Tag: NFL history

Rivalry at stake when Falcons host the Saints in Week 4

History is at stake when the Atlanta Falcons host the New Orleans Saints in Atlanta on Sunday

In 1967, the Atlanta Falcons lost a 27-24 road matchup against the New Orleans Saints. That was the last time the Saints held the series lead between the two rival franchises.

The Falcons won 10 of the next 12 games, including nine straight victories over their rivals. Atlanta bested that nine-game run again by winning 10 straight games over New Orleans from 1995 to 1999.

However, the Saints have dominated the rivalry in the new millennium, going 31-17 against the Falcons over the last 23 seasons. If you take away that five-year run where Atlanta rattled off 10 straight wins, the rivalry has been fairly one-sided since 1983.

The series is tied at 55 wins each entering Sunday’s NFC South battle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. If the Falcons can’t take care of business, they will have lost their series lead over the Saints for the first time in 56 years.

Thus far in 2024, New Orleans has been one of the NFL’s most surprising teams. The Saints started the season off 2-0 before suffering a three-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3. Atlanta is coming off a five-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Falcons cannot afford to start the season 1-3, plus giving the Saints control of the series would add insult to injury. As we look ahead to Week 4, the Falcons are favored by less than a field goal. Atlanta is 0-2 at home this season but perhaps the red throwback helmets will help remind the team of what’s at stake on Sunday.

The game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  Check out the Falcons’ latest depth chart, injury report, and 53-man roster going into Week 4.

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The Seahawks defense is off to a historic start in 2024

The Seahawks defense is off to a historic start in 2024

For years now, the Seattle Seahawks have fielded some truly abysmal defenses. In 2020 and 2021, Seattle was on pace to being one of the worst units in the history of football. While they turned it around just enough in both years to avoid such a dubious distinction, Seattle still finished with a bottom-tier unit. Things may not have been on track for historic failure in 2022 and 2023, but Seattle still had the 31st ranked defense to end those seasons.

The Seahawks’ inability to truly fix their defense led to the team moving on from Pete Carroll in favor of Mike Macdonald. So far through three games, the decision appears to be paying off for Seattle. The Seahawks’ defense, which has helped fuel their 3-0 start, is back to making NFL history… but in the way fans would want it. Macdonald’s team has accomplished something not seen in 45 years:

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Anytime you find yourself in the same conversation with the Steel Curtain, and you’re the only one standing beside them, you’re clearly doing something right.

Critics of the Seahawks will say this is a result of playing a handful of tomato cans to start the season. While it is true that Bo Nix, Jacoby Brissett, Skylar Thompson and Tim Boyle aren’t going to be confused for Pro Bowlers any time soon, Seattle’s defense is doing exactly what they should be doing against quarterbacks of their caliber. If the Seahawks were 3-0, but they were winning offensive shootouts against these water-gun offenses, we would be having an entirely different conversation.

Still, the teams Seattle has faced to start the year aren’t likely to be legitimately in the playoff hunt by the time December roles around. The first true test the Seahawks will face is coming Monday night against the Detroit Lions. Jared Goff is lightyears ahead of those four quarterbacks I’ve mentioned, and Seattle will have to face several other far more talented signal callers in the coming weeks. We will have a much better idea of how good this Seahawks defense is soon enough.

(Side note: the 1979 Steelers did go on to win the Super Bowl…)

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Broncos poised to start Riley Moss (a white cornerback) this season

“He gets a lot of flak for being one of the only white corners in the league,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of cornerback Riley Moss.

The Denver Broncos went into training camp this summer with Riley Moss and Damarri Mathis competing for the team’s No. 2 cornerback spot across from star Pat Surtain. Moss seemed to be leading the competition going into the final week of preseason, then Mathis suffered an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve.

So while the Broncos have not officially announced it yet — an updated depth chart should be released next week — Moss is expected to start this season. He will be the only white starting cornerback in the NFL.

“He’s an extremely athletic player, you know, he gets a lot of flak for being one of the only white corners in the league, I get it,” Denver coach Sean Payton said during an interview with Kay Adams two weeks ago.

