Saints Vs. 49ers: All The Breaks Go The Saints Way, Even Freakish Ones On Field Goals

Turning over the ball at critical moments became a performance art for the 49ers at critical moments in their Monday night game hosting the Saints. Any conceivable significant moment where they could torpedo their own efforts, they did so with near aplomb.

But ultimately it was a 49ers defense that was stout all night that was in position to force overtime but was unable to keep the Saints from nailing a game-winning field goal as time expired. San Francisco’s offense converted a two-point conversion that required what will undoubtedly be a much discussed review in order to be ruled good. On Garrett Hartley’s game-winning kick, it looked and sounded like the ball was effective, but replay shows that it may have been the result of the swirling winds that played a big part in the proceedings all night.

The Saints are so far this season making a tidy practice of winning ugly. They come out on their first drive and score, only to struggle on offense for a while as the other team builds momentum. When they need it, however, there it is. Such was the case tonight. It’s the mark of a champion to find ways to win, and therefore the Saints deserve credit, but they can’t be encouraged by this kind of potential manhandling.