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New Orleans Saints kicker Garrett Hartley hit three fourth-quarter field goals, the last a 37-yarder as time expired, and New Orleans benefited from four San Francisco turnovers to beat the 49ers 25-22 on Monday night.

Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune
New Orleans Saints receiver Marques Colston makes a 30-yard catch of a Drew Brees pass to set up the game-winning field goal against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night at Candlestick Park.
The improbable game, with wild momentum swings in the fourth quarter, puts the Saints at 2-0 - the first time in franchise history they have begun consecutive seasons with back-to-back victories. San Francisco, meanwhile, fell to 0-2.

Although the Saints escaped with the victory more than one person among the 69,732 at Candlestick Park felt the win was gift-wrapped by home team blunders. That view may not be entirely accurate - the Saints had no turnovers and their special teams played superbly with Hartley hitting three field goals one week after missing two attempts, and punter Thomas Morstead controlling field position in the Saints' favor - but there was little question the 49ers' offense moved the ball better than the Saints did most of the night.
For example, while Saints quarterback Drew Brees completed 28 of 38 passes for 254 yards and two scores, he was not, until the final seconds, able to stretch the field much vertically. He was under pressure repeatedly during the game and was forced to rely on short underneath routes as a result.
That pressure came about, in part, because of the Saints' anemic running game, which mustered 50 yards on 24 carries. Particularly on second down, when the Saints tried the right side several times and got nothing or lost yardage, the lack of a ground attack meant the 49ers' swarming 3-4 defense was able to keep New Orleans out of rhythm.
Brees had plenty of praise for the 49ers' defense, saying they took away the long ball. But he also said the Saints left a lot of opportunities out there on the field.
"I'm not overly concerned, but I know we have to get better," Brees said. "Sometimes you walk away from a game and you didn't score 30 points but you took advantage of every opportunity. (But tonight) we felt like we left some opportunities out there. (Four) turnovers and only 25 points, offensively I was disappointed we weren't able to take more advantage of those turnovers. You say, 'Man, this is a 40-point game with all those turnovers.'"
And yet, oddly, the eventual nail-biter had the early trappings of an easy New Orleans win. Less than two minutes into the game, 49ers center David Baas snapped the ball over quarterback Alex Smith's head into the end zone to put New Orleans ahead 2-0 on a safety less than two minutes into the game.

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skymike

I love a comeback... after a comeback.

Its a great win.

Its the 49ers turn to say, "woulda coulda shoulda."