49ers Put On Good Show, Fall To 0-2

The 49ers gave it all they had Monday night on national television. In the end, the Saints did what Super Bowl Champions do, win by any way possible.

It was a great show by the 49ers, though. Of course, we all knew what the Saints were capable of. Alex Smith showed up, quite a surprise. Not many expected much out of him after last week, especially going up against the Saints' defense.

In the end, you can tally this one up as the 49ers shooting themselves in the foot. Sure, it doesn't seem like that. The 49ers played a great game against a great team, but the safety and "gimme" touchdown that followed early in the 1st quarter happened to be the deciding factor.

Give Smith credit, though. 23/32 for 275 and 1 TD, we haven't seen those numbers in awhile. The 2 interceptions cost him, sure, and they couldn't come at worse times. They were momentum busters, and the 49ers could use all the momentum they could get on Monday night.

But I'll attribute Monday's success (yes, that's what I'm calling it) to the offensive line. They are young and inexperienced, but they gelled last night giving Smith time in the pocket and Gore lanes to run in.

The 49ers were a couple dumb mistakes away from upsetting the Super Bowl Champs on national TV, but the Saints are where they are because they can win games like that in that fashion. Never thought I'd see the day when the 49ers were "too" eager to score a touchdown. They left just too much time on the clock, and Drew Brees knows what to do with it.

So the 49ers are 0-2 with a hill to climb from here. Monday night was a bright spot in this season, though. They showed up to the challenge that was the Saints, and fans should be proud despite their team's record.

One bit of advice, throw Vernon Davis the ball. He had 4 catches, but only targeted 7 times, while Josh Morgan was targeted 8 times. Game in and game out, Davis needs to be the #1 target despite being the TE. He deserves the most targets because he creates the biggest mismatches.

The road for the 49ers doesn't get much easier from here. They travel to Kansas City next week to face an impressive Chiefs team, and from there they head to Atlanta.

They would be wise to get a win next week in Arrowhead.