Tag: Record

Saints win 34-31, push past Panthers on last-second Wil Lutz field goal

The New Orleans Saints let the Carolina Panthers play too close for comfort, but were able to trust kicker Wil Lutz to win in the end.

The New Orleans Saints won a nail-biter over the Carolina Panthers, with kicker Wil Lutz pushing a 33-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired. It followed a successful drive downfield that began when Panthers kicker Joey Slye missed his own would-be game-winner from 28 yards out.

It would be nice if the final score of 34-31 didn’t indicate how closely the Saints played this game, but that’s not the case. New Orleans backed themselves into a corner with 12 penalties, giving up 123 yards of field positioning. The Panthers took advantage of many of those opportunities, though inconsistent kicking from Slye (who went 1-for-3 on extra point tries, and 2-for-3 on field goal attempts) ended up costing them.

Good news for the Saints surrounds the increased involvement of tight end Jared Cook, who caught 6 of 8 targets for 99 yards and a touchdown score. Cook consistently made plays after the catch and down the seam, giving the Saints a viable option downfield opposite Michael Thomas (who turned in a typical 10-for-11, 110-yard showing).

It’s been a quiet few weeks for second-year defensive end Marcus Davenport, but something has to be said for his performance in clutch time. Davenport set up Carolina’s botched final field goal with a huge sack on third down and followed it up by leaping over the Panthers’ blockers, spooking Slye into an off-target chip shot. He made big plays in the game’s biggest moments.

So New Orleans improved to 9-2 on the year so far, while Carolina fell to 5-6. All eyes now are on the Sunday Night Football matchup between the projected top two playoff seeds: the 9-1 San Francisco 49ers and 8-2 Green Bay Packers. If the 49ers win, the Saints will have a shot at controlling their own destiny when San Francisco visits on Dec. 8. If the Packers win, New Orleans has to hope Green Bay drops a loss down the stretch, or the NFC’s top playoff seed could be out of reach.

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Russell Wilson could reach another NFL record if Seahawks beat Eagles

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson can be the first QB in NFL history to lead his team to winning seasons in his first eight years.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is easily the most accomplished quarterback in franchise history and has achieved numerous milestones in his eight-year career. Coming into Week 12 of the 2019 season, he is approaching another major achievement.

If the Seahawks dispatch the Eagles, Wilson will become the first quarterback in NFL history to compile a winning record in his first eight years.

“I didn’t know that was coming,” Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told 97.3 KIRO FM on the Pete Carroll Show. “That’s a great marker. He’s had a career already of first where he’s just done things so well coming out of the chutes and all that to put up numbers and consistency and all that kind of stuff.”

Carroll went on to state Wilson has had to deal with adversity and the doubts from his detractors, and he used them to improve as a player.

“Don’t you think that happened because people doubted Russ’ ability?” Carroll said. “And they didn’t think he could make it so they all made that statement that he’ll be a flash in the pan or whatever, so they looked for ways to justify the fact that they were wrong and he just outlasted them and proved that he was way more than that, and he proved all the doubters that he is the real deal.”

Wilson is having arguably the best season of his career and can lead the Seahawks to a winning record for an eighth consecutive year if they emerge victorious in Philadelphia.

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Rodrigo Blankenship is now Georgia football’s all-time leading scorer

UGA K Rodrigo Blankenship is now Georgia football’s all-time leading scorer.

Rodrigo Blankenship is probably the most beloved kicker in the history of Georgia football, maybe even in all of college football.

And on Saturday, which happens to be Senior Day for him, he proved that he is deserving of that title, becoming the school’s all-time leading points scorer.

With his third field goal vs Texas A&M, Blankenship passed former Georgia kicker Blair Walsh for first in school history, and also passed him for second in SEC history.

Hot Rod, with 415, trails only Auburn’s Daniel Carlson, who finished his career with 480 in 2017.

Congratulations to Blankenship.

Respect the Specs.

Seahawks can remain unbeaten on the road with win in Philadelphia

The Seattle Seahawks are undefeated on the road at 5-0 this season and can extend that record against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

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The Seattle Seahawks are known throughout the NFL for their daunting home-field advantage at CenturyLink Field. However, they have been less stellar as a road team in the Pete Carroll era. That has changed substantially this season, as the Seahawks are undefeated on the road with a 5-0 record in 2019. This is already one win away from the record for most road victories in franchise history, behind the 2013 season in which they finished 6-2 away from the friendly confines of CenturyLink Field.