Moss was picked by the Broncos in the third round of last year’s NFL draft out of Iowa. After undergoing core muscle surgery in the offseason, he was limited to mostly special teams duties as a rookie. Now entering his second season, Moss is poised to start across from Surtain.

“Obviously, I think he’s got a little chip on his shoulder,” Surtain told Adams. “Because there’s a motto out there saying that there’s only three white corners in the NFL, so everybody’s going to be like, ‘Oh, man, let’s see what he got.”

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The NFL’s last white cornerback to start consistently was Jason Sehorn, who overlapped with Payton while the coach was a QBs coach and later an offensive coordinator with the New York Giants from 1999-2002.

“Jason, uniquely, was different,” Payton said after drafting Moss in 2023. “Jason played safety in college. That’s an unusual conversion, regardless of who you are and where you’re from. He moved from safety to corner.

“He was a fantastic athlete. The closer to the receiver, the better for him. It’s too easy to say does [Moss] remind you of Jason. I would say there’s other corners we compare him to.”

Sehorn spent nine seasons in the NFL, starting 76 games. Moss is poised to make his first NFL start against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1 on Sept. 8. Let’s see what he got.

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Former Wisconsin QB leads NFL history in significant statistical category

Former Wisconsin QB leads NFL history in significant statistical category

Former Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson holds the highest passer rating among quarterbacks with 5,000 or more rushing yards in NFL history.

With a career passer rating of 100.0, Wilson ranks first above two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, 2015 NFL MVP Cam Newton and four-time Pro Bowl QB Michael Vick. All four athletes have amassed over 5,000 rush yards during their professional careers.

The statistic speaks to Wilson’s duality as a passing and rushing threat for opposing defenses. The former Badger has notched a passer rating of 100.0 or more in seven of his 12 NFL seasons and rushed for more than 500 yards in four of his professional campaigns.

At Wisconsin, Wilson provided a glimpse of what would arrive on NFL gridirons. In his sole season as a Badger, the future Super Bowl champion set the NCAA record for pass efficiency (191.8). The output earned him 2011 Big Ten Quarterback of the Year nods, and a second-round selection in the 2012 NFL draft.

After being selected by the Seahawks, Wilson would ultimately captain to its first title in franchise history in Super Bowl XLVIII. He recorded a 123.1 passer rating and rushed for 26 yards in the 43-8 victory over the Denver Broncos.

Wilson reached another Super Bowl in 2014, and totaled nine Pro Bowls in 10 seasons as Seattle’s starting quarterback.

Despite recent storylines surrounding his two-year tenure with the Denver Broncos, Wilson still recorded a passer rating of 98.0 and rushed for 341 yards.

In what will likely be his final seasons in the NFL, Wilson can remain atop the impressive statistical category with a strong season in Pittsburgh.

NFC North watch: Justin Jefferson signs a 4-year extension with the Vikings

NFC North watch: Justin Jefferson signs a 4-year extension with the Vikings that shatters the record for WR compensation

Weeks after the Detroit Lions locked up wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to a contract extension, the Minnesota Vikings did the same thing with their star receiver today.

This morning, the Vikings announced that they had given wide receiver Justin Jefferson a four-year extension worth $140 million dollars. This deal includes $110 million dollars guaranteed. This deal makes Jefferson the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history.

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Prior to the start of last season, Jefferson had turned down a contract extension with the Vikings that would have paid him over $28 million dollars per season. With this extension, he will now make an average of $35 million dollars per season.

Since being drafted by the Vikings in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Jefferson has 392 receptions for 5,899 yards and 30 touchdowns. Additionally, he was named the 2022 Offensive Player of the Year and his 98.3 receiving yards per game is the most in NFL history for any career span.

This is the first time since 1998 the NFL playoffs do not include Tom Brady or Peyton Manning

This year marks the first time since 1998 that the NFL playoffs do not include Peyton Manning or Tom Brady.

The 2023 NFL playoffs begin this weekend and while there’s plenty of exciting quarterback talent across the league, this year marks the official end of an era at the position.

For the first time since 1998, the NFL playoffs will not include either of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. Manning made his first postseason appearance in 1999 and retired after the 2015 season. Brady made his first playoff appearance in 2001 and retired after the 2022 season.

