The San Francisco 49ers figured out a way to hold off the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at the Caesars Superdome.
San Francisco took an early 9-0 lead and had to keep New Orleans at arm’s length throughout the contest thanks to a handful of miscues that kept them from putting the game away earlier than the final minute when Bryce Huff came up with a fourth-down strip sack to seal the victory.
The 49ers moved to 2-0 with the win. The Saints fell to 0-2.
Niners Wire brought you live updates, scores and highlights from the game. Check it out.
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Who do the San Francisco 49ers play next?
After a couple of road games to start their 2025 schedule, the 49ers will now head home to Levi’s Stadium for a Week 3 opener vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:25pm Pacific Time.
Jennings was questionable to play right up until game time. He turned in a terrific day with five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets. His 42-yard TD in the fourth quarter was the longest of his career. It also turned out to be the game-winner.
It was a lighter workload for McCaffrey than in Week 1. He notched 13 carries for 55 yards. He also hauled in six of his seven targets for 52 yards and a touchdown. 19 touches is much more reasonable than the 31 he posted in the season-opener.
Jones went 26-of-39 for 279 yards and three touchdowns. He held the ball a little too long at times, but he avoided any backbreaking mistakes and helped San Francisco win a game without starting QB Brock Purdy.
The 49ers kneeled out the clock for a big-time win in New Orleans.
It was dicey for San Francisco’s defense, but it was Huff flying off the edge on fourth-and-2 who got home and knocked the ball away from QB Spencer Rattler for his first sack of the season. His sack also ensured the 49ers took home a victory and moved to 2-0 on the season.
Mac Jones threw a dime to Jauan Jennings on a third-and-6 and Jennings couldn’t hold on. The drop stopped the clock and forced San Francisco to punt again. It’s up to San Francisco’s defense once again to hold the Saints out of the end zone. The Saints take over at their own 6 with 2:40 left.
For the second week in a row Bosa got home in the game’s biggest moment. New Orleans had a third-and-6, and Bosa with the help of rookie Mykel Williams collapsed the pocket and forced QB Spencer Rattler to step up into the pass rush where Bosa pulled him down to force a punt back to the 49ers offense.
San Francisco could’ve put the Saints away with a long scoring drive. They managed to run only four plays and gain 17 yards before punting back to the Saints with 4:35 to play. The 49ers defense has struggled, so this is a precarious spot for them.
New Orleans got the benefit of a couple 49ers penalties that extended their drives after failed third downs. They got to a first-and-goal from the 3 and Rattler drilled a throw in to Vele who had safety Jason Pinnock in coverage. It was an easy pitch-and-catch to make it a five-point game with 6:18 left.
Stout stayed down after defending Chris Olave and allowing a 13-yard completion on a third-and-3 in the red zone. It’s been a good day for the 49ers rookie CB, but now he’s slow to get up. It’s unclear how the 49ers would replace Stout if he’s sidelined.
New Orleans had a third-and-11 at a crucial spot in the fourth quarter. Stout came up with a terrific pass breakup, but he was hit with an extremely questionable illegal contact flag. That’s tough for the rookie who appeared to play the rep perfectly. The Saints were given new life with a fresh set of downs, trailing 26-14 with just over 11 minutes left.
San Francisco badly needed a touchdown and they got one when Jones drilled a throw in to a wide open Jennings on a third-and-11 just outside of field goal range. Jennings took the throw and followed a block across the middle of the field for his first touchdown grab of the year. Jones is up to 253 passing yards and three touchdowns. Jennings has four catches for 85 yards and a touchdown.
It wasn’t a great third quarter for San Francisco, but they salvaged it thanks to Fred Warner’s forced fumble and recovery. They’ll have a second-and-15 from their own 41 to open the final 15 minutes.
The Saints looked on track to score a go-ahead touchdown against the 49ers. Kamara had a tough time catching a throw in the flat and had it pinned against his shoulder as he went to the ground. Warner flew in to knock the ball out and recover the loose ball to create a takeaway deep in 49ers territory. The play was originally ruled a catch with Kamara down by contact. San Francisco reviewed the catch and it was ruled a reception and a fumble.
