Rampant Saints face test with solid 49ers defense

The New Orleans Saints, looking for their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons, take their offensive firepower to San Francisco for Saturday's divisional round playoff where they will face the formidable defense of the 49ers. It should be a fascinating encounter as the Saints had the National Football League's (NFL) top total offense during the regular season while the 49ers had the NFC's top defense. Coach Jim Harbaugh's 49ers have the top defense against the rush, and while the Saints have been increasingly effective in the running game this season, they remain the most potent passing team in the league. Saints quarterback Drew Brees racked up an NFL record 5,476 yards this season, eclipsing Dan Marino's previous record, which had stood for 27 years. Last week, New Orleans broke the record for postseason yards with 626 in a 45-28 win over the Detroit Lions that extended their winning streak to nine games. Harbaugh, making his post-season debut in his first year in the pro game, has no illusions about the quality of opponent his team are facing. "They are a great team, they have the ability to win a lot of different ways ... very effective running team, passing team and both of those phases really complement each other," he said. "They are a well-orchestrated, coordinated offense led by a quarterback that is having arguably the best year in the history of the game." Last year, under coach Mike Singletary, the 49ers finished third in the NFC West with a miserable 6-10 record, behind the Seattle Seahawks (7-9) and St. Louis Rams (7-9) in the weakest division in the league. But just one year later and Harbaugh has guided the team to second seed in the NFC, clear winners of their division with a 13-3 record, having got the 49ers back to the solid basics of strong defense and running game and instilled quarterback Alex Smith with some much-needed confidence. Saints head coach Sean Payton is wary of San Francisco's ability to frustrate opposition offenses. "They've been very consistent. They're physical and they're very well coached. They're very disciplined. I would say it's a team that when you watch the film, they're very good tacklers and they're opportunistic," said Payton. "When they're getting their hands on passes, they have good ball skills on the back end. They have a slew of takeaways. I think the effort, the tackling, and the fundamentals — it's impressive week in and week out when you watch them play."