Quick Take: Niners win 26:19 against Saints
Shaun Hill threw for 197 yards and a TD and Frank Gore found the endzone twice as the San Francisco 49ers (6-1) held off a late rally by the New Orleans Saints (4-3) en route to a 26-19 win at Candlestick Park.
The game seemed to be in the books early in the fourth when a safety gave the Niners a 26-12 lead. But second-stringer Alex Smith struggled in relief of Hill and failed to close out the game. His first drive ended with a pick inside the red zone and the ensuing drives stalled.
After a late 62yd TD bomb from Drew Brees to Devery Henderson and a recovered onside kick, the Saints found themselves driving for the tying score in the final minute of the game. Brees threw deep to Henderson again, but this time, 49ers CB Walt Harris snatched the slightly underthrown ball to seal the win for San Francisco.
Led by Shaun Hill, the Niners jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on back-to-back 1yd-TD-runs by running back Gore. The most impressive play of the game came seconds before the second TD when a deep throw by Hill hit veteran Isaac Bruce in stride for a 49yd reception. The 49ers benched Hill and Gore midway through the third after going up 24-6 on a 12yd TD reception by Delanie Walker. A coaching decision that should come back to haunt them and make them earn the win the hard way.
