NEW ORLEANS, La. (KLFY) -- The New Orleans Saints fell short in search of their first win of the season, losing to the San Francisco 49ers 26-21 at Caesars Superdome in week 2.

Despite missing key players like quarterback Brock Purdy and tight end George Kittle, the 49ers managed to secure a victory against the Saints. The game was marked by a strong performance from Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler, who achieved career highs in passing touchdowns and passer rating.

The Saints struggled early in the game, particularly with their passing offense, as several receivers, including Juwan Johnson and Chris Olave, dropped passes in the first quarter. However, they managed to recover with passing touchdowns to Johnson and Rasheed Shaheed, closing the gap against the 49ers.

The Saints' defense put pressure on the 49ers' backup quarterback Mac Jones at times, but Jones was able to lead scoring drives, including a crucial 7-play, 68-yard drive in the 4th quarter that ended with a 42-yard touchdown by Jauan Jennings.

In the final minutes, the Saints had a chance to mount a game-winning drive, but their hopes were dashed when Spencer Rattler was strip-sacked by Bryce Huff on a critical 4th-and-1 play.

The Saints will look to bounce back from this defeat as they head on the road to face the Seattle Seahawks next week on KLFY.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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