San Francisco 49ers 26–21 Saints: Week 2 grades as Mac Jones throws 3 TDs and defense delivers

Week 2 in New Orleans: 49ers 26, Saints 21

The San Francisco 49ers left the Caesars Superdome with a 2-0 record and a clear story: depth travels. With the crowd roaring and the Saints pushing late, San Francisco leaned on a backup quarterback who didn’t flinch and a defense that kept landing body blows. The result was a 26-21 road win that checked a lot of boxes for a team built for January.

Mac Jones, stepping in as the 49ers’ backup, didn’t play like a placeholder. He tossed three touchdown passes and kept the offense on schedule with quick decisions and clean footwork. The game plan leaned into what was working: timely play-action, defined reads, and a steady dose of short-to-intermediate throws that punished soft spots in New Orleans’ coverage. No panic, no hero ball—just efficient, winning snaps.

The defense did most of the heavy lifting. Nick Bosa set the tone in the trenches, stacking production with 9 tackles and a sack of Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler. That gives him 2.0 sacks on the season and 64.5 for his career. It also marks the 23rd time in his career he’s posted back-to-back games with at least one sack, after getting one in Week 1 at Seattle. That kind of consistency changes how offenses call plays.

Across from Bosa, Bryce Huff flashed why San Francisco added him. He finished with 4 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble—his first as a 49er and the third of his career. His last forced fumble came on November 10, 2024, against Dallas while he was with Philadelphia. On Sunday, his speed off the edge disrupted rhythm and forced Rattler to speed up reads, which fed right into the 49ers’ plan.

Then there was Upton Stout. The young cornerback popped with 5 tackles and his first career sack, arriving on a pressure that caught New Orleans off guard. That’s not just a box-score note; it signals a secondary that’s willing to blitz and a staff that trusts its emerging players in the fire.

New Orleans made its pushes—home teams do in that building—but San Francisco’s situational football held up. The defense tightened in the red zone, the pass rush closed late pockets, and the offense answered with composed drives instead of three-and-outs. The score says one possession, but the 49ers looked like the steadier side for most of the day.

Grades, key numbers, and what it means

Quarterback: A-
Jones played within the offense and picked his spots. Three touchdown passes tell the story, but it was his pacing—controlling tempo, getting the ball out, avoiding the big mistake—that separated him. He delivered on third downs and didn’t let the noise rattle him.

Running game: B
This wasn’t a headline day for explosive runs, but it didn’t need to be. The ground game did its job by keeping the offense ahead of the sticks and setting up play-action. Short-yardage execution was sound, and the backs protected in blitz pickup.

Receivers and tight ends: B+
Route spacing looked sharp, and the yards-after-catch work showed up on key series. The position group helped Jones with dependable hands in traffic and clean exchanges on motion and jet looks. Not many deep shots, but the mid-range game was there when needed.

Offensive line: B-
Assignment-sound, if not spotless. Protection held up well on designed quick game and play-action, though a few long-developing plays leaked pressure. The group stayed disciplined with penalties and kept the offense on schedule enough for Jones to run the plan.

Defensive line: A
Bosa’s stat line jumps off the page, but the whole front made life hard for Spencer Rattler. Edges squeezed, interior collapsed at the right times, and rush lanes stayed organized to avoid easy scrambles. Huff’s sack and forced fumble amplified the pressure picture.

Linebackers: B+
Active between the tackles and clean finishing plays. They passed off routes in zone and filled decisively when the Saints tried to spread and run. Angles were mostly sharp to the perimeter, limiting chunk gains after contact.

Secondary: B+
Stout’s first sack was the highlight, but coverage discipline was the backbone. The unit mixed looks, showed late rotations, and didn’t bite on window-dressing. A couple of contested catches went New Orleans’ way, but tackling after the catch stayed firm.

Special teams: B
No drama, which is exactly what you want on the road. Kicking and coverage were steady, field position didn’t tilt against them, and operation time stayed crisp.

Coaching: A-
Smart, opponent-specific plan. On offense, tailored calls for a backup QB—quick decisions, built-in answers, and rhythm throws. On defense, pressured with variety and trusted a young corner to blitz at the right moment. Game management on the road was composed and intentional.

Key numbers and notes

• Bosa: 9 tackles, 1.0 sack vs. Spencer Rattler. He’s up to 2.0 sacks this season and 64.5 in his career, now with back-to-back games of at least 1.0 sack for the 23rd time in his career.
• Huff: 4 tackles, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble—his first as a 49er and third of his career. His previous forced fumble came on Nov. 10, 2024, against Dallas with the Eagles.
• Upton Stout: 5 tackles and his first NFL sack, a milestone that also speaks to creative pressure design.
• Series update: The 49ers improved their all-time mark against the Saints to 51-27-2, including 26-15 on the road.

What it says about the 49ers right now: they can win without their Plan A. A backup quarterback can deliver three scores in a loud dome. The pass rush can close games without burning the secondary. And young, ascending defenders can tilt a drive when the script calls for it.

What it says about the Saints: Rattler showed toughness under steady heat, and they kept it close late. But facing a front that controls the line and disguises pressure, the margin for error is thin. The difference was a few third-down plays and one timely turnover—details that decide early-season games.

For San Francisco, 2-0 is nice. How they got there is better. They stacked a road win with complementary football, layered pressure, and a backup QB who made the offense look familiar, not fragile. That travels.