Conversely, Seattle suffered their two losses at home against the Saints and  Ravens. Most of the Seahawks’ wins have been close shaves, but they keep finding ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This is particularly evident on the road, as four of their five victories away from Seattle have been by one possession. At the end of the day, what matters is the fact that the Seahawks keep winning, not the method by which they achieve the victories.

The Seahawks (8-2) have a chance to keep their 2019 road record perfect when they face the Eagles (5-5) in Week 12. Seattle has performed well in the City of Brotherly Love, compiling a 4-0 record there over the past 14 years. This could work to the Seahawks’ advantage, especially considering the Eagles are coming off a devastating loss to the Patriots. The game against Philadelphia will take place on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field at 10:00 a.m. PT.

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Where do Tom Brady, Drew Brees rank in race for Peyton Manning’s crown?

New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees and New England Patriots QB Tom Brady are in tight competition for Peyton Manning’s passing touchown record

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Peyton Manning retired from the NFL in 2016 as the league’s all-time leader in touchdown passes, having scored 539 times through the air in his lengthy career. That put him ahead of the former record-holder, Brett Favre (who set the previous high-water mark with 508, ahead of Dan Marino’s 420), by a sizable margin.

But records are meant to be broken. And two Hall of Fame-bound quarterbacks have Manning’s accomplishment in their sights: New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and New England Patriots passer Tom Brady.

Here’s how the top five shapes up right now, though only Brees and Brady remain active:

  1. Peyton Manning (539)
  2. Tom Brady (531)
  3. Drew Brees (528)
  4. Brett Favre (508)
  5. Dan Marino (420)

With just six games left to play in the 2019 regular season, both Brees and Brady may be hard-pressed to match Manning. Brees obviously missed out during his five-week recovery from thumb surgery, but Brady didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to put himself further ahead. The Patriots quarterback threw just seven touchdowns during the five games Brees sat out, and the Philadelphia Eagles defense held him without a touchdown pass in New England’s most recent win.

In order to break Manning’s record, Brady needs to throw nine touchdown passes in his next six games — an average of 1.5 per game. That may sound easy enough, but Brady has been limited to one touchdown pass or fewer in half the games he’s played this year. Brees has to connect on twelve throws into the end zone to do the same, a rate of two per game. He’s gone scoreless in two of his five starts this year. If they both come up short, well, there’s always next year.

When quarterbacks have accomplished as much as Brees and Brady have, it can be difficult to keep up with all of the records they’ve broken and those that are still up for grabs. But this is one competition fans can keep track of on a weekly basis, and it’s well worth watching. When Brees and Brady eventually hang up their cleats and start writing their Hall of Fame inductions speeches, all-time great records like this one are what fans will be using to debate for years to come.

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49ers stay atop NFC West, Seahawks after win over Cardinals

The San Francisco 49ers remain at the top of the NFC West and ahead of the
Seattle Seahawks, after beating the Arizona Cardinals Week 11.

Despite having a bye week, the Seattle Seahawks had a chance to take the lead in the NFC West on Sunday with a little help from the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals traveled to Santa Clara Week 11 to face the 49ers for their second time this season. Arizona lost to San Francisco in the desert Halloween night and hoped to even the score in the rematch.

A win would have put the Seahawks atop the division.

The Cardinals came out swinging Sunday afternoon and took an early 16-0 lead over the 49ers before San Francisco was able to put points on the board in the second quarter.

The 49ers, however, would emerge victorious after D.J. Reed’s fumble recovery and return for a touchdown sealed the deal on the final play of the game.

San Franciso beat the Cardinals 36-26 and remains the leader in the NFC West.

The Seahawks (8-2) remain in spitting distance of the 49ers (9-1), especially after their 27-24 win on “Monday Night Football.”

Seattle has one of the toughest second-half schedules in the league and is now set to square off against the Eagles in Week 12.

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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 reveal jersey-pants combination for Week 11 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The New Orleans Saints will pair white jerseys with white pants for the third time, in their Week 11 game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Send prayers and kind thoughts for the New Orleans Saints equipment staff, because the team is pairing their white away jerseys with matching white pants for the third time this season. They’ll square up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the turf at Raymond James Stadium in their all-white uniform combination, which is sure to be a nightmare for grass stains. Good luck to them.

