NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Saints finally got the offensive outburst they’ve been waiting for. But they squandered it with their worst defensive performance of the season in a wild 48-46 track meet that nobody could have seen coming against the San Francisco 49ers’ No. 1-ranked defense.
The Saints (10-3) can still potentially wind up as the NFC’s No. 1 seed. But now they may need losses by the 49ers (11-2), Seattle Seahawks (10-2) and Green Bay Packers (10-3) to make it happen.
New Orleans definitively lost its grip on the NFC race right around the time that safety Marcus Williams was flagged for yanking on 49ers tight end George Kittle’s facemask at the end of a 39-yard catch on fourth-and-2 with 30 seconds remaining to set up San Francisco’s game-winning field goal.