miscues in scoring after a long pass interference penalty on the 49ers and also after the Kevan Barlow fumble. Jerome Pathon and Jake Reed were invaluable assets to the New Orleans passing attack combining for 8 catches and 113 yards. Reed was a frequent 3rd down target and Pathon seemed to be everywhere on the field. Probably not FF starter in most leagues but they should kept in mind if Horn goes down with an injury. They run clean routes and Brooks has confidence in both of them. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW San Francisco 49ers QB: Jeff Garcia created coverage problems by scrambling in and out of the pocket while buying time for his receivers to get open. He faced heavy pressure from an attacking New Orleans defense and avoided being sacked but still took some big hits in the pocket and on the run. He showed confidence in Owens' ability to out-jump the cornerback on his TD pass and threw a perfect jump ball into the end zone from 4 yards out. He threw his first interception of the year late in the 4th quarter with his team down by one. RB: Kevan Barlow is an excellent RB but Garrison Hearst continues to perform. He led the team in carries this week with 14 and totaled 82 rushing yards. He seems to be the back of choice on passing downs due to his ability to pick up the pass rush. He had 4 catches for 43 yards. His scoring runs came in two flavors. The first was a straight plunge from the two-yard line where he bulled in through a pile of defenders. The second was a patient, eight-yard run where he allowed the offensive line to finish their blocks as he ran untouched for 6 of the 8 yards. He was used in both short yardage and goal line situations despite being 20 pounds lighter than Barlow. Vultured a short yardage TD that Barlow set up. Kevan Barlow is a powerful runner. He is quick to the hole and is a breakaway threat if he reaches the secondary. He's just not as finished a back as Hearst. He doesn't seem to be as dependable in picking up blitzes as Hearst and he also had a costly fumble. He was very effective early and had a strong run after the catch to set up the vultured TD run from Hearst. Also, Barlow had a critical mental mistake at the end of the game by not getting out of bounds before time expired which prevented the 49ers from taking one last shot at the end zone. WR: Terrell Owens was blanketed all afternoon by one, and sometimes two, defensive backs. He was held to just 4 catches for 61 yards. His TD catch was a jump ball from Garcia that Owens timed perfectly. The Saints planned defensively to stop Owens and just hope to contain the rest of the offense. Owens looked strong early with a 31-yard catch and run on San Francisco's first drive where he broke three tackles. He scored on the same drive. He was targeted in the end zone each time the 49ers were there. Some very funny moments after the TD when his teammates faked looking in his sock for a Sharpie marker. Threw the TD ball to a 49er fan in the crowd. Tai Streets took advantage of all of the attention Owens received and finished the game with 6 catches for 80 yards. He didn't see many looks in the red zone, however, so fantasy owners looking for a scorer should try elsewhere. Owens is the primary and the secondary target of end zone passes in the offense. TE: Eric Johnson had just 2 catches for 20 yards and was a non-factor fantasy-wise. San Francisco Pass Defense: This was an active group despite the good passing numbers by Aaron Brooks. They sacked him three times and hit/hurried him more than 15 times. Brooks is a fast moving target so any hits were hard to come by. The pass defense also forced and recovered a fumble from Michael Lewis. San Francisco Rush Defense: After getting torched for over 100 rushing yards in the 1st half the 49er defense appeared to tighten up after halftime. McAllister was held to 9 yards on 7 carries in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th quarter McAllister exploded again for 48 more yards on the ground. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** New Orleans Saints QB: Aaron Brooks is showing all of the signs of becoming an elite fantasy QB. He has terrific weapons to complement him offensively and he has shown an ability to score rushing TD's. His patience with the ball, especially in the red zone, allows receivers to work open and reduce the turnovers that cost the Saints dearly late last season. He throws the ball away instead of taking a sack and doesn't try to force passes into double coverage. Joe Horn is clearly his favorite target but if Horn is covered Brooks has enough confidence in Pathon and Reed to throw to them instead and they are talented enough to turn completions into solid gains. RB: Deuce McAllister is an exceptional running back. He can move the pile to convert on 3rd-and-1 and he can turn a pass into the flat into 25-yard gain. He is too big to arm tackle so defenders need to be in proper position to take him on, but he's a shifty runner so it's rare that a linebacker has a clean shot at him. His receiving skills keep him in the game for all three downs so there is no situational substitution. He made a nice adjustment on a pass thrown behind him and turned it into a 5-yard gain. His breakaway speed was showcased on a 53-yard gain in the 2nd quarter. He finished with a 21 carries for 139 yards and added another 35 yards on 5 catches including a 4-yard TD reception. He is the real deal. WR: Joe Horn is clearly the favorite target of Aaron Brooks. He makes catches in traffic and down the sideline and adjusts well when Brooks is forced out of the pocket. His scoring chances came today directly following 49er miscues. His first TD catch came after a defensive pass interference call was drawn by Jerome Pathon. His second score came right after the Saints recovered the Kevan Barlow fumble. Horn finished with 8 catches for 109 yards and two TD's. He might have had a third but didn't make the catch on a 60-yard pass from Brooks in the 3rd quarter when he beat the defender to the ball. Jerome Pathon was an integral part of the New Orleans passing game despite only catching 4 passes for 59 yards. He drew a 15-yard defensive pass interference penalty that set up Joe Horn's 10 yard score. At one point the Saints were 9-12 on 3rd down in the game and a lot of that success was due to Pathon's ability to find holes in the 49er secondary. Jake Reed was almost the goat of the game when he dropped a sure TD pass in the 4th quarter from the 4-yard line. New Orleans kicked a field goal to take the lead and scored later to keep it but the dropped pass was huge at the time. Other than that Reed was a big presence offensively despite finishing with just 4 catches for 54 yards. He provided Brooks with an outlet when his main target was covered. TE: Boo Williams only had 1 catch for 3 yards. New Orleans Pass Defense: Jeff Garcia was just too quick and too clever to sack. He got hit a bunch but he seemed to find a way to get rid of the ball before he was down. There were three different times in the game when Garcia threw the ball on his way down to avoid the sack. On the interception Ken Irvin had a great jump on the Garcia pass to protect the one-point Saints lead. New Orleans Rush Defense: They struggled to contain Hearst in the 1st half but regrouped and really bore down in the 2nd. The only real exception was the 8-yard Hearst TD where the San Francisco offensive line just plowed the New Orleans defensive front out of the way. It was the last lapse of the game for them, though. They had a huge strip of Kevan Barlow early in the 4th quarter that set up Joe Horn's second TD catch and rally sent the momentum in favor of the home team.