Eddy Pineiro didn’t get off to a great start when he missed an extra point on his first kick with the 49ers. Since then, he’s been good with a made extra point, and made field goals from 44 and 46 yards. His 46-yard try put the 49ers ahead 19-14 in a good response from the offense after New Orleans cut the lead to two.
The third quarter has been a mess for San Francisco. Mac Jones’s fumble was turned into a touchdown as New Orleans cruised 47 yards on 10 plays thanks to a missed tackle by rookie CB Upton Stout on a fourth-and-1. The 49ers still don’t have many answers for Saints RB Alvin Kamara, either. He’s up to 65 yards on 13 carries. Spencer Rattler hit Rashid Shaheed for a three-yard touchdown to cap the drive.
San Francisco was starting to get its offense going, but QB Mac Jones held the ball too long in the pocket and allowed a Saints defensive end to get home after he’d been knocked down by RT Colton McKivitz. Jones was hit as he threw and the ball came out before his arm moved forward. Saints LB Demario Davis fell on the loose ball to give the Saints new life.
Robinson started the second half at running back, and got the first two carries of the series after Christian McCaffrey posted 11 touches in the first half. Coming off a 31-touch game, it makes sense the 49ers would try to lighten their veteran RB’s workload in Week 2.
The 49ers succeeded in scoring last to end the half, and then receiving the second-half kickoff for a chance to double up New Orleans. A bad kickoff that didn’t land in the landing zone gave the 49ers good field position at their own 40 to start the third quarter.
Mac Jones and the 49ers offense operated a perfect two-minute drill to close out the first half Sunday. They needed only 1:07 to go 77 yards in nine plays. Jones was excellent the entire series and he threw a dime to RB Christian McCaffrey to cap the drive. He finished the first half 15-of-23 for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
The 49ers defense has been good for most of Sunday’s game, but they had a tough time when New Orleans picked up the tempo and the Saints capped a 12-play, 84-yard touchdown drive with a remarkable TD grab from Saints TE Juwan Johnson. He made that catch through tight coverage from rookie S Marques Sigle.
New Orleans has gotten into a no-huddle offense and the 49ers defense is reeling. New Orleans has made its way deep into 49ers territory with 62 yards on nine plays. Their previous four drives featured just 24 yards on 11 plays.
It’s another tough blow for the 49ers offense. Juszczyk is an integral piece of that unit, but he went down in the second quarter with a concussion and has officially been ruled out. The 49ers have turned to a plethora of tight ends to try and make up for Juszczyk’s absence.
San Francisco bolstered their defensive line in the NFL draft by selecting three players at that position in their first four picks. It was third-round cornerback Upton Stout who snagged the first sack for this year’s draft class, though. He flew in on a corner blitz on a first-and-10, went through a blocker and was able to wrestle down QB Spencer Rattler to put New Orleans way behind the sticks to start their drive.
San Francisco was cruising on their third possession of the game, but their drive stalled out short of the red zone and they settled for a 44-yard field goal from new kicker Eddy Pineiro. The 49ers drive really faltered on a second-and-10 when QB Mac Jones and RB Christian McCaffrey fumbled an exchange on a handoff. Jones smartly fell on the ball for a four-yard loss. On third-and-14 they tried a screen to McCaffrey that was dropped. Getting behind the sticks isn’t going to be helpful.
The Saints had opportunities to score on their first drive. WR Chris Olave dropped a touchdown, then kicker Blake Grupe missed a field goal to cap that drive. Since then the Saints have gained 23 yards on eight plays and punted twice. For the 49ers, their offense is starting to roll after a sputtering start to the game. They’re in Saints territory to close the first quarter.
It was a slow Week 1 for McCaffrey, but he’s bounced back nicely in New Orleans. He hung up 39 yards on seven carries in the first quarter.
