Our reader, Big P, wants to jump ahead to next week and talk about the New Orleans Saints.

I’m happy to oblige him.

Here’s a stat you didn’t know about the Saints: They played five road games on grass this season. In those five games, their offense scored touchdowns in seven of 22 red zone trips. That’s a 31.8 percent red zone efficiency on grass, and that’s horrendous.

On the other hand, the Niners defense had a 25 percent red zone efficiency at Candlestick Park, meaning they allowed one touchdown for every four times the opponent made it into their red zone. That’s as good as it gets.

The Saints average 34.2 points per game, but they haven’t played a defense anywhere near the caliber of the Niners yet.

If the Saints win this weekend and earn the right to play the Niners at Candlestick Park on January 14th, the numbers suggest the Niners should be able to hold the Saints offense to field goals. If they can do that, they’ll win.