Category: Saints

Taysom Hill finds Rashid Shaheed for 68-yard Saints touchdown

Taysom Hill threw a long TD pass for the Saints against the Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons have turned to Desmond Ridder at quarterback. The New Orleans Saints, meanwhile, have two or three that could play in the NFL on any given Sunday.

Andy Dalton threw a touchdown pass Sunday to get New Orleans off to a quick start against Atlanta.

Just when the Falcons couldn’t solve Dalton, Dennis Allen sent out Taysom Hill.

The Swiss Army Knife of the Big Easy threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Rashid Shaheed as the Saints doubled their lead to 14-0 not midway through the first quarter.

Ridder, meanwhile, failed to complete any of his first four passes.

 

NFL hammers Saints with massive fines for faking injury

The NFL came down hard on the Saints for Cameron Jordan faking an injury

The injury may have been fake but the pain to the wallet of Cameron Jordan and other members of the New Orleans Saints organization will be real.

The NFL on Saturday revealed it had fined the Saints $350,000, head coach Dennis Allen $100,000, Cameron Jordan $50,000, and co-defensive coordinator $50,000, for the defensive end faking an injury during Monday night’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Per NFL.com:

The alleged incident occurred midway through the fourth quarter on Monday’s game when Jordan took a knee and pointed to his lower leg. It forced an injury stoppage as Tom Brady looked to line up the Bucs offense on a fourth-and-10. Tampa punted the ball once play resumed.

The fines will be appealed.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ Jessie Bates was also fined $50,000 for this flop.

Cyber Monday NFL deals: Best sales for fans of each team

Save big on the perfect gift for any football fan this holiday season.

Happy holidays, football fans!

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Whether your favorite football fan would love a jersey, hat, sweatshirt or a decoration for the man cave, check out the individual team lists below.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. Touchdown Wire operates independently, though, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

Alvin Kamara with huge effort for second TD of game for Saints

The Raiders could not keep Alvin Kamara out of the end zone

Alvin Kamara has the scent of the end zone on Sunday in New Orleans as the Saints face the Las Vegas Raiders.

Kamara scored a rushing touchdown for the first time in 10 games.

And then, up 10-0, Andy Dalton found his running back with a short pass and Kamara did the rest with a powerful run into the end zone.

Check out Kamara, who would not be denied as he looked for 6 points.

The entire NFC South is below .500

The NFC South has gone South with a combined record of 10-18

Move over, AFC South that’s because the NFC South has usurped you as the worst division in the NFL.

After the Week 7 results, every team in the NFC South is below .500.

And that includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Their quarterback, Tom Brady, is 3-4 for the first time since 2002 with the Patriots. The GOAT was also 3-4 in 2001.

The ugly truth:

  • The Buccaneers are 3-4, as stated.
  • The Atlanta Falcons are 3-4, after losing to Cincinnati.
  • The New Orleans Saints are 2-5 after losing to the Arizona Cardinals.
  • The Panthers are 2-5.

That is a combined 10-18 record for a division that has a second-year head coach in Atlanta’s Arthur Smith, first-year head coaches Dennis Allen (New Orleans) and Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay), and an interim coach in Carolina’s Steve Wilks, who took over after Matt Rhule was fired.

 

 

Andy Dalton finds Rashid Shaheed for 53-yard Saints touchdown

Andy Dalton throws a 53-yard TD pass to give the Saints a quick lead

Thursday Night Football saw an unfamiliar start as the New Orleans Saints took it to the Arizona Cardinals.

Andy Dalton directed a 4-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in an early touchdown, something TNF had not seen in recent weeks.

The scoring play was good for 53 yards and Dalton connected with Rashid Shaheed, who is making the most of the absence of Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry.

 

NFL Week 6 Power Rankings: No lead is safe!

Week 6 NFL power rankings! Here’s how all 32 teams stand in a season where there’s been as much scoring volatility as we’ve ever seen.

In the 2022 NFL season, no lead is safe.

Per NFL Research, there have been 23 games decided by a game-winning touchdown within the final two minutes of regulation or in overtime this season, the third-most such games in the first six weeks of a season in pro football history. Only 2021 (25 games) and 2012 (24) have more.

There have been 18 games in which a team overcame a deficit of at least 10 points to win or tie this season, tied for the fourth-most such games through Week 6. Only 2020 (19 games), 2011 (19) and 1987 (19) have more.

12 of 14 games in Week 6 were within one score (eight points) in the fourth quarter. There have been 73 games within one score in the fourth quarter and 57 games decided by one score, both the most such games through the first six weeks in pro football history.

On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts overcame an 11-point deficit to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Cincinnati Bengals overcame a 10-point deficit to beat the New Orleans Saints. The New York Giants overcame a 10-point deficit to beat the Baltimore Ravens. The Giants have now won three games this season in which they had a deficit of 10 or more points, and the Ravens have now lost three games in which they once had a double-digit lead.

