The San Francisco 49ers' preseason games have officially begun.
Well, they've begun for the defense, at least. The offense still hasn't really shown up.
The 49ers and Saints are matching up for the first game of the preseason and New Orleans leads 3-0 after nearly a quarter of play. Garrett Hartley nailed a 47-yard field goal with 2:23 left to finally put some points on the board.
Alex Smith and San Francisco's offense have been pretty bad so far. Smith is 0-for-5 on the night and has been hit early and often by the Saints defense, including two sacks. Frank Gore looked solid in just two series of work, rushing the ball four times for 20 yards. Fortunately, these games mean absolutely nothing and it gives head coach Jim Harbaugh something to motivate his young team with.
The defense impressed in the first half outside of a play or two. All-pro quarterback Drew Brees was held to going 1-for-4 for six yards. Chase Daniel broke off a few decent runs in back-up duty for Brees and that led to the field goal.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Bay Area for complete updates and coverage of tonight's game. For more coverage, be sure to check out the good guys at Niners Nation.