Sense of urgency is sky high as 49ers prepare for vital game in New Orleans
The 49ers find themselves in a unique situation.
After losing to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, and watching the Seattle Seahawks improve to 10-2 with a victory over the Minnesota Vikings Monday night, they fell from the top seed to No. 5 in the NFC and second place in the NFC West.
However, San Francisco (10-2) is also tied with four other teams for the NFL’s best record.
And its plus-166 point differential is the best in the conference. Yet, as things stand, the 49ers wouldn’t get a home game or a first-round bye in the postseason.
Which makes Sunday’s road game against the New Orleans Saints one of the biggest of the year with just four weeks left.
“The sense of urgency is huge,” receiver Emmanuel Sanders said after Wednesday’s practice at IMG Academy in Brandenton, Fla. “It’s playoff football around here.”
The Saints, who are also 10-2, clinched the NFC South with their Thanksgiving victory over the Atlanta Falcons, and currently sit in the No. 1 seed. They would have a first-round bye and home field advantage throughout the playoffs if they win their remaining games.
Sunday will mark the final game of a three-week stretch featuring three opponents with .800 winning percentages, a gauntlet which could prove valuable come January (the 49ers could clinch a playoff berth with a win in New Orleans paired with a Rams loss or tie to the Seahawks).
San Francisco started the stretch by thumping the NFC North-leading Packers 37-8, then dropped to the red-hot Baltimore Ravens, 20-17, on a last-second field goal. Going 2-1 over that period would provide another high point to an already-impressive turnaround season.
49ers say they’re ‘not going to freak out’
Coaches and players have maintained the expected week-to-week mentality. But the importance of finishing the regular slate strong, particularly Sunday and then Week 17 against the Seahawks, is imperative given how Seattle’s season has gone.
“I think everybody knows it’s an important game,” said left tackle Joe Staley, who’s likely to play for the first time since Nov. 11 after having finger surgery. “But we’re not going to freak out about it.”
Added coach Kyle Shanahan: “We’ve got ourselves in a position where going into last week we could control our own destiny and we’re in that same position this week. Nothing’s really changed on that. ... And with how good the teams are doing in the records in the NFC I know that’ll come down to the last couple weeks, which is a few weeks from now. Not worried about it, but when it does come to that, yeah we’ll address it with the team.”
Sanders has been a key addition to Shanahan’s offense. He helped stabilize a passing game that was looking for another target to take the onus off tight end George Kittle, while also allowing rookie Deebo Samuel to find favorable situations in coverage.
As a bonus, Sanders’ has plenty of big-game experience having been to two Super Bowls with the Steelers and Broncos, including Denver’s win over the Carolina Panthers after the 2015 campaign.
“I think the past couple games since I’ve been here, it’s been a lot of great experiences for guys who have never been to the playoffs and guys who have never really been in this type of situation.” Sanders said.
The 10-year veteran acknowledged how the intensity is ramping up as January approaches.
“Obviously, it is a sense of urgency,” he said, “but I try to be here to be the voice of letting them understand why they feel the way that they feel because obviously you get in those games and you’re like, ‘Man, this didn’t feel like Week 4.’ Every single play matters and you’ve got to think that. I remember when we went on a run and we were in the Super Bowl and when you’re playing playoff football, it’s no breaks in plays. Every single play you are trying to dominate your opponent, so we have to have that mindset from here on out if we’re going to do something special.”
49ers face unique test in Saints
The Saints game will mark the 49ers’ first of the season in a closed dome (the retractable roof was open when the 49ers played in Arizona on Halloween night). And until the 49ers play in Seattle, New Orleans will likely provide the toughest road environment the 49ers have faced this season, and perhaps since Shanahan became head coach in 2017.
For Kittle, a huge wrestling fan who will be playing his first game in New Orleans, he’s already familiar with the environment.
“Well I went to WrestleMania there two years ago. I think they sat an extra 20,000 people (around the ring),” he said. “It was awesome. So that was pretty loud when the Undertaker came out. So I’m expecting it to be like that the entire game. I’m just looking forward to it. It’s going to be an absolute blast.”
Staley is expected to make his return to the starting lineup after finger surgery caused him to miss the last three games. The 49ers since drafting Staley in 2007 have played in New Orleans six times, including Super Bowl XLVII in Feb. 2013, and he’s familiar with how the noise from the crowd can impact games.
“No secret it’s a loud place,” Staley said. “But I think the more prepared you are, the more on it with your details. You go in there, you try to just handle your business. We practice all that stuff, going silent count, silent cadence, we’ve been practicing that all year, something that we’re very comfortable with.”
And according to Shanahan, the noon CST start could make the crowd a touch more tame than if the game was flexed to prime time.
“It only gets worse the later it gets, but it won’t be much of a difference Sunday,” he said. “It’s as loud as it can be. I think it was good for us to be in Baltimore the week before. I think that was the loudest stadium we’ve had to deal with so far this year.”
Shanahan was asked why the Super Dome be louder at night.
“(Fans) are more rested,” he smirked. “They play cornhole a lot longer.”
This story was originally published December 5, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
