Tag: Record

Derek Carr looking to get his first career win (and TD pass) against the Rams

Derek Carr is looking for his first career win against the Rams. He’s 0-3 against them without throwing a single touchdown pass, getting outscored 102-29:

Derek Carr has a lot to prove on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams — he’s 0-3 against them in his long NFL career, having never beaten the Rams during his time with the Raiders. Getting a win would be a big achievement for the New Orleans Saints quarterback.

And it’s been ugly. Carr has thrown seven interceptions to the Rams defense without scoring a single touchdown in three previous meetings. Here are his final stat lines:

  • 2014 (lost 52-0): 24 of 39 (61.5%) for 173 yards, 2 interceptions, 3 sacks
  • 2018: (lost 33-13): 29 of 40 (72.5%) for 303 yards, 3 interceptions, 1 sack
  • 2022: (lost 17-16): 11 of 20 (55%) for 137 yards, 2 interceptions, 0 sacks

So Carr’s Raiders teams were outscored 102-29 in three meetings (including a pick-six thrown by Carr in 2018) with the Rams, which isn’t great. He’ll obviously need to play better for the Saints on Thursday night at SoFi Stadium. With both teams’ playoff odds shrinking in a loss, Carr and his Saints teammates have a very narrow margin for error. Let’s hope their recent success translates.

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Saints statement game brewing against the Rams, one of their oldest rivals

The Saints are hoping to make a statement on Thursday night against one of their oldest rivals. A look back at their series history with the Rams:

We’re in for a big one on Thursday night — maybe the biggest game of the year for the New Orleans Saints. A win over the Los Angeles Rams wouldn’t just help open a second path to a playoff berth for the Saints, meaning they could reach the postseason without an NFC South title; it would also tip the scales back in their favor in the all-time record against one of their oldest rivals.

The Rams may have beaten the Saints often in their early years as neighbors in the old NFC West, but New Orleans evened the score by winning 16 of their 22 matchups from 1985 to 1995, including an undefeated stretch of seven games from Dec. 9, 1990 to Oct. 3, 1993. Now, Los Angeles maintains a lead of 43-35 in the all-time record between these two teams.

Can the Saints notch another win after beating the Rams 27-20 in New Orleans last season? They have their work cut out for them against a red-hot L.A. squad that has won four of its last five games, having taken the 11-3 Baltimore Ravens to overtime in a last-second loss.

We’re going to learn a lot about the Saints in this game. If Dennis Allen’s team can pull off the upset and stay alive in the playoffs race, it will validate the swagger he’s shown as of late after knocking out the New York Giants and Carolina Panthers. If they fall short and regress after making some big strides, well: the criticism Allen has drawn from all corners in New Orleans is only going to return with vengeance.

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Saints will be wearing their Color Rush uniforms against the Rams, with a twist

The Saints will be wearing their Color Rush uniforms against the Rams, with a twist. They might be shelving their controversial black helmets:

Now this is interesting. The New Orleans Saints (7-7) are hitting the road for a huge game with the Los Angeles Rams (7-7) on Thursday night, and they’ve announced that they’ll be wearing the fan-favorite “Color Rush” alternate uniforms for this prime-time game — with a twist.

It looks like the Saints are ditching the controversial black helmets they’ve paired with these all-white uniforms since last year’s game with the Minnesota Vikings in London. Their announcement on social media uses older photos of players wearing the usual gold helmets, not these new black ones, which drew a mixed reaction from fans for clashing with the jerseys and pants.

Hopefully that’s the case. Black helmets could work for the Saints if paired with the right uniforms (like their classic throwbacks) and if given a little more polish. We’ll find out for sure at kickoff. If you’re curious, the Saints were 9-5 in their “Color Rush” variants with gold helmets, and winless in three games with black helmets.

And if you’re superstitious, here’s how that compares to the other kits used since 2006 (not including the controversial gold jerseys used in a loss back in 2003):

Alvin Kamara won another Saints franchise record against the Giants

Alvin Kamara won yet another Saints franchise record against the Giants. No player has had more seasons with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in team history:

Don’t look now, but Alvin Kamara has won yet another New Orleans Saints franchise record during his performance against the New York Giants. No player has had more seasons with 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in team history — a feat Kamara has now accomplished seven times.

Kamara went into Sunday’s matchup with 966 scrimmage yards through his first 10 games in 2023, and he went the distance midway through the third quarter to join the Comma Club again. Here are the leaders in Saints franchise history for 1,000-yard seasons:

  • RB Alvin Kamara: 7
  • WR Marques Colston: 6
  • WR Michael Thomas, RB Mark Ingram II, RB Deuce McAllister, and WR Joe Horn: 4
  • WR Eric Martin, RB Ricky Williams: 3

Kamara’s impact on the Saints can’t be understated: he’s a rare talent who landed in the perfect spot to make the most of his talents with Drew Brees throwing to him and Sean Payton drawing up his plays to start his career. And he’s still producing. Hopefully he can keep it going for years to come.

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Saints announce uniform combo for Week 15 vs. Giants

The Saints announced their uniform combo for Week 15’s game against the Giants: black jerseys and matching black pants

There it is: the New Orleans Saints (6-7) announced they will be wearing their black jerseys and matching black pants for Sunday’s kickoff with the New York Giants (5-8), an appropriate look for the final leg of their three-game homestand. The Saints badly need a win to stay alive in the NFC South title race and once again claw back to a .500 record with the regular season finale in sight.

If you’re curious, the Saints have worn this uniform combo in 89 games since the start of the 2006 season, logging a 52-37 record along the way. Here’s how that compares to the other kits used since 2006 (not including the controversial gold jerseys used in a loss back in 2003):

Which team has an edge in the all-time Saints-Giants series history?

