New Orleans Saints vs San Francisco 49ers 2025 Week 2 Recap

Greyson Jenkins • September 14, 2025

The Saints lose another close game in the final minutes, but bright spots might have appeared for the team’s future. 

New Orleans Saints 21 - 26 San Francisco 49ers

What I was Looking for


Following last week's game, where the offensive playcalling and time management appeared questionable, this team sought to bounce back on offense. In addition, the defense looked solid against the Kyler Murray-led Cardinals, so I wanted to see them look good against a 49ers team led by the average at best Mac Jones. The Notes I made before the game to look for were: 

  • How does Rattler look against a solid 49ers defense?
  • How will Kellen Moore bounce back after a poorly called game 1?
  • Does Juwan Johnson continue being a top target?
  • How often does Brandon Staley blitz Mac?



 Rattler: Spencer Rattler had one noticeably bad missed touchdown to Olave on the first drive, but after that, he showed up and showed out. Rattler had his first multi-passing touchdown game of his career, finishing 25 of 34 for 207 yards and 3 touchdowns. This was by far Rattler’s best game of his career, and I believe this performance should encourage both the team and fans about his potential future as the starting quarterback. As I mentioned, the start was iffy, with him missing a wide-open touchdown to Olave behind him (should’ve been caught), and multiple drops by Juwan Johnson. He then went out and finished the game strong, at one point having 13 consecutive completions. Rattler looked confident in himself and his receivers, and also used his legs in multiple situations to help the team. All in all, this was a B+ performance by him, and if he can build off of it, it could completely change the team’s rebuilding decisions.


 Moore: I was avidly down on Kellen Moore as a playcaller last week, as he abandoned the run game and giving Alvin Kamara touches in the second half. This week, it appeared that Kellen Moore realized Alvin Kamara is a crucial playmaker in this offense, as he gave Alvin 21 carries spread throughout the game, which resulted in 99 yards. In addition, the passing game seemed much more diverse in depth of target as well as the routes being run, which is definitely encouraging in terms of his confidence in Rattler. In the future, I want to see Moore continue to improve each week as well as show some emotion on the sidelines, something I feel is lacking at the moment (and reminds me of Dennis Allen too much). 


 Juwan Johnson: Juwan Johnson was the leading receiver last week, so I wanted to see if that would continue this week. He ended up being the 2nd leading target for Rattler, with 9 targets being just behind Olave’s 10. Outside of the 2 horrific drops, which justifiably made fans get the torches ready, Juwan was very productive and ended up bringing in a great touchdown reception. It appears he and Rattler do have a great connection brewing, and I would love for the redzone targets to continue this season. 


 Brandon Staley Blitz Rate: The Saints blitzed just over 35% last week, and the defense seemed to get pretty consistent pressure against the Cardinals. This would lead one to believe that Brandon Staley would blitz an offense led by Mac Jones (who struggles against pressure), right??? Wrong. Throughout this game, I found myself dumbfounded by the lack of blitzing, and it seemed as though Mac Jones had all the time in the world to find at least one receiver down the field with lots of room around them. The worst part about this is that the Saints failed to get out of 3rd down situations, with two long 3rd down conversions on the 49ers' final touchdown drive, where Mac Jones faced zero pressure. With Chase Young missing from this DL, I knew Cam Jordan wouldn’t be able to replicate his 1.5 sack performance from last week, but I just wish Staley knew this as well. I hope Staley sees the lack of pressure this front 4 got for most of this one, and that he brings more pressure next week against the Seahawks.


 The Offense


The Good: Alvin Kamara is still Alvin Kamara. As I previously mentioned, he had a great game on the ground, but also back as a pass catcher with 6 receptions for 21 yards. Spencer Rattler was also great on the ground, as he picked up multiple clutch 1st downs with his legs, making defenders miss tackles in the process. The Passing game looked to have significantly improved, with routes being more diverse and the ball being spread out to 7 different receivers. I love the confidence Rattler has in his guys, and I would also love to see more Vele targets in the redzone after his touchdown today. Finally, the last thing that is great to see is that the Saints went 3/3 in the redzone today, something that will be huge this season if they can continue succeeding at a high clip in that area. 


