Killion: 49ers find turn of good fortune — and a season — in the dome

Published 5:55 pm, Sunday, November 9, 2014

NEW ORLEANS - It took a favorable call at the end of regulation to erase the potential game-winning touchdown for the Saints. It took a hold-your-breath review of a fumble-inducing sack by Ahmad Brooks, who hasn't had the greatest luck in the Superdome. It took a wobbly field goal by Phil Dawson.

But the 49ers beat the Saints in New Orleans. They snapped their losing streak, snapped the Saints' home winning streak and got back on the right side of the .500 line.

And the 49ers might have saved their season in the process.

'Relief? We got a W; that's all I know,' safety Antoine Bethea said. 'You can call it what you want. But we got a win.'

The 27-24 overtime victory was desperately needed by the 49ers, who had a tenuous hold on third place in the NFC West after consecutive losses and had appeared to be ripping apart at the seams. The path to the playoffs still might require a 5-2 finish, but the outlook would have been very bleak with another midseason loss.

As the 49ers enjoyed a happy flight home, they were able to take in the games of their divisional foes. The Seahawks defeated the New York Giants to stay one game ahead of the 49ers. The first-place Cardinals lost quarterback Carson Palmer to a knee injury, but they rallied to defeat the Rams and stay two games ahead of the Seahawks, three ahead of the 49ers. There's still a lot of work to do.

But at the Superdome, the postgame mood was lighter, brighter than it has been in past weeks. Smiles on the faces of players instead of sullen looks. Jim Harbaugh, who belittles 'outside flak,' went out of his way to praise offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who has been under fire in recent weeks. He also hung around in the 49ers' locker room, smiling and shaking hands, and even telling a couple of columnists who had been away from the team covering playoff baseball that he had 'missed you guys.'

That's what winning a game in the Superdome does for you. Conquering one of the most unforgiving atmospheres and one of the most talented offensive teams in football makes everyone feel good.

'I thought it was a tremendous performance in a very tough place to play, and a tough team to play against,' Harbaugh said.

And it could create some bounce. A little momentum. The 49ers head east next week to face the Giants and still have three games against teams ahead of them in the NFC West.

'These are all one week seasons,' Harbaugh said. 'That's the way we approached this week. The way we'll approach next week.'

The 49ers jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and led 21-10 at the half, riding Frank Gore's rushing, converting 67 percent of the time on third down and twice intercepting Drew Brees.

'I would have booed myself,' Brees said of some disgruntled Saints fans. 'I can't turn the ball over at the rate I'm turning it over.'

But the 49ers gave it all back in the second half, allowing two Brees-to- Jimmy Graham touchdowns.

Thanks to a huge fourth-down conversion - a 51-yard pass from Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree - the 49ers got into field goal position. Dawson's kick tied the game 24-24, but the 49ers had left more than a minute on the clock. Brees directed his team down the field and with five seconds left on the clock, found Graham on a 47-yard heave to the end zone. The Superdome erupted, but Graham was called for offensive pass interference, pushing Perrish Cox. Graham disagreed, but the game went into overtime.

Both teams had the ball for a possession but couldn't get close enough to score. The 49ers punted the ball back to Brees. And then the one thing the Saints couldn't allow to happen, happened. Just as the one thing that the 49ers couldn't allow to happen against the Rams a week earlier had happened. Brooks knocked the ball from Brees' cocked arm and Chris Borland recovered. The 49ers immediately lined up for the 35-yard field goal and ended the game. And their misery.

This game was circled on the calendar for a long time, because the Superdome is such a daunting place to play. The 49ers were unsuccessful there a year ago, as has been every other team that has played there against a Sean Payton-coached team for the last 20 games. The 49ers snapped that streak, and the Saints' 11-game overall home win streak dating to Dec. 30, 2012.

The fact that they were playing Brees with so many replacements on defense also made the victory sweeter.

'The last time we played an offense this good, in Denver, we didn't play very well,' said defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. 'I was really happy with the mind-set they took into the game. And to do it with a bunch of guys not ticketed to be there is even more credit to them.'

Aldon Smith is expected to return from his suspension on Monday. NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis might be coming back, too. The 49ers will be adding fresh bodies.

And, by conquering the difficulty of the Superdome, they might have just added the momentum that they desperately need.

Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail: akillion@sfchronicle.com

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