Offense sputters again as 49ers drop fifth straight

SAN FRANCISCO – Short passes replaced running plays. The ball hardly ever hit the ground. The quarterback threw for more than 300 yards.

It was an offensive display the late Bill Walsh would have been proud of – except it was turned in by the visiting New Orleans Saints, not the team Walsh once ran with machine-like efficiency.

The 49ers? They put together another plodding, sloppy and unimaginative offensive performance in Sunday's 31-10 loss that drew boos in the first quarter and drove home most fans by the fourth.

Returning from a separated right shoulder, quarterback Alex Smith looked rusty early, then absorbed two big hits to the shoulder that looked as if they would knock him out of the game.

The first blow came at the end of the first quarter when Saints linebacker Scott Fujita slammed into Smith's right shoulder and sent him sprawling out of bounds.

On the 49ers' next offensive series, Smith was hit from behind by defensive lineman Brian Young and fumbled. The quarterback was driven into the grass in the ensuing scramble for the ball, with his shoulder again bearing the brunt of the impact.

Smith tried to throw on the next play, but his short pass to Delanie Walker was incomplete. Smith grabbed at his shoulder after the play and was in obvious discomfort as he walked off the field.

While three doctors examined Smith on the 49ers' bench, Trent Dilfer warmed up on the sideline.

The doctors determined that although the hits might have loosened the ligaments holding Smith's collarbone in place, the shoulder still was sound.

Trainers taped the area, and Smith was on the field for the 49ers' next offensive possession. An X-ray after the game showed no new damage to the shoulder.

San Francisco coach Mike Nolan said he considered removing Smith, who was sacked twice and roughed up on several other plays, but that the quarterback refused to leave the game.

"I was not going to come out of there once I knew it wasn't going to get any worse and it was a matter of pain," said Smith, who took a shot of the painkiller Toradol before the game.

Said Nolan: "You might have seen him hit the head coach if I had told him he was coming out. He was pretty adamant about what he wanted to do."

After missing essentially the past three games – he was injured on the first series against Seattle on Sept. 30 – Smith was off-target early, with several throws soaring above receivers' heads.

After the two hits, Smith said the pain in his shoulder increased and that his arm felt loose.

But despite the discomfort, Smith said he grew more confident in his arm as the game progressed, and he led a 15-play, 80-yard drive in the fourth quarter that culminated in a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis.

The late-game effort might pay dividends as the 49ers try to pull out of a five-game free fall. But it was far too late against a Saints team that held a 24-0 lead at halftime and cruised in the second half.

Quarterback Drew Brees said the game plan was to keep the 49ers' defense off-balance with an up-tempo style. He accomplished that on New Orleans' first offensive play when he hit wide receiver David Patten for a 43-yard gain.

Three plays later, Brees found wide receiver Marques Colston uncovered for a 17-yard touchdown. Brees was 31 of 39 for 336 yards. Colston had eight catches for 85 yards and three touchdowns.

"Occasionally, you'll have days like that," Nolan said after the team's second consecutive blowout loss. "We've lost five in a row. There's nothing occasional about that."