San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints: 2014 Week 10 Recap

Game story

In Week 10 of the 2014 NFL season on 2014-11-09, the San Francisco 49ers took care of business against the New Orleans Saints, pulling away with a 27–24 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q1 with 17 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

D. Brees (New Orleans Saints) paced the passing game, with -2.92 total EPA, and -5.4% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, J. Graham (New Orleans Saints) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +4.80 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+32.9% win probability) landed in the fourth quarter when San Francisco 49ers changed the game: (1:34) (Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick pass deep middle to 15-M.Crabtree to NO 27 for 51 yards (24-C.White). Pass 48, YAC 3

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 J. Graham · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +4.80 total EPA · 13 snaps · +0.37 EPA/play
2. 2 B. Cooks · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +3.41 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.43 EPA/play
3. 3 S. Johnson · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +3.36 total EPA · 3 snaps · +1.12 EPA/play
4. 4 C. Hyde · San Francisco 49ers · Rushing · +3.28 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.82 EPA/play
5. 5 A. Boldin · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +3.04 total EPA · 15 snaps · +0.20 EPA/play
6. 6 D. Brees · New Orleans Saints · Rushing · +2.05 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.05 EPA/play
7. 7 M. Crabtree · San Francisco 49ers · Receiving · +1.30 total EPA · 8 snaps · +0.16 EPA/play
8. 8 E. Lorig · New Orleans Saints · Receiving · +0.80 total EPA · 1 snaps · +0.80 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• San Francisco 49ers — F. Gore (Q1 58:05)
• San Francisco 49ers — C. Hyde (Q1 49:24)
• New Orleans Saints — B. Cooks (D. Brees pass) (Q2 39:19)
• San Francisco 49ers — A. Boldin (C. Kaepernick pass) (Q2 34:51)
• New Orleans Saints — J. Graham (D. Brees pass) (Q3 17:55)
• New Orleans Saints — J. Graham (D. Brees pass) (Q4 1:55)

Field goals

• New Orleans Saints — S. Graham (Q1 45:08)
• San Francisco 49ers — P. Dawson (Q4 0:49)
• San Francisco 49ers — P. Dawson (OT 5:18)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: San Francisco 49ers won the period 14–3. San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the NO 4 (Q1 58:05) — (13:05) (Shotgun) 21-F.Gore left end for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q1 58:01) — 9-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the NO 9 (Q1 49:24) — (4:24) 28-C.Hyde left end for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q1 49:17) — 9-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee.; New Orleans Saints connected on a field goal from the SF 22 (Q1 45:08) — (:08) 3-S.Graham 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown..

The second quarter: The quarter finished even at 7–7. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the SF 31 (Q2 39:19) — (9:19) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep right to 10-B.Cooks for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 31, YAC 0; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q2 39:13) — 3-S.Graham extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.; San Francisco 49ers found the end zone from the NO 15 (Q2 34:51); San Francisco 49ers added 1 points from the NO 2 (Q2 34:45) — 9-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee..

The third quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–0. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the SF 11 (Q3 17:55) — (2:55) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 80-J.Graham for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 11, YAC 0; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q3 17:49) — 3-S.Graham extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown..

The fourth quarter: New Orleans Saints won the period 7–3. New Orleans Saints found the end zone from the SF 2 (Q4 1:55) — (1:55) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 80-J.Graham for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, YAC 0; New Orleans Saints added 1 points from the SF 2 (Q4 1:52) — 3-S.Graham extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.; San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the NO 27 (Q4 0:49) — (:49) 9-P.Dawson 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee..