The Bad: The Saints' offense had more sloppy moments again today, with penalties bringing back 1st downs, easy balls being dropped, and big losses on early downs. Kellen Moore seemed to call a better game, but I hate that he went away from tempo, which was working wonders for Rattler and the offense. The offense struggled to convert on 3rd down, only being able to do so on 36% of them. Finally, although Kelvin Banks and the offensive line looked solid today, Banks and Fuaga both got beaten on crucial downs on the last two drives, something you don’t want to see from the two first-round picks. 


Something that also belongs technically in the bad column, but I see more as unlucky than anything, is that Alvin Kamara lost a fumble on a bang-bang play. I won’t hold it against him, as I’ve seen similar plays get ruled incomplete after review multiple times when watching NFL games.


The Defense


 The Good: The Saints' defense looked solid to start the game, forcing a quick 3 and out after the Saints' offense stalled in 49ers territory. In addition, this defense stood up after struggling for the majority of the game after that first possession, by forcing two crucial stops in the 4th quarter. Carl Granderson continues to be a crucial piece for this defense in the absence of Chase Young, finishing the game with 2 sacks and now being tied for the NFL sack leader title. The safety play again by Justin Reid felt like a great piece of this defense, as he played great in the run game and was doing a good job communicating with the younger DBs around him. Kool-Aid McKinstry seemed to have a better outing this week, something the young corner can hopefully build on next week, going against a solid receiver group for the Seahawks. The Saints also forced their first turnover of the season, with Chris Rumph II having a huge strip-sack in the 3rd quarter. 


 The Bad: After the pressures accrued early again in the game, the pressure felt non-existent in the second half, and Brandon Staley seemed to completely abandon all blitz packages. Alontae Taylor and Isaac Yiadom struggled massively in this one, with Alontae Taylor blowing a coverage on Christian McCaffrey, allowing a touchdown before the half, and Isaac Yiadom simply was picked on early and often throughout the game. The Saints need to consider Lincoln Riley starting over Yiadom, as the Saints will miss out on a compensatory pick if they continue with Yiadom this season. There were numerous big down plays that you could tell the 49ers would design to attack Yiadom as a weakness, and it worked wonders. In conclusion, I was extremely discouraged by the cornerback group, and I hope Staley goes back to blitzing at a higher rate next week against Sam Darnold.


Special Teams: No positives jumped out to me with this group; the return game was solid, but punting seemed hit or miss by Kroeger, and Blake Grupe again missed another field goal. If Grupe makes that field goal early, the Saints would have possibly only needed a field goal on the final drive. 


Closing and Team MVPs


This game felt like another game the Saints took themselves out of, and not one where the opposing team beat them. I did love the sparks that showed on offense, and if Spencer Rattler can build off of this and continue to play at this level, I can say that I’d feel okay if the Saints decided to go with another position than quarterback in the upcoming draft. 


Offensive MVP: Spencer Rattler


Defensive MVP: Carl Granderson


Special Teams MVP: NONE



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LSU Snaps Road Losing Streak, Defeats Auburn 38-17

