The San Francisco 49ers will host the New Orleans Saints this coming Saturday in a divisional round playoff game where the outcome could be impacted to some extent by the weather at Candlestick Park. The 49ers defense will look to bring its A-game no matter what, but given the way the Saints offense can perform, any advantage is a good advantage.
The Saints have been unstoppable in domed play this season. They did lose to the St. Louis Rams, but other than that game, they are 10-0 when playing in the controlled environment of a dome. Their closest indoor wins were a seven point win over the Houston Texans and a 14-point victory over the Detroit Lions earlier in the season.
Thankfully, they will be coming outdoors to face the 49ers. The initial weather report for Candlestick Park is 60 degrees and sunny, but naturally that is subject to change. Sunday has clouds in the forecast and Monday calls for a few showers. There was one great suggestion from several folks on twitter: SPRINKLERS!
If you are a San Francisco Giants fan who knows his history, you might recall that the Giants reportedly used to water down the infield dirt before games with the Dodgers so as to slow down speedster Maury Wills. I do think the 49ers can beat the Saints in good weather at Candlestick, but why not keep the sprinklers on a little bit longer before Saturday's game? Dampen up that surface just a little bit more and maybe it slows down the Saints even further.