Whew. Winters was flying around in Week 1 and he announced his presence with authority again Sunday in New Orleans. QB Spencer Rattler checked down to Miller on a third-and-18, and Winters flew in for a huge hit to ensure there were no yards after the catch. The 49ers need their defense to continue playing well with so many injuries on offense.
The 49ers offense sputtered early in Sunday’s game, but they put together a monster 14-play, 80-yard drive on their second possession. They capped that drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Mac Jones to tight end Luke Farrell. It was an impressive run after the catch where Farrell made a player miss and ran through a tackle on his way to his first-ever TD.
It looked like Bartch got rolled up on on a first-down run by Brian Robinson. The run went for just three yards, but an illegal use of the hands penalty gave the 49ers five yards and a fresh set of downs. Bartch limped off according to reports from the Superdome. Rookie OL Connor Colby is taking his place on the left side.
San Francisco did a nice job against the Seahawks’ run game in Week 1. They’re not picking up where they left off. Saints running back Alvin Kamara is up to 28 yards on his first four carries.
It’s hard to get off to a worse start than the 49ers offense did. They tried three pass plays with Mac Jones starting at quarterback. The result was three incompletions and a punt. Neither Christian McCaffrey nor Ricky Pearsall were targeted to start the game.
#49ers go 3 and out with 3 incompletions on opening drive of the game for 1st time since Dec. 23, 2012, at Seattle with Colin Kaepernick at QB
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) September 14, 2025
New Orleans took the opening kick deep into 49ers territory thanks to a 39-yard completion by Spencer Rattler to Rashid Shaheed. Their drive stalled out after Chris Olave dropped a sure touchdown and a third-and-6 throw fell incomplete. Kicker Blake Grupe missed a 40-yard kick wide right to keep the game scoreless.
WR Trey PalmerDB Rejzohn WrightOL Trevor PenningOL Xavier TrussDT Khristian BoydDE Jonathan BullardDE Chase YoungQB Brock Purdy (toe)RB Jordan JamesWR Jordan WatkinsDT Jordan JeffersonOT Austen PleasantsLB Nick MartinOL Drew Moss
It’s a good sign for the 49ers and Jennings that the wide receiver is doing his normal routine after being listed as questionable with a shoulder injury.
#49ers WR Jauan Jennings (shoulder) is on the field and going through his normal warmup routine at the usual time.
— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) September 14, 2025
Williams wrapped up an extended pregame workout where he tested out his injured knee. He’s still officially questionable.
What time does 49ers vs. Saints start?
Date: Sunday, September 14Time: 10:00 a.m. PT Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
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49ers vs. Saints predictions
Expert predictions heavily favor the 49ers. This should be a game the 49ers still win despite some of their injury problems. Those injury woes have been isolated to the offensive side so far. San Francisco’s defense should have another good day against a rebuilding Saints club. If they do, the offense should have just enough firepower to carry a win over the finish line. 49ers 16, Saints 13
49ers injury updates
QB Brock Purdy (toe), OutLT Trent Williams (knee), QuestionableWR Jauan Jennings (shoulder), Questionable
49ers regular-season schedule 2025
Below is San Francisco’s regular-season schedule.
Sunday, Sept. 7: 49ers 17, Seahawks 13Sunday, Sept. 14: 49ers at SaintsSunday, Sept. 21: 49ers vs. CardinalsSunday, Sept. 28: 49ers vs. JaguarsThursday, Oct. 2: 49ers at RamsSunday, Oct. 12: 49ers at BuccaneersSunday, Oct. 19: 49ers vs. FalconsSunday, Oct. 26: 49ers at TexansSunday, Nov. 2: 49ers at GiantsSunday, Nov. 9: 49ers vs. RamsSunday, Nov. 16: 49ers at CardinalsMonday, Nov. 24: 49ers vs. PanthersSunday, Nov. 30: 49ers at BrownsSunday, Dec. 7: ByeSunday, Dec. 14: 49ers vs. TitansMonday, Dec. 22: 49ers at ColtsSunday, Dec. 28: 49ers vs. BearsSunday, Jan. 4: 49ers vs. Seahawks
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