The San Francisco 49ers are just 1-6 coming off their bye week, but there is reason to believe they have a chance to turn their season around this weekend. The New Orleans Saints are coming to town, and while they're heavy favorites of the 49ers, an upset may be in order. Here are three reasons why the Niners will win this weekend:
3) Trap game for the Saints
This game is lodged between huge matchups against the Seahawks and Broncos for the Saints, so it wouldn't be a stretch to think they may be overlooking the 49ers. New Orleans also has to travel all the way across the country for this game, which is known to make teams play flat. With San Francisco playing desperate, they should be able to beat a half-interested 49ers squad.
2) An extra week to gameplan
Another off-field factor working in San Francisco's favor is that they're coming off their bye week. Not only did that give them more time to rest up and get healthy, but also more time to gameplan and prepare for the Saints. Head coach Chip Kelly is 2-1 in his career following a bye week, showing he knows how to put that time to good use. Plus, the last time he had more than one week to prepare for an opponent was San Francisco's season opener against the Rams - which they won handily.
1) New Orleans' terrible defense
This is the biggest reason for a 49ers win. The Saints rank 27th in the league in yards allowed per game and 31st in points allowed per game. San Francisco's offense has had trouble getting off the ground this season, but New Orleans has shown they can't stop anyone. Throw in Kaepernick's ability to run the ball - a dimension that gives even good defense fits - and the 49ers should be able to move the ball a lot more than they have been.
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