The Saints and Giants have met 31 times in NFL history, and in recent memory, many of their games have been highly competitive battles:

The New Orleans Saints and New York Giants have met a litany of times in recent memory. Since the Saints came into the league in 1967, they have played the Giants on 31 separate occasions, 11 of those games coming since 2000. In these 31 matchups, the Giants have taken home 17 victories to the Saints’ 14, and there have been no ties between these two teams. In matches since 2000, the record is 6-5 in favor of New Orleans.

And these two teams have produced some spectacular battles over the years, with arguably the most notable being the matchup in 2015 between Drew Brees and Eli Manning. The two quarterbacks would combine for 855 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns that day, with Drew Brees tying the record for the most in a game ever. That matchup would end up a victory for the Saints, as they won 52-49 in regulation.

The most recent game between these two teams was also interesting without a doubt. The game would end in a 27-21 victory for the Giants in overtime on a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, sealed by a 6-yard touchdown run by Saquon Barkley.

Compared to 2021 however, these teams differ greatly in some ways and are similar in others. The Giants’ current depth chart compared to their 2021 roster has just five players still starting:

  • RB Saquon Barkley
  • DT Dexter Lawrence
  • OLB Azeez Ojulari
  • CB Adoree’ Jackson
  • S Xavier McKinney

Obviously due to injury some are left off for this week, such as Daniel Jones, but that list is not exceptionally long. On the other hand the Saints have a couple more starters who are still starting from 2021. In total, they have eight who remain in the starting position, with Derek Carr taking over at quarterback:

  • RB Alvin Kamara
  • C Erik McCoy
  • RG Cesar Ruiz
  • RT Ryan Ramczyk
  • DE Cameron Jordan
  • LB Demario Davis
  • CB Paulson Adebo
  • CB Marshon Lattimore

With that said, Michael Thomas is also still around however he did not start the 2021 season and is currently injured as well. You could also include Taysom Hill somewhat as he was not a starter necessarily in 2021 but he had significant contributions that game. Interestingly enough, neither team has their 2021 kicker or punter as well, as both teams have moved on since then.  Regardless, this matchup looks to be one that has new faces all across the board for both teams.

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Alabama’s all-time record against every SEC team

Now including Oklahoma and Texas, see what Alabama’s all-time record is against every team in the SEC

The SEC will expand in 2024 by welcoming in Oklahoma and Texas, and while the number of teams grows, so does the competitiveness of the toughest conference in college football. Alabama never seems to shy away from the big-time matchups.

The Crimson Tide is known for setting the standard in college football and winning championships.

As you’ll see below, Alabama has a strong history of winning, especially against in-conference opponents.

While the reputation of the Crimson Tide should speak for itself, if you need the numbers to back it up, look no further. Here is Alabama’s all-time record against every SEC opponent, including the Sooners and Longhorns.

Veteran referee Carl Cheffers assigned to Week 15 Saints-Giants game

Veteran referee Carl Cheffers has been assigned to Week 15’s Saints-Giants game. New Orleans has more wins with him on the field than any other referee:

Veteran referee Carl Cheffers has been assigned to Week 15’s game between the New Orleans Saints and New York Giants, which should be good news for Saints fans. The black and gold have more wins with Cheffers on the field than any other referee, having gone 14-4 since 2008.

That’s not to say Cheffers is playing favorites; the infractions he and his crew look for may just happen to be things the Saints do a good job avoiding. Or, more likely, most of his games with New Orleans fell during the winningest era in franchise history with Drew Brees and Sean Payton calling the shots.

At any rate: this year, Cheffers’ crew is averaging the seventh-fewest penalty flags per game (11.5) with a near-even split between home teams and visitors. They’ve fouled teams more often for false starts (28 of them) and offensive holding (24) than anything else, but the handsy Saints secondary must watch out — Cheffers’ crew has thrown 11 penalty flags for defensive pass interference in as many games.

New York averages just 5.4 penalties for 44.6 yards per game each week, which ranks in the bottom-10 in the league in both areas. New Orleans is averaging 6.1 fouls (which is 18th) and 55.5 yards per game (9th-most, troublingly), largely due to those defensive pass interference infractions. No team averages more yards lost per game to DPI penalties than the Saints (16.8). They’ll need to be careful in coverage and keep it clean.

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Saints celebrate Alvin Kamara’s newest record with epic highlights reel

The Saints celebrated Alvin Kamara breaking the rushing touchdown record with a 14-minute compilation of his touchdown runs:

Alvin Kamara broke the New Orleans Saints’ team record for career rushing touchdowns versus the Detroit Lions on Sunday, which was set by his former teammate Mark Ingram II. In addition to that, he also broke Marques Colston’s record for the most career yards from scrimmage in the same game.

The Saints celebrated Kamara’s accomplishments by sharing an epic highlight reel: a 14-minute compilation of all of Kamara’s rushing touchdowns. My personal favorite was his touchdown run against the Carolina Panthers from his rookie year. Luke Kuechly hit him at the goal line and Kamara rocked back then surged forward like a blow-up punching bag. Which one is your favorite?

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Predicting the Saints’ 5 remaining games and final record

Where do we go after a three-game losing skid? Predicting the New Orleans Saints’ 5 remaining games and final record:

Where do you go after a three-game losing skid? That’s the question the New Orleans Saints are asking themselves, and head coach Dennis Allen’s answer is simple: just focus on going 1-0 this week. Win Sunday’s game over the Carolina Panthers, take stock of the division title race, and keep moving.

But it’s not that simple. The Saints are rapidly losing ground in the competition for the NFC South crown, and losses to division opponents like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.

With that in mind, here are our updated score predictions for the Saints’ five remaining games in the 2023 regular season: