Category: Latest Saints News

Saints kicker Wil Lutz says he won’t play in 2021 after post-surgery setback

Saints kicker Wil Lutz says he won’t play in 2021 after post-surgery setback

This is really tough. New Orleans Saints kicker Wil Lutz announced Tuesday that he suffered a setback during rehab from preseason core muscle surgery that will require him to shut down for the 2021 season. The 2019 Pro Bowler injured a groin muscle last year and tried to work through it in training camp, but ultimately had to go under the knife. New Orleans designated him to return from injured reserve last week but now we know he won’t be kicking in 2021.

It’s a huge loss for the Saints, who relied on Lutz to kick several game-winning field goals in his career so far. He’s achieved an 86.6% success rate on field goals while connecting on 97.3% of his extra-point attempts, and he’s going to be very difficult to replace.

The good news is that rookie kicker Brian Johnson performed well in the rain against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night, nailing two field goals from 21 and 33 yards as well as his lone point-after try. But that’s a far cry from the expectations Lutz has earned over time. We’ll see how Johnson performs as the season continues after he took over from a carousel of kickers including Brett Maher, Aldrick Rosas, and Cody Parkey.

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Studs and Duds from Saints’ 13-10 road win over Seahawks

Some New Orleans Saints players made more positive plays than others against the Seattle Seahawks, with too many receivers as liabilities:

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It often wasn’t easy, and at times it was perilous, but the New Orleans Saints beat the Seattle Seahawks at their own brand on football on Monday night. New Orleans’ defense bludgeoned Geno Smith and the Seattle running game, while their own offense did just enough to find a win.

But you’d like to see them do more than that. The Saints offense made enough mistakes and had enough bad performances to keep this game in jeopardy until the final minutes, including an uncharacteristic botched series  or two in scoring position. Let’s go under the hood for Week 7’s Studs and Duds:

New Orleans Saints Week 7 game recap: Everything we know

New Orleans Saints Week 7 game recap: Everything we know

Well that was something. A game of professional football transpired between the Seattle Seahawks and the New Orleans Saints, who improved to a 4-2 record with a stifling defensive effort at Lumen Field. There are very real concerns to be had about the Saints offense based off a particularly ugly performance, but that’s a problem for another day. Let’s dig in:

DT Malcolm Roach among inactive Saints players vs. Seahawks

DT Malcolm Roach joined QB Taysom Hill and WR Deonte Harris on the list of inactive Saints players vs. Seahawks:

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It’s just about settled for the New Orleans Saints’ Monday night kickoff with the Seattle Seahawks. Both teams reported their inactive lists for Week 7 after the Saints welcomed five starters back into the lineup — more on them here.

We knew going in that a few Saints would be out with injuries, including Deonte Harris and Taysom Hill. But a handful of other, healthy players will be inactive as required by NFL rules. Here are the lists from each squad:

6 quick takeaways from Saints’ final roster moves for Week 7

6 quick takeaways from Saints’ final roster moves for Week 7

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The New Orleans Saints brought several players back from injured reserve for Monday night’s game with the Seattle Seahawks, including veteran wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith and impact defenders Marcus Davenport and Kwon Alexander. They also elevated two players from the practice squad for Week 7, both of whom will revert following the final whistle.

Here are six instant reactions to these roster moves, and what they might mean moving forward:

Tre’Quan Smith returns from I.R. among last-minute roster moves

The Saints activated wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith and several other players in their last-minute roster moves before kickoff in Seattle:

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Kickoff with the Seattle Seahawks is just hours away, which means the New Orleans Saints needed to file a series of roster moves to get everyone together. A number of starters and key contributors are returning from injured reserve while some other players are being promoted from the practice squad for Week 7’s game, and a few others are being let go to make room.

Here’s everything you need to know about from Monday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire:

The Saints can’t afford a loss to the Geno Smith-led Seahawks

The Saints can’t afford a loss to the Geno Smith-led Seahawks in the too-crowded NFC:

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The New Orleans Saints already dropped a game they had in the bag to Daniel Jones and the New York Giants, but they’re in even more dire straits against Geno Smith and the Seattle Seahawks this week. A 3-2 record in the crowded NFC just isn’t good enough, and you only need to glance at the standings to see what’s at stake.

Right now five different teams have already hit five wins — including the division-rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 6-1, who the Saints will host in the Caesars Superdome next week. New Orleans needs a win on Monday night in the worst way to keep pace with them and eventually challenge for the NFC South title.