On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Eagles got out to a 20-0 lead against the Dallas Cowboys, and had to hang on for dear life after Dallas came back to make the score 20-17. And on Monday night, the Los Angeles Chargers overcame a 10-point deficit to beat the Denver Broncos in overtime.

More than ever, teams are turning seemingly certain losses into wins, and vice versa. With all that volatility going on, here’s how all 32 NFL teams measure up in our Week 6 power rankings.

Former practice squad player Rashid Shaheed with 44-yard TD run for Saints

A former practice squad player, Rashid Shaheed, with a TD for the Saints

Rashid Shaheed was on the New Orleans Saints practice squad … until Saturday.

He was activated for the game against the Cincinnati Bengals and took advantage of the opportunity on Sunday.

Shaheed, undrafted out of Weber State, took a jet-sweep handoff from Andy Dalton and raced 44 yards to paydirt.

Some background on Shaheed:

Rashid finished his amazing Wildcat career in 2021. He ended his career as the FCS all-time leader in kickoff return touchdowns with seven. He is the only player in Weber State history to earn All-American honors four times. He also earned first-team All-Big Sky honors four times, one of three players in history to do so.  

He finished his career as Weber State’s all-time leader in career kickoff return average at 29.1 yards per return. He played in 53 games in his Wildcat career and finished his career with 5,478 all-purpose yards, which ranks as the third most in WSU history, and is also third in career punt return yardage. He is also seventh in career receiving yards with 2,178 yards and 18 touchdowns and ranks 10th in career receptions with 147. 

Patriots, Saints, Steelers, Lions, Dolphins best fits for Commanders CB William Jackson III

Washington Commanders cornerback William Jackson III wants out of town. Which teams would give Jackson the best opportunity to be the player he should be?

When the then-Washington Football Team signed former Cincinnati Bengals cornerback William Jackson III to a three-year, $42 million deal with $26 million guaranteed, I gave the deal an A+ grade, opined that Jackson was one of the best press cornerbacks in the NFL, and also opined that this might mean that Washington might be playing more press coverage from then on.

For multiple reasons, Jackson’s tenure in the nation’s capital has been an unmitigated disaster. Let’s check off the fact that Jack Del Rio is the Commanders’ defensive coordinator, because we’ve already gone over all the coverage busts seemingly inherent in the defense Del Rio is running.

Can the Washington Commanders fix their godawful defense?

Answer: No. The Commanders currently rank 29th in pass defense DVOA, and they’ve been terrible against the pass at all levels. And Jackson, who used to be a dead-red lockdown cornerback, has suffered along with the rest. This season, per Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed 16 catches on 19 targets for 219 yards, 60 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 149.8.

Now, with head coach Ron Rivera pulling Jackson against the Titans in Week 4, and Jackson not even making the trip to Chicago to face the Bears on Thursday night, Jackson wants out.

Per Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Jackson now wants a new home. From the report:

Once a key cog in the Commanders’ secondary, Jackson is not frustrated specifically with the team.

Rather, he considers himself more of a man-to-man cornerback and Washington has run a lot of zone thus far. When Jackson signed, he envisioned himself as a true lockdown corner, covering a team’s top receiver.

It hasn’t worked out that way.

Now, Jackson could find himself with a new home.

What may complicate the picture is Jackson’s contract. He has two years left on the deal, and his 2023 cap hit is $15.75 million, which means that another team could likely have Jackson for very little draft capital if there’s willingness to take on that fiscal responsibility.

We know that the Commanders’ defense is all kinds of bad, but which teams would present the best homes for Jackson as he looks to rejuvenate his career in a more hospitable environment?

Secret Superstars for Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season

Taysom Hill, Rhamondre Stevenson, Daymi Brown, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and Baron Browning are among Doug Farrar’s Secret Superstars for Week 5.

There are all kinds of reasons that NFL players are underrated and unsung.

Perhaps they’re in systems that don’t best show their skills. Maybe they’re buried on a depth chart. Or, they’re in somebody’s doghouse, and their coaches can’t see their potential. Or, their efforts are relatively unnoticed among their more celebrated teammates. Sometimes, young players haven’t quite put it all together, but there are enough flashes to make you sit up and take notice, and when it does work, it’s all good.

Week 5 of the 2022 regular season featured players at just about every position who showed up and showed out despite their underrated statuses, and here at Touchdown Wire, it’s our job to point them out.

Rhamondre Stevenson, Dameon Pierce, Daymi Brown, Taysom Hill, Ethan Pocic, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Matt Judon, Baron Browning, Osa Odighizuwa, Teair Tart, Dre Greenlaw, Camerson Dantzler, and Caden Sterns are our Secret Superstars for Week 5 of the 2022 NFL season.

Here’s why each of them made the cut.