A year ago, the 49ers also began the season with a 2-1 record. But inside the locker room, there is a better feeling about what the future holds. The 49ers enter a difficult stretch of games on Sunday with a game against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.

"They beat us the last two years," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "They're a good team - very good on offense. They're (ranked) fourth on offense and we'll see. But I know they're a good team."

The 49ers also believe they're a good team this season, too. Although the 49ers began last year with a 2-1 record, they never showed signs of being a competitive team.

This season, the aura surrounding the team is different.

"We're better - a whole lot better," 49ers running back Frank Gore.

The 49ers own the No. 10-ranked defense in the league, and the No. 11 offense. The 49ers ranked last in most offensive categories a year ago. In 16 games, the 49ers attained more than 290 yards of total offense just twice.

Through three games this season, the 49ers have averaged 342.0 yards under first-year offensive coordinator Mike Martz.

"This is a different team we have now," Gore said. "It's fun. It seems so easy now. Last year it was a struggle. It was a struggle to get the ball across the 50, and now we can score 21 points like it's nothing."

Martz seems to be the primary factor in the team's offensive improvements.

"We feel like we're syncing real well," said 49ers tight end Delanie Walker, who caught a touchdown pass in the team's 31-13 victory over the Detroit Lions. "We're working hard at practice. We're coming together as a team and the offense is coming together as a unit. We're making plays, we're executing, we know what we have to do, and we feel comfortable out there.

"We're going to take it one day at a time with (preparations for) the Saints, and go down there and do what we have to do."

The 49ers figured to be a running team this season. After all, Gore is considered one of the top backs in the NFL. Plus, the 49ers had an unsettled quarterback position.

Journeyman J.T. O'Sullivan has staked his claim as the team's quarterback, and he's given the 49ers' offense more balance than it has enjoyed since 2003, when Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens were combining their forces in the pass game.

Nobody is happier than Gore about the team's success in the passing game. The 49ers showed quick-strike capabilities against the Lions when they moved the ball 72 yards in 95 seconds on three consecutive pass plays for a touchdown.

"If we're getting down the field throwing the ball, that's going to help me with the run game," Gore said. "We just need to keep doing what we're doing.

"They were trying to play eight men in the box, and we started throwing the ball and the second quarter. The receivers were doing a great job down the field. They had to get out of it, and then we started running. If everybody stays on the same page, and keep doing what we're doing, most likely every week it's going to be like that."

SERIES HISTORY: 70th meeting. The 49ers lead 45-22-2, but they have not beaten the Saints since 2001 - the last time they were NFC West rivals. The 49ers and Saints have played four times, beginning in 2002, and the Saints have scored at least 30 points in each victory.