Tag: New Orleans Saints

Michael Thomas sets NFL record for receptions after ten games

Former Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas has set an NFL record for receptions in the first ten games of an NFL season, with 90.

With his 90th reception on the season, former Ohio State wide receiver Michael Thomas set a new NFL record for receptions in the first ten games of the season, breaking a record previously shared by Marvin Harrison and Julio Jones, in 2002 and 2015, respectively.

Thomas’ 90th catch of the year was also his fourth of the game, and it came shortly before the halfway point of the second quarter. The former Buckeye went on to catch four more passes in the game, so the current record for receptions over the first ten games of the season now stands at 94.

The current record for most receptions in a season is held by Marvin Harrison, who caught 143 passes in 2002. Thomas currently is averaging 9.4 catches per game, which is on pace to break Harrison’s record. If Thomas can continue his current pace, he will reach about 150 receptions on the year.

Thomas also made an incredible catch along the sidelines last week, which reminded Buckeye fans of his all-time great touchdown catch before halftime of the 2015 Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama.

Whether Thomas can keep up this pace or not is anyone’s question. Drew Brees’ brief absence due to injury doesn’t seem to have hampered him too much, though. Whether or not he sets the full-season record, this has already been a historic season for the former Ohio State standout.

Sean Payton can’t undersell the importance of backup tight end Josh Hill

The New Orleans Saints lost backup tight end Josh Hill with a concussion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, forcing coach Sean Payton’s hand.

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The New Orleans Saints offense took a big hit in Sunday’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when backup tight end Josh Hill exited with a concussion. There probably aren’t many coaches around the league who have to retool their playsheet with the loss of a backup tight end, but Saints coach Sean Payton puts immense value on Hill’s abilities to help his team.

It isn’t that Hill is some elite pass-catcher; his knowledge of the offense and effectiveness as a blocker from any alignment creates opportunities for everyone else. He’s averaged 39 snaps per game this season and logged 32 against the Buccaneers before being ruled out with this injury. His absence forced Payton to huddle up with his players and assistants, and make a lot of adjustments mid-game.

“We lost Josh Hill, and Josh is one of those guys that may be somewhat under the radar, but losing him was like losing your front door,” Payton said during his postgame media availability. “All of a sudden there are 58 plays on the call sheet and he was involved in a lot of them, so we spent a lot of time trying to re-personnel group some of our plays — which ones we still want to run and which ones can we not run.”

Payton was spotted sitting on the bench next to running back Alvin Kamara and reserve quarterback Taysom Hill, reviewing his playsheet and going over adjustments with them. It’s rare to see him leave his spot on the sideline for any length of time, but Hill’s loss necessitated it: “So, there was the better part of a quarter going back through all of our offense that was maybe plays that were Josh Hill friendly. Now, can we still run those plays with someone else or not? That is something that took a bit of time.”

This hopefully won’t be a lingering issue for Hill, but concussions are tricky. These brain injuries can sideline players for weeks and leave damage that lasts past their playing days. He was concussed early in last year’s NFC championship game, and missed time back in 2017 with another concussion, making this instance his third reported brain injury. One of his former Saints teammates, Coby Fleener, ended his playing career after a series of concussions, so Hill is well aware of the danger these injuries pose. Here’s hoping it isn’t that serious.

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Michael Thomas has more catches than entire Ravens, Eagles WR corps

Michael Thomas has broken more records for the New Orleans Saints, and caught more passes than the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles.

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New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas has been on fire this season, and he passed several more milestones on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Thomas finished that game with eight catches, giving him 94 receptions on the year so far. He’s the first player in NFL history with 90 or more catches in each of his first four years. And the pace he collected them — catching 94 passes in just 10 games — is the most of any player in NFL history.

What’s really impressive about this is that Thomas is basically doing it alone. He’s commanding attention from opposing defenses and drawing extra coverage, but he still finds ways to win at the catch point and pick up a few extra yards after the catch. He’s almost impossible to guard despite having few teammates who can threaten opponents from the other side of the field.

In other words: Saints wide receivers have amassed 126 receptions this year, and Thomas is credited with 94 (75%) of them. That’s unheard of.

But here’s some added perspective on what Thomas has accomplished. His 94 catches are more than what some teams’ entire wide receiver corps have combined for, putting him ahead of both the Baltimore Ravens (74) and the Philadelphia Eagles (93). Read that again: Thomas has caught more passes this season than all of the wide receivers on two other teams.

He’s certainly living up to his social media handle, backing up the bold statement that you “Can’t Guard Mike.”

Saints favored by 8.5 points over Panthers for Week 12 opening lines

The opening betting line heavily favored the New Orleans Saints over the Carolina Panthers for their Week 12 NFC South rivalry game.

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The New Orleans Saints rebounded in a big way this week, but the Carolina Panthers look like they’ve regressed hard. This always-tough NFC South rivalry series is set to pick up again in Week 12, and the Saints are clearly favored to win.

Per the opening line from BetMGM, the Saints are 8.5-point home favorites over the Panthers. With an over/under set at 47.5, that implies a final score in the neighborhood of Saints 28, Panthers 19. Not too shabby.

With Cam Newton sidelined for the rest of the year, Carolina has had to rely on Kyle Allen, which has produced mixed results. Allen’s initial success trailed off over the last month, and the Panthers’ record has fallen with it. Allen threw seven touchdown passes against zero interceptions in his first four starts, giving Carolina a four-game unbeaten stretch.

Since then, Allen has completed just three touchdown passes against nine interceptions. And the Panthers have lost three of their last four games to put their season on life support at 5-5, with a difficult road trip against the Saints next on their schedule.

If the Saints defense can be as proactive and disruptive against Carolina as they were versus Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a game in which they stole four interceptions and sacked Winston twice, hitting him a dozen other times — then they can take advantage of Allen, who’s been prone to making mistakes with the game on his shoulders.

Still, both of these teams received their most recent losses to the bottom-feeding Atlanta Falcons. Both squads know they can’t take anything for granted in the NFL, meaning an intense week of practice and preparation is ahead of them.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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NFC South Week 11 review: The Panthers fall further behind

Another week, another wasted opportunity for the Panthers to stay competitive in a brutal division race.

Another week, another wasted opportunity for the Panthers to stay competitive in a brutal division race.

Here’s a review of what went down around the NFC South this week.

Saints (8-2) beat Buccaneers (3-7), 34-17

New Orleans rebounded from its surprise loss to Atlanta with a strong showing in Tampa Bay. Drew Brees had a classic line, completing 28 of 35 passes and throwing for three touchdowns and a 122.4 passer rating. Alvin Kamara (125 yards from scrimmage) appears to be back to himself after sitting out a few weeks. Linebacker Demario Davis continues to be a massive addition for their defense – he added four pass breakups to his total on Sunday.

Panthers (5-5) lost to Falcons (3-7), 29-3

Nobody had a worse week in the division than Carolina. The Panthers got manhandled in all three phases against the Falcons, who have now won seven of their last eight meetings. Kyle Allen should take most of the blame for throwing four picks. However, the pass rush was lackluster outside of Gerald McCoy’s efforts. It’s time for Ron Rivera to make serious changes on both sides of the ball.

Falcons (3-7) beat Panthers (5-5), 29-3

For the second straight game, Atlanta’s defense looked completely different than what we saw early in the year. After Grady Jarrett carried them for two months, the rest of their front four has found new life. Adrian Clayborn, Takk McKinley, Allen Bailey and Vic Beasley all got sacks on Allen. The Falcons also tripled their interception total for the year from two to six. It won’t earn them a spot in the playoffs, but if they keep this up it might be enough to save coach Dan Quinn’s job.

Buccaneers (3-7) lost to Saints (8-2), 34-17

Never to be outdone in the interception department, Jameis Winston threw four picks of his own on Sunday. He leads the NFL with 18 this season – six more than any other quarterback. Winston also nearly matched Allen’s completion numbers, hitting 30 of 51 attempts. The Saints defense deserves credit for containing Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who caught only half of their 14 combined targets. On defense, first-round pick Devin White (13 combined tackles) is coming into his own, but there’s not much else to like.

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NFC Playoff picture: Where the Eagles stand after loss to the Patriots

NFC Playoff Picture: Where the Eagles stand after loss to the Patriots

The Philadelphia Eagles are now 5-5 on the season after a heartbreaking 17-10 loss to the Patriots at home on Sunday afternoon. Even with the loss, Philadelphia still controls its own destiny on the journey to winning the NFC East.

With the Cowboys win in Detroit on Sunday, the Eagles are now a full game back in the division and currently would be the 8th seed in any playoff format. The NFC only invites six, so the Eagles have some work to do.

Here are your current NFC standings:

National Football Conference

1. San Francisco 49ers 9-1

2. Green Bay Packers 8-2

3. New Orleans Saints 8-2

4. Seattle Seahawks 8-2

5. Minnesota Vikings 8-3

6. Dallas Cowboys 6-4

7. LA Rams 6-4

8. Philadelphia Eagles 5-5

9. Carolina Panthers 5-5

Here’s how the Cowboys and Eagles schedule breaks down from here on out.

WK 12 – Cowboys @ Patriots / Seahawks @ Eagles
WK 13 – Bills @ Cowboys / Eagles @ Dolphins
WK 14 – Cowboys @ Bears / Giants @ Eagles
WK 15 – Rams @ Cowboys / Eagles @ Redskins
WK 16 – Cowboys @ Eagles (For The Division)
WK 17 – Redskins @ Cowboys / Eagles @ Giants

Twitter reacts to Bucs’ brutal loss to Saints

The Bucs were searching for a much-needed victory against the Saints in Sunday’s crucial NFC matchup.

