Issues aside, 49ers' win over Saints may be turning point
NEW ORLEANS — From the start, the San Francisco 49ers' season has seemed to be careening along the border between recapturing championship-caliber form and all-out collapse.
So it was appropriate that in the game that could tip it one way or the other, the 49ers twice were a play away from being finished, only to escape the Superdome with a 27-24 triumph in overtime against the favored New Orleans Saints.
"Another NFC loss — that'd put us where we had to win seven in a row," veteran defensive tackle Justin Smith told USA TODAY Sports. "Now, we're still backs against the wall. We've still got to win a (bleep) load of them."
Instead of falling to 4-5, though, the 49ers are 5-4 and right in the middle of the NFC playoff chase, despite all the reports of discontent and speculation about coach Jim Harbaugh's future.
Instead of the first three-game losing skid of the Harbaugh era, the 49ers handed the Saints their first loss here since 2012 with a familiar formula: Set the tone by running power plays with Frank Gore, let Colin Kaepernick improvise and tilt the outcome on defense.
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"You saw the vibe today. We're going to fight," 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite said. "We may not always do everything right, but we're going to fight. It may not be pretty, but we're going to fight."
They also needed some clutch plays and a little luck Sunday against the Saints, who'd been on the rise with consecutive wins to move atop the weak NFC South.
Kaepernick completed just 1-of-7 passes on a drive late in regulation, but the one was a 51-yard strike to Michael Crabtree in the scramble drill on fourth-and-10 that set up the tying field goal.
Moments later, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham appeared to catch a Hail Mary for a 47-yard touchdown as time expired — only to get flagged for pushing off 49ers cornerback Perrish Cox, who hit the deck and sold the call.
"If we would've ended a game like that, man, I would've been sick," 49ers safety Antoine Bethea said. "I wouldn't have been able to sleep all week."
Instead, the defense got another shot to stop Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who got sacked on the game's last two plays — the latter by Ahmad Brooks, resulting in a fumble and recovery that set up Phil Dawson's 35-yard winner nearly 10 minutes into overtime.
Instead of a funeral, this could end up being a turning point. Because for all their issues, the 49ers still are one of the most talented, complete and seasoned teams in the NFL. And however much tension surrounds Harbaugh hasn't thrown the locker room into chaos.
"His fight is what we take. His fight is our fight," Wilhoite said. "To me, we're all together in this. We're all going head-first into the fight and we're going to work until we get there."
Star pass rusher Aldon Smith is set to return from suspension Monday — a difference-making addition for a banged-up linebacker group. There's time to get some things right before the 49ers play three of their last five against NFC West rivals.
The front-running Arizona Cardinals suffered another big loss Sunday, when quarterback Carson Palmer was carted off with a knee injury in a win over the St. Louis Rams. The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are still reestablishing their identity after the Percy Harvin trade.
It might be asking a lot for the 49ers to make up three games on Arizona over the last seven, but who knows? They'd still be a dangerous team come January, as the Saints can attest. They just have to get there first.
"We've got to win from here on out," Justin Smith said. "That was our first playoff-type game and we've got a bunch more of them to come."
Follow Tom Pelissero on Twitter @TomPelissero.
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