Tag: Score

Saints defeat the Vikings, clinch record-breaking 4th consecutive NFC South title

The New Orleans Saints withstood a Minnesota Vikings rally to win their Week 16 game, clinching the NFC South for an unprecedented 4th time.

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The New Orleans Saints may be peaking at the right time. They manhandled the Minnesota Vikings on a national stage on Christmas Day, hitting their stride on offense while making enough stops on defense to win 52-33.

It was powered by a terrific game from Alvin Kamara. The running back racked up 172 yards of offense, largely through a bruising effort on the ground, where he tied the NFL record for most touchdowns scored in a single game (6).

And this victory secures the NFC South for an unprecedented fourth year in a row. The Saints and Carolina Panthers each had streaks of three-year dominance before, but now New Orleans stands alone at the top. They’ve won the division more consecutive times than any other team since it was created.

But their ambitions are higher than that. While New Orleans is now guaranteed a top-three playoff seed, they’ll need some help to take the No. 1 seed and the valuable first-round bye week that comes with it. That would do a lot to shorten their road to a possible Super Bowl berth.

Still, this was as encouraging a game as you might hope for. Especially so late in the season. It bodes well for what these Saints can accomplish in the postseason. Here’s to some time spent healing and resting up before the stakes raise even higher.

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Saints defense proved they have what it takes to beat the Chiefs, and anyone else

The New Orleans Saints defense more than held its own against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, but the offense let them down.

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The New Orleans Saints defense left it all on the field in Week 15’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, playing as strong a game as could be asked of them against Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champs.

Mahomes didn’t complete a single pass attempt traveling 20 or more yards downfield, and his offense punted 6 times — for the first time in 2020, and only the third time since Mahomes was named the starting quarterback. And it didn’t go unnoticed; Saints coach Sean Payton gave them a shoutout, recognizing the efforts of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Williams, Marshon Lattimore, and their teammates.

“I was proud of how we competed. I thought that we flew around,” Payton said after the game. “I thought we played our hearts out. It wasn’t good enough, obviously, but I’m proud of the effort.”

The defense got home without blitzing, sacking Mahomes 4 times and pressuring him on 24 of his 54 dropbacks (44%, per Pro Football Focus). He connected on just 26 of his 47 pass attempts for his second-lowest completion percentage (55.3%) of the season. It was, again, as great a performance as you could ask from the Saints defense against an offense led by the NFL’s best quarterback and a receiving corps stocked with the likes of Travis Kelce (8 catches for 68 yards) and Tyreek Hill (6 catches for 53 yards).

But the Chiefs still scored 32 points. Mahomes put his Superman cape on and made some spectacular throws, stepping up in the face of pressure and hitting his receivers in the smallest windows imaginable — one play that stands out is his touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman, when he threaded the ball between several defenders to strike Hardman at knee-height in the back corner of the end zone.

That’s going to happen, frustrating as it is. It’s just too hard to play consistently great defense in the modern NFL. But the Saints’ shortcomings on offense put them behind from the beginning. Drew Brees couldn’t complete any of his first six passes, including a crucial early-game interception.

Maybe they could have overcome it with Michael Thomas getting targets at receiver instead of a gaggle of practice squad call-ups. But this game made it clear that the Saints will, for once, go as far as the offense (not the defense) takes them.

Saints make a valiant effort, but banged-up offense falls short in 32-29 loss

The New Orleans Saints offense was too banged up to take advantage of a stellar defensive day against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

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The rubber met the road in Week 15, and the New Orleans Saints offense didn’t have enough hands on deck to trade punches with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. Their defense sacked Mahomes four times and forced six punts, and the special teams did its part by gaining 60 return yards of their own and forcing 15 yards for loss on Kansas City’s returns.

And the offense was too short-handed to take advantage of it. Too many plays were wasted on passes to last-minute practice squad call-ups like Juwan Johnson (0 catches on 4 targets), and the Chiefs sniffed out gimmicky designed touches to Tommylee Lewis and Taysom Hill (0 catches on 3 combined targets).

New Orleans was already understaffed with wide receivers Michael Thomas and Marquez Callaway on injured reserve, but the in-game loss of Tre’Quan Smith (1 catch on 2 targets, gaining 25 yards) was a critical hit to the receiving corps. Drew Brees was rusty and missed Emmanuel Sanders downfield on several big-play opportunities, though Sanders did heat up as the game wore on, totaling 4 receptions for 76 yards.

