The final score was 31-17. It was not a pretty sight today here at the Superdome. Coach Mike Nolan didn't pull any punches. He said everyone played poorly. He said every aspect of the team, including the coaching, deserves blame for this one.

--"We didn't play well as a team today," he said. "You can go from run game, pass game, kicking game, and if there's another game, you can include that one, too."

--"We anticipated (Deuce McAllister) to play. He did a good job. But the thing that hurt us the most were the explosive plays we gave up. Yes, you don't want to have a guy get first downs, but that's going to happen from time to time. But the big pass plays . . . those things were game-changing plays."

--Nolan said that on every big play (the Saints had four plays of more than 30 yards) there should have been two guys on those plays. In other words, the safeties did not do a good job of getting over to help the corners.

--Mark Roman did not stick around until the end. There was a penalty on the Saints that put :02 on the clock. Roman was the only 49ers player in the locker room when the game concluded. He took this one hard. He undoubtedly had a lot of family and friends at the game. He played collegiately at LSU. Afterward, Roman said, "I don't know, man," and walked out of the locker room when asked about the game.

--INJURY REPORT: LB Manny Lawson sustained a left hamstring strain. His status will be evaluated tomorrow.

--Quarterback Alex Smith, who is out for the season with a small fracture in his right shoulder, is progressing well and looks as if he will not require surgery to insert a screw to aid in the healing process.

Smith might have a procedure to remove the wire sutures that were inserted in the surgery to repair his separated shoulder last December. Smith's future with the 49ers looks bleak because of a scheduled $9.625 million salary in 2009.