Overtime: San Francisco 49ers won the period 3–0. San Francisco 49ers connected on a field goal from the NO 17 (OT 5:18) — (5:18) 9-P.Dawson 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• San Francisco 49ers (Q4 1:34) — (1:34) (Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick pass deep middle to 15-M.Crabtree to NO 27 for 51 yards (24-C.White). Pass 48, YAC 3 [WPA +32.9% · EPA +4.08]
• New Orleans Saints (Q4 3:10) — (3:10) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short left to 12-M.Colston to SF 10 for 24 yards (29-C.Culliver). Pass 5, YAC 19 [WPA +31.0% · EPA +3.32]
• New Orleans Saints (OT 5:28) — (5:28) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees sacked at NO 10 for -5 yards (55-A.Brooks). FUMBLES (55-A.Brooks), RECOVERED by SF-50-C.Borland at NO 17. 50-C.Borland to NO 17 for no gain (39-T.Cadet). The Replay Official [WPA -26.0% · EPA -2.35]
• San Francisco 49ers (OT 7:50) — (7:50) 4-A.Lee punts 51 yards to NO 9, Center-86-K.Nelson, fair catch by 10-B.Cooks. [WPA +25.5% · EPA +0.38]
• San Francisco 49ers (OT 8:26) — (8:26) (Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick sacked at SF 40 for -7 yards (53-R.Humber). [WPA -22.2% · EPA -2.00]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• New Orleans Saints (Q1 59:16) — (14:16) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep right intended for 12-M.Colston INTERCEPTED by 41-A.Bethea at NO 41. 41-A.Bethea to NO 19 for 22 yards (10-B.Cooks). [WPA -10.6% · EPA -5.06]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q2 31:13) — (1:13) (Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick sacked at SF 40 for -4 yards (75-T.Walker). FUMBLES (75-T.Walker), RECOVERED by NO-94-C.Jordan at SF 42. 94-C.Jordan to SF 42 for no gain (77-M.Iupati). [WPA -9.3% · EPA -4.29]
• New Orleans Saints (Q1 48:32) — (3:32) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep right to 10-B.Cooks to SF 38 for 40 yards (26-T.Brock) [94-J.Smith]. Pass 38, YAC 2 [WPA +5.2% · EPA +4.16]
• San Francisco 49ers (Q4 1:34) — (1:34) (Shotgun) 7-C.Kaepernick pass deep middle to 15-M.Crabtree to NO 27 for 51 yards (24-C.White). Pass 48, YAC 3 [WPA +32.9% · EPA +4.08]

Quarterback report card

D.Brees led all passers in efficiency for New Orleans Saints, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• D.Brees (New Orleans Saints) · 50 dropbacks · 56.0% completion · -5.4% CPOE · -0.06 EPA/play · -2.92 total EPA
• C.Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers) · 38 dropbacks · 36.8% completion · -13.3% CPOE · -0.10 EPA/play · -3.67 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, San Francisco 49ers generated the better offensive EPA per play (-0.01 vs -0.07), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• New Orleans Saints: 15 drives, -7.60 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• San Francisco 49ers: 14 drives, -0.85 total EPA, 5 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• San Francisco 49ers leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• J. Graham (New Orleans Saints) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• D. Brees (NO) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• C. Kaepernick (SF) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q1 58:05 · NO 4 · Score 6-0
   (13:05) (Shotgun) 21-F.Gore left end for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q1 58:01 · NO 2 · Score 7-0
   9-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee.
3. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q1 49:24 · NO 9 · Score 13-0
   (4:24) 28-C.Hyde left end for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q1 49:17 · NO 2 · Score 14-0
   9-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee.
5. New Orleans Saints FG (+3) — Q1 45:08 · SF 22 · Score 14-3
   (:08) 3-S.Graham 40 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
6. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q2 39:19 · SF 31 · Score 14-9
   (9:19) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass deep right to 10-B.Cooks for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 31, YAC 0
7. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q2 39:13 · SF 2 · Score 14-10
   3-S.Graham extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
8. San Francisco 49ers TD (+6) — Q2 34:51 · NO 15 · Score 20-10
   (4:51) 7-C.Kaepernick pass short right to 81-A.Boldin for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 15, YAC 0 The Replay Official challenged the pass completion ruling, and the
9. San Francisco 49ers XP (+1) — Q2 34:45 · NO 2 · Score 21-10
   9-P.Dawson extra point is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee.
10. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q3 17:55 · SF 11 · Score 21-16
    (2:55) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short middle to 80-J.Graham for 11 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 11, YAC 0
11. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q3 17:49 · SF 2 · Score 21-17
    3-S.Graham extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
12. New Orleans Saints TD (+6) — Q4 1:55 · SF 2 · Score 21-23
    (1:55) (Shotgun) 9-D.Brees pass short right to 80-J.Graham for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass 2, YAC 0
13. New Orleans Saints XP (+1) — Q4 1:52 · SF 2 · Score 21-24
    3-S.Graham extra point is GOOD, Center-47-J.Drescher, Holder-7-L.McCown.
14. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — Q4 0:49 · NO 27 · Score 24-24
    (:49) 9-P.Dawson 45 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee.
15. San Francisco 49ers FG (+3) — OT 5:18 · NO 17 · Score 27-24
    (5:18) 9-P.Dawson 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-86-K.Nelson, Holder-4-A.Lee.