A potential loss, however, sends the Saints down to 3-3 and right in the middle of a morass. That’s where mediocre teams like the 3-3 Minnesota Vikings and 3-3 Atlanta Falcons belong, just ahead of the even-worse Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers (who beat the Saints handily when a third of the coaching staff and superstar cornerback Marshon Lattimore were unavailable in Week 2).

Let’s look at it another way. NFL researchers found that teams with a 3-2 record have a 55% chance at reaching the playoffs. With a win, the Saints can raise their odds to 67%, but a loss sees them slide down to 42%. Obviously there are extreme scenarios where a team that starts the year rough, like New Orleans has, can sort itself out later in the season and come roaring back to make some noise.

That’s exactly what Tampa Bay themselves did last year after a 3-2 start. They won three games in a row and ran into a skid, entering their Week 13 bye at 7-5. Then they rode an 8-game win streak all the way to a Super Bowl victory.

Can the Saints do that too? Who knows. Falling flat against a bad Seahawks team working with a backup quarterback, even if it’s on the road in ugly weather, would say a lot of negative things about them. But winning this game handily, as they should, would be mighty encouraging.

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NFL Week 7: How to watch and stream Saints-Seahawks on ‘Monday Night Football’

NFL Week 7: How to watch, listen, and stream Saints-Seahawks on ‘Monday Night Football’

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It feels like it’s taken ten years for the New Orleans Saints to reach their next game, but kickoff is nearly here. They’ve made the trip to the Pacific Northwest to face the Seattle Seahawks in the final matchup of Week 7 on “Monday Night Football,” and there are a number of ways for fans to tune in.

Here’s what you need to know to keep up with live television, online streaming, and radio:

Saints WR Chris Hogan retires after 5 games in black and gold

Saints WR Chris Hogan retires after 5 games in black and gold

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Chris Hogan was a surprising player to make the New Orleans Saints’ opening day roster, and now his career has taken another unexpected turn. The veteran wide receiver chose to retire from the NFL this week, which the team made official on Saturday by designating him to the reserve/retired list.

Hogan, who turns 34 on Sunday, appeared in five games with New Orleans, totaling 68 snaps on offense and 25 snaps on special teams. He caught 4 of the 8 passes thrown his way to gain 41 receiving yards and score a touchdown reception. Before the Saints convinced him to leave his professional lacrosse team and join them for training camp, Hogan spent nine years in the NFL, mostly with the New England Patriots (49 games in three years) and Buffalo Bills (48 games in four years), winning two Super Bowl rings with the Patriots.

NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported that Hogan was away from the team this week to be with his pregnant wife, having informed the team of his decision earlier in the week before taking a few days to make sure this was what he wanted. Now he’ll have an opportunity to return to playing lacrosse or fully commit to hanging up his cleats. Either way, he’s walking away from the NFL at this time on his own terms. He’s also the third Saints player to retire this season including defensive tackle Ryan Glasgow and cornerback Patrick Robinson.

To be frank, Hogan probably wasn’t going to hang around with the Saints much longer. Tre’Quan Smith was designated to return from injured reserve this week and his addition would push either Hogan or Lil’Jordan Humphrey off the 53-man roster. Michael Thomas is also working his way back from the physically unable to perform list.

With Deonte Harris ruled out for Week 7’s game with the Seattle Seahawks due to a hamstring injury and Smith not yet formally activated from injured reserve, Hogan’s retirement leaves New Orleans with four receivers available for Monday night: Marquez Callaway, Ty Montgomery, Kenny Stills, and Humphrey, with three more on the practice squad in Kawaan Baker, Easop Winston Jr., and Kevin White.

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Saints announce Week 7 uniform combination

New Orleans Saints announce Week 7 uniform combination vs. Seahawks

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The New Orleans Saints will be wearing white jerseys and black pants for the first time this season during Monday night’s game with the Seattle Seahawks, the team announced Friday. It’s unclear how many different shades of highlighter green the Seahawks will be using. While the Saints won all three games in which they used this uniform combination last season, it carries an all-time record of 41-25 (.621) in the Sean Payton era.

It’s a good look, though maybe not as strong as their white jerseys-gold pants away game combo. And it certainly doesn’t match up with what the Saints wore in their last game in Seattle — the “Color Rush” alternates that have yet to make an appearance in 2021. But with several more high profile games around the corner, those shouldn’t take much longer to appear.

Here is how the Saints have performed in every uniform combo they have used since Payton was hired in 2006:

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 8-2 (.800)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 8-3 (.727)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-14 (.622)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. White jerseys, gold pants: 33-24 (.578)
  7. Black jerseys, black pants: 46-31 (.597)