But the Saints didn’t lean on their stars hard enough. Alvin Kamara only touched the ball 14 times (going 3-of-6 as a receiver for 40 yards, and running 11 times for 54 yards). Latavius Murray had just 4 carries for 3 yards. Brees struggled to hit athletic tight end Jared Cook in stride, connecting on just 2 of 5 targets for 29 yards. The offense only converted 1 of 11 third down attempts.

And they took the Chiefs down to the wire in spite of it all. If New Orleans were just a little healthier — if Thomas were active and healthy, getting the targets that Brees had to send to fringe-NFL talents instead — they very well could have won this game.

Sure, the defense had their share of mistakes. They missed far too many tackles and committed too many penalties, and couldn’t get off the field, allowing Kansas City to run 92 plays on the afternoon. But this loss doesn’t sit squarely on their shoulders. For as long as Saints coach Sean Payton has sustained his success as an offensive play-caller, his old mentor Andy Reid got the best of him on Sunday. He still has plenty to learn.

So the Saints are still chasing one more NFC South-clinching victory. They only need to win one more game to secure the division title. But they’re in real danger of letting the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers fight their way back into the contest. It’ll be difficult to beat the always-tough Mike Zimmer-coached Minnesota Vikings off a short week on Christmas Day, but the Saints have dug this hole for themselves. Now they have to crawl out of it.

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Falcons choke 17-point lead to avoid helping Saints clinch NFC South

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers overcame a 17-0 deficit against the Atlanta Falcons to gain ground on the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South race.

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Well, that was almost something. The Atlanta Falcons went into halftime up 17-0 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, setting them up to help the New Orleans Saints clinch an NFC South title. But it wasn’t meant to be: the Falcons did what they always do and choked, allowing Tom Brady’s team to roar back with 21 points in the third quarter and secure a 31-27 win.

We should’ve figured that the Falcons would let us down. They let their own fans down every week. It is what it is.

Still, it’s a disappointment for the Saints. They have a very tough matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs on their plate, which they aren’t favored to win. But New Orleans only needs one more victory to clinch their fourth consecutive division championship after sweeping the Bucs (and the Falcons) earlier this season.

It would have been nice for the Saints to go into this Chiefs game knowing they already won the division. But they’re no strangers to handling their own business, and they have as strong a chance of defeating the reigning Super Bowl champs as anyone else. Let’s see how it turns out.

Your updated NFC South standings going into the Saints-Chiefs tilt:

  1. 10-3* New Orleans Saints (pending)
  2. 9-5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  3. 4-10 Atlanta Falcons
  4. 4-10 Carolina Panthers

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WATCH: Running back Carlos Hyde goes 50 yards for Seahawks score

Watch Seattle Seahawks running back Carlos Hyde as he logged an impressive 50-yard touchdown run in Week 15 at Washington.

The Seattle Seahawks widened their lead in Week 15 when running back Carlos Hyde ran for 50 yards and the touchdown early in the third quarter against Washington.

The scoring drive went four plays for 75 yards in 1:48.

After the TD, the Seahawks lead the Washington Football Team 20-3 midway through the third quarter.

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Eagles overwhelm Taysom Hill, stun Saints 24-21

The New Orleans Saints rallied back in the second half, but they couldn’t work quickly enough to avoid an upset to the Philadelphia Eagles.

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The New Orleans Saints rallied back in the second half, but they couldn’t work quickly enough to avoid an upset to the Philadelphia Eagles. Too many mistakes and a poor week of preparation set them up for failure. New Orleans has fallen to 10-3 on the year so far, and they’ll have to rebound in a big way just to clinch the NFC South.

Eagles rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts led the way with 273 total yards, going 17-of-30 for 167 passing yards while running 18 times for 106 rushing yards. He was never sacked behind a patchwork offensive line that recently lost All-Pro tackle Jason Peters to season-ending toe surgery.

Hurts didn’t do it alone, though. Running back Miles Sanders snapped a 55-game streak for the Saints run defense by gaining 115 rushing yards, twice finding the end zone. The Saints typically hang their hats on their run defense, but it fell to pieces on Sunday.

A big part of the problem was the game plan. This same Eagles defense gave up 156 rushing yards to subpar New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones in two meetings earlier this year, allowing him to average 12 yards per attempt. You’d think that the Saints would learn from that and let Hill, marketed as one of the game’s premier mobile quarterback prospects, run wild; instead Saints coach Sean Payton stubbornly tried to win his own way by asking Hill to throw 38 times, with just 5 carries (on which he gained 33 yards, averaging 6.6 yards per rush).