It sure appears that the Saints are phasing out the “gold” pants (honestly the color is closer to khaki) they’ve often worn in the past, preferring black pants in most of their recent games. They haven’t worn the gold pants with their white road jerseys since the 2017 regular-season finale, which happened to also come against the Buccaneers in Tampa. These white pants are sharp, if a little bland. A simple stripe or maybe a small fleur-de-lis on the outer leg panel would do a lot to improve them.

The Saints are undefeated in the white-on-white combination this season, having defeated both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears while wearing it in consecutive road games earlier this year. Here’s the win/loss record for each of the different uniforms the Saints have used since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team back in 2006, including the playoffs:

  • White jerseys, white pants: 2-0 (1.000)
  • Color Rush alternates: 5-2 (.714)
  • Black and Gold throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  • Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  • White jerseys, black pants: 38-25 (.603)
  • Black jerseys, black pants: 39-26 (.600)
  • White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

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Record-breaking largemouth bass caught in Idaho

An Idaho angler has been granted a state record for a giant largemouth bass he caught while fishing in a recent tournament at Cave Lake.

An Idaho angler has been granted a state record for a giant largemouth bass he caught while fishing in a recent tournament at Cave Lake along the Coeur d’Alene River.

JJ Schillinger of Post Falls landed the 9.7-pound, 25-inch bass during the Panhandle Bass Anglers Fall Open on Oct. 19. After the fish was weighed and measured, it was set free.

This week the Idaho Department of Fish and Game announced that Schillinger’s catch is the new record in the catch-and-release category.

These records are based on length, since most anglers do not have quick access to certified scales. A simple measurement and photo documentation allows for reasonably swift releases.

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Tournament bass anglers typically keep their fish alive in aerated wells on their boats, and release them after the weigh-in at the end of each day of competition.

The Panhandle Bass Anglers Fall Open ran Oct. 19-20 and Schillinger won with a total combined weight of 60.93 pounds, buoyed by the 9.7-pound bass.

Leaderboard of the Panhandle Bass Anglers Fall Open

On Wednesday he acknowledged the catch-and-release record on Facebook, writing, “It’s official!! Not the weight record but a good start! Thanks to Idaho Panhandle Bass Anglers for putting on a great event as always, and my partner Trevor Schalk for netting this beautiful giant!”

The previous Idaho catch-and-release record was a bass that measured 23.75 inches. It was caught by Dale Stratton at Sawyers Pond in May 2017.

–Image showing JJ Schillinger with his record bass is courtesy of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Second-half Saints schedule sets up for a strong playoff push

The New Orleans Saints strength of schedule is mediocre. The Green Bay Packers have it easy but the San Francisco 49ers are in for a shock.

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The second half of the NFL regular season is upon us, and it couldn’t have started worse for the New Orleans Saints. They air-balled what should have been an easy win over the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday, losing their grip on the second playoff seed in the NFC as the Green Bay Packers beat the Carolina Panthers and the top-ranked San Francisco 49ers suffered their first setback of the year to the Seattle Seahawks.

But Saints fans should feel optimistic about their fortunes moving forward, and their team’s chance to recover. New Orleans has just four games against opponents with winning records, including the 49ers (8-1), Panthers twice (5-4), and Indianapolis Colts (5-4), as well as the middling Tennessee Titans (5-5). There’s plenty of time for correction and improvement ahead of them.

According to NFL Research, the Saints’ second half schedule ranks near the middle of the pack, with their remaining opponents sharing a combined record of 33-31-0 (.516). Here’s how they rank among their peers:

Compare that to what other NFC playoff contenders are facing. The San Francisco 49ers are set to play the second-toughest schedule down the stretch, with their future opponents having gone 40-25-1 (.614); their odds of holding onto the top playoff seed in the conference are slim. However, the Green Bay Packers are in good position to maintain their one-game lead on the Saints in playoff seeding, with a relatively weak strength of schedule of 25-30-1 (.455) ahead of them. That’s the ninth-easiest second half schedule in the NFL.

As for the two-team race in the NFC South: the Carolina Panthers are still a few games behind the Saints, but their remaining strength of schedule at 32-32 (.500) is slightly easier to navigate than what New Orleans will see. If Carolina handles its business and the Saints continue to play down to their competition, it’s not impossible to see a path for the Panthers to steal a divisional title in the season’s final weeks. If New Orleans plays like they did last Sunday, they could be in for a rude awakening no matter how favorable their schedule looks on paper.

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