The Bucs were searching for a much-needed victory against the Saints in Sunday’s crucial NFC matchup, but instead, Jameis Winston and company, unfortunately, walked out of Raymond James Stadium with a gut-wrenching 37-17 loss.

Tampa Bay’s first touchdown of the day came from Peyton Barber on a 6-yard touchdown. Jameis Winston’s 48-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Scotty Miller set the Bucs up with first-and-goal from the one-yard line with less than three minutes remaining in the second quarter and Barber was able to put the Buccaneers on the board.

Rookie kicker Matt Gray then added three points to the scoreboard after nailing a 55-yard field goal, making the score 20-10 after the Saints got off to a solid start.

In an effort to stay alive and turn things around, Chris Godwin tried to keep the Bucs’ hopes alive by hauling in their second touchdown of the day and his seventh receiving touchdown of the season, adding another 7 for Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, however, numerous turnovers, multiple mistakes, and some miscommunication, unfortunately, cost Tampa Bay the game. With the loss, the Bucs are sitting at 3-7 this season while the Saints now improve to 8-2.

Here’s a closer look at what Twitter is saying following their loss:

Jameis Winston proves he’s not the answer at quarterback in loss to Saints

The Bucs would be wise to go for a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft if they land a high draft spot.

For those Buccaneers fans who’ve been clinging to hope this season that Jameis Winston would turn it around and prove to be the long-term answer at quarterback, today’s 34-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints proved once and for all that the quarterback is a lost cause.

Winston had two interceptions in the first half, both of which came under strange circumstances. But, in the second half, Winston had two costly picks that ultimately prevented the Bucs from mounting any sort of comeback.

His third interception of the day was returned 55 yards for a touchdown by Saints safety Marcus Williams, and Winston’s fourth pick came on a third-and-goal from the New Orleans 1-yard line.

Winston could set a new career-high in interceptions next week in Atlanta against the Falcons, should he remain the team’s starting quarterback. There really isn’t much of an option behind Winston on the roster, though, so the team might just have to ride this out until the end of the year.

The Bucs would be wise to go for a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft if they land a high draft spot. Bruce Arians has shown he can work with young guys, evident by his work with Andrew Luck in 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts.

Winston has been given plenty of opportunities to prove himself in Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, things just haven’t worked out. It might be best for both parties to go their separate ways.

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Marcus Williams scores on an interception return, Saints win 34-17

New Orleans Saints S Marcus Williams intercepted Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston and returned the ball for a defensive touchdown.

It was a bad day in the office for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who hurled four interceptions into the hands of the New Orleans Saints defense. His third turnover ended up getting returned from midfield for a Saints touchdown by free safety Marcus Williams, who correctly read the play design and took advantage of a badly-placed ball from Winston. With the ball in his hands, Williams turned on the jets to streak across the field and into the Tampa Bay end zone.

This was Williams’ fourth interception on the year, which leads the Saints defense and ties the 16-game total he collected as a rookie back in 2017. That year, Williams intercepted four passes and was credited with seven other pass breakups. In 2019, he’s already bagged four interceptions while deflecting a dozen passes — through just 10 games.

The big play extended New Orleans’ lead and earned congratulations from Williams’ teammates, including injured cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Lattimore was watching the game from home while nursing a strained hamstring, and he took time to shout out his friend from his official Twitter account:

You love to see it. See the play for yourself where it’s embedded below:

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Saints rule out Josh Hill vs. Buccaneers with concussion

The New Orleans Saints lost backup TE Josh Hill during their game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a concussion, leaving them shorthanded.

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The New Orleans Saints ruled backup tight end Josh Hill out for the rest of their game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the team announced Sunday. Hill suffered a concussion during the first half and was not cleared to return by team medical staff.

It’s made the Saints short-handed at the position, with Jared Cook the only active tight end left in the game. Third-year reserve Dan Arnold was a healthy scratch before kickoff, though the Saints can shift do-it-all quarterback Taysom Hill into the tight end spot in a pinch.

One other adjustment the Saints can make in Hill’s absence is the use of extra offensive linemen in heavy personnel packages. They went to that exact look early in the fourth quarter for a short-yardage situation, sending backup blockers Will Clapp and Patrick Omameh out to reinforce the formation — meaning every active offensive lineman was on the field at the same time. Quarterback Drew Brees ended up leaping over the top of the line to pick up a fresh set of downs.

Hopefully Hill won’t be plagued by concussion symptoms in the coming weeks. He was limited in practice throughout the past week with a calf injury, though it obviously didn’t prevent him from suiting up. The Saints lack depth at tight end and haven’t gotten consistent production out of Cook to this point in the season. Still, Hill’s health is what is most important, and he shouldn’t rush to return from this brain injury.

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