By David Billiot Jr • October 27, 2026
Fresh off their first shutout of the season, LSU took a road trip to the Plains to take on an Auburn team that was on top of the world. While a 31-0 victory over Mississippi St was certainly impressive for Lane Kiffin’s team last week, fellow first-year head coach, Alex Golesh, secured his first marquee win for his Tigers with a 27-24 upset win over the #1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.With all of the momentum in the world, the question was whether or not they could stay hot against LSU or were they do for a hangover. Sam Leavitt and company did their part to make sure it was the latter, showing up in Jordan-Hare and dominating Auburn with an explosive offensive showing for a 38-17 victory. That score included a late touchdown by Golesh’s Tigers that made it look even closer than it actually was. The win improved LSU to 6-2 overall (3-2 SEC) and propels them in to their bye week for some much needed rest. Auburn dropped to 4-3 overall and now sit below .500 with a 2-3 record in the SEC. Kiffin’s team faces a two game gauntlet coming out of their bye as Alabama and Texas come to Baton Rouge in consecutive weeks for what will essentially be playoff elimination games. The Tigers carried over their momentum from their shutout win over the Bulldogs last week, racking up 552 yards of total offense, while only allowing 271 on defense. Leavitt was phenomenal, finishing 32-45 for a career-high 387 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air. Despite his compromised hamstring, he still found a way to add 54 yards rushing and another touchdown on the ground Jackson Harris continued his ascent as one of the top wide receivers in the SEC, delivering a 178 yard, 2 touchdown performance on 9 receptions. He’s been outstanding since week 4. In the first 3 weeks of the season, he only had 5 receptions for 117 yards and 0 TDs. Starting against Texas A&M in week 4, he now has 31 receptions for 517 yards and 7 TDs in five games. Leavitt needed someone to step up as his top target after Trey’Dez Green went down in that week 3 loss ot Ole Miss. Harris has done just that. Speaking of Green, he returned a couple of weeks earlier than anticipated. When the first injury report came out last Wednesday and he was noticeably absent, it came as a giant surprise. Everyone then began to wonder how recovered is he actually, and how much would he play. He was out there from the very beginning and ended up playing 49 of 83 offensive snaps, hauling in 5 receptions for 50 yards and a touchdown of his own. His return, along with Harris’s emergence, is exciting for Kiffin’s offense. Game Flow The explosion started slow, as it typically seems to do for this LSU offense. After Auburn went 3 and out on the opening possession, drove down for a field goal, which was answered by Golesh’s Tigers. Leavitt and the offense would then be off to the races from that point on, scoring their first of 4 touchdowns in the 1st half. While about to get drilled in the pocket, the Tiger quarterback hung in there and delivered a perfect throw over the middle for Harris’s first touchdown of the day to jump to a 10-7 lead. After three consecutive 3 and outs between both teams, LSU’s most impressive drive of the day came on a 14 play, 95 yard touchdown drive that was capped off with Green’s 15-yard score to go up 17-3. That drive included a gutsy 4th down conversion in their own territory on a beautifully drawn up trick play by Charlie Weis Jr. Auburn was finally able to answer, as Byrum Brown orchestrated an 11 play, 75 yard touchdown drive. His running ability was the biggest concern for Blake Baker’s defense going in to this game and he showed why with a 34-yard run to make it 17-10. With a little less than 6 minutes left in the first half, LSU had the chance to milk one final scoring drive before getting the ball to start the second half, but Harris had other plans. On a 3rd and 5, he caught the ball on a middle crossing route and turned on the jets to outrun two Auburn defenders on his way to a 70-yard touchdown, his second of the day. After another quick 3 and out for Brown and his offense, LSU then got their milked final drive, going 74 yards on 10 plays, capped off by Leavitt’s fourth touchdown, a 4-yard run to give his Tigers a 31-10 halftime lead. While scoring came to a halt in the 3rd quarter, it became the LSU defense show, as Baker’s unit smothered the Auburn offense. Golesh’s Tigers were only able to manage 67 rushing yards, far short of their 182 yard per game average. What the Tigers were able to do against Brown and his legs was a mirror of what they did to Marcel Reed a few weeks ago. The big Auburn QB finished with just 21 yards rushing on 19 carries and was sacked a whopping 6 times. He wasn’t much better through the air, finishing 15-24 for only 160 yards. Jordan Ross showed up big for the second week in a row, accounting for 2 of the sacks on Brown and 2.5 tackles for loss. The SEC’s second-leading sacker, Princewill Umanmielen, returned from his head injury that knocked him out of the Mississippi St game after just 7 plays and recorded a sack and 1.5 TFLs of his own. LSU’s final nail in the coffin came early in the 4th quarter on a 7 play, 67 yard drive that resulted in a 12-yard touchdown run by Dilin Jones. While Leavitt, Harris, and Green garnered much of the praise, and deservedly so, Jones produced yet another outstanding day on the ground. He finished with 92 rushing yards on 21 carries for a 4.4 yards per carry average, while adding 4 receptions for 27 yards. His touchdown made it 38-10. Auburn was able to get the garbage time touchdown after backup QB, Tristan Ti’a took over and scrambled for a 7-yard run to make it 38-17. The score came with just 24 seconds left in the game. Summary It was LSU’s most complete game of the year. Although the shutout over the Bulldogs was nice the week prior, it came against a backup quarterback and at home. This win at Auburn secured Kiffin’s first SEC road win as the head coach of the Tigers. It also snapped a 735 day streak since LSU’s last conference road win, which came on October 19, 2024 when the Tigers defeated Arkansas in Fayetteville. Kiffin’s team will head in to their bye week as preparations begin for a critical matchup in Tiger Stadium on November 7th. The #10 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will travel to Baton Rouge for a 2:30 pm kickoff. With both teams sitting at 6-2, next Saturday is likely a playoff elimination game.

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