Playing in the same conference for the majority of their careers, Manning and Brady had a fierce on-field rivalry, but they were (and remain) close friends off the field.

Brady led the all-time head-to-head series against Manning 11-6, but Manning held a 3-2 advantage in head-to-head playoff games.

Manning and Brady were the two oldest QBs to ever win a Super Bowl. This year, the next generation of QBs will aim to build their own legacies.

Here’s a quick look back at playoff appearances of Manning and Brady from 1999-2022.

Chiefs became first NFL team to win in U.S., England, Mexico, and Germany with victory vs. Dolphins

The #Chiefs became the first NFL team to win in England, Mexico, Germany, and the U.S. with their victory over the #Dolphins in Week 9.

The Kansas City Chiefs made history on Sunday with their Week 9 win over the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany. Kansas City now stands alone as the only NFL team to win games in England, Mexico, and Germany.

The defending Super Bowl champions can now be considered a truly worldwide sensation with their latest win, which won’t soon be forgotten by fans who witnessed the remarkable victory play out on Sunday morning.

This outstanding achievement is yet another feather in the franchise’s cap as they seek to win their third Super Bowl of the Patrick Mahomes era later in the 2023 season.

Few teams in NFL history have ever been as dominant as Kansas City has been since Mahomes took over under center back in 2018, and their success on the international stage is yet another indicator that their winning formula is built to last, even when the team isn’t playing at Arrowhead Stadium.

Taysom Hill joined rare company with his do-it-all performance vs. Colts

Taysom Hill joined rare company with his do-it-all performance against the Colts. The Saints’ Swiss army knife is closing in on NFL history:

Taysom Hill joined rare company with his do-it-all performance against the Indianapolis Colts. The Saints’ Swiss army knife is closing in on NFL history — he’s one of a select few players who have gained 40-plus yards as a passer and runner with 10 or more receiving yards in multiple games.

There have been 78 such performances in NFL history, and a decent-sized crowd has done it once or twice. But Hill is one of five players who have done it three times, along with Cam Newton, George Taliafe, Ray Evans, and Tom Tracy. And that isn’t the mountaintop.

Two legendary pros have done so four times: Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton and Louisiana legend John David Crow. Hill is one more game away from tying them, and two from making the record his own.

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Few coaches have made it as far as Dennis Allen while losing so many games

Few have made it as far as Dennis Allen while losing so many games. He’s going into Week 7 at .500 or better for the first time in his five years as a head coach:

Dennis Allen is going into Week 7 at .500 or better for the first time in his five years as an NFL head coach, which isn’t exactly a silver lining for New Orleans Saints fans after his team fell to 3-3 in a loss on Sunday.

Between his ugly stint with the Raiders and this continually disappointing run with the Saints, Allen has 59 games behind him as a head coach. But he’s gone 18-41 in that stretch, which results in a career winning percentage of .305. His 10-13 record with the Saints so far is doing a lot of heavy lifting after he went .222 with the Raiders a decade ago.

For historical perspective, Allen is one of 176 head coaches to work 59 or more games in NFL history. But he ranks 171st in that group in career winning percentage. Here are the only coaches with a worse record:

  • Marion Campbell: 34-80-1 from 1974-76, 1983-85, 1987-89 (.300)
  • Joe Bugel: 24-56 from 1990-93, 1997 (.300)
  • Pat Shurmur: 19-46 from 2011-12, 2015, 2018-19 (.292)
  • David Shula: 19-52 from 1992-1996 (.268)
  • Gus Bradley: 14-48 from 2013-2016 (.226)
That’s not a group you’d like to belong in, but that’s where Allen — and the Saints, having hired and empowered him — currently belong. Allen would have to win his next 24 consecutive games to get over .500. That’s not likely to happen given his longest win streak was set last year at three games, cut short in the regular season finale by a Carolina Panthers team that managed just 32 passing yards.

This is who Allen is, and it’s what the Saints are as a team: a squad that’s lucky to get over .500 and, more often than not, sits quite a ways beneath that mark. Allen and his staff have a lot of work to do in changing the narrative, but time isn’t on their side.

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