But Hill deserves blame too. His inability to detect pressure and slow processing ability in the pocket allowed the Eagles to get after him without blitzing, sacking him five times on the day. He also wasn’t able to shift gears and run a higher tempo late in the fourth quarter with the Saints down multiple scores and the clock ticking away. Maybe he can learn to play with a deficit. But this performance wasn’t inspiring.

It ultimately came down to the Saints getting outcoached on both sides of the ball. Their highly-decorated offensive line folded in the face of pressure. Their highly-drafted defensive line wasn’t able to get a bead on Hurts. That suggests they weren’t prepared for this much fight from the Eagles, who joined other NFC East teams in a parade of upsets in recent weeks.

Last week, the Washington Football Team upset the then-undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-17. That followed the Giants’ surprising 17-12 win over the Seattle Seahawks a day earlier. Playoff contenders like the Saints, Steelers, and Seahawks have been taking their matchups with lowly NFC East teams for granted, and it’s bitten each of them.

So where do the Saints go next? The NFC South championship isn’t out of the question, but it’s not going to be easy after dropping this game. But the No. 1 seed in the NFC is a long shot especially if the Green Bay Packers keep stacking wins. The Saints had an opportunity to clinch the division and focus on their playoff positioning. But they couldn’t take care of their business, and they’ve got no one to blame but themselves.

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WATCH: Russell Wilson finds Freddie Swain for Seahawks TD Week 14

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson connects with wide receiver Freddie Swain for the team’s first touchdown in Week 14.

The Seattle Seahawks hope to keep the New York Jets’ season winless in Week 14 when they host them at Lumen Field.

The Jets were the first to strike, however, with a field goal on their first possession – scoring on their opening drive for the seventh-straight game. But Seattle was quick to answer with a six-play, 75-yard drive to take the lead.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson found rookie wide receiver Freddie Swain for 19 yards and the team’s first touchdown of the game. After the point after attempt, Seattle led New York 7-3.

Here’s the Wilson to Swain play that gave the Seahawks their first points of the day.

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Saints get no help from Vikings-Bucs, must make their own luck to clinch NFC South

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Kirk Cousins looked like a deer in the headlights with a division title on the line.

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Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Kirk Cousins looked like a deer in the headlights with a division title on the line.

It just wasn’t a division win for his team this time. The Minnesota Vikings quarterback took six sacks and looked nearly as bad as his kicker (who missed three field-goal tries and an extra-point attempt) in Week 14’s 26-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Minnesota’s ugly afternoon eliminated a possible NFC South clinching scenario for the New Orleans Saints before their game with the Philadelphia Eagles.

If Minnesota had won, the Buccaneers would have fallen to 7-6 on the year so far — promising a best-case final record of 10-6, which would match a worst-possible final record for the Saints. But New Orleans won both of their games with Tampa Bay this year, giving them a crucial head-to-head tiebreaker. If both teams finished the year at 10-6, the Saints would win the division.

Instead, an 11-5 finish is in play for the Buccaneers, while the Saints could theoretically tumble to 10-6 (before their kickoff against the Eagles), keeping Tampa Bay’s division aspirations alive.

Sure, the Saints can still clinch their fourth consecutive NFC South championship on Sunday with a win at Philly, and they’re favored to do just that against rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts in his first start. New Orleans’ mathematically-worst record would be 11-5 after beating the Eagles, and again, they own the tiebreaker with the Bucs.

But it’s just another bit of added pressure to the shoulders of their own backup QB Taysom Hill. Let’s see how he and his teammates respond.

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WATCH: Seahawks running back Chris Carson’s 4th-quarter touchdown

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson went deep to running back Chris Carson for 28 yards and the Seahawks score in Week 13.

Well, it took over three quarters of football and nearly 54 minutes on the field but Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson finally scored the team’s first touchdown of the day in the Week 13 contest against the New York Giants.

Quarterback Russell Wilson went deep to Carson for 28 yards and the Seahawks score – marking the 58th-straight game with a touchdown to tie a Seattle record.

The TD narrowed the Giants’ lead over the Seahawks to 17-12, making it a 5-point game once again.

As of this post, there are two minutes remaining in the ball game.

Here are Wilson and Carson putting points on the board.

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Bears lose to Lions, Saints sweep Falcons and clinch a playoff berth

Almost everything broke the New Orleans Saints’ way in Week 13, as they swept the Falcons and secured a playoff spot after the Bears lost.

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It got a little dicey down the stretch, but the New Orleans Saints made enough plays and caught enough breaks to sweep the Atlanta Falcons with a 21-16 final score, improve to 10-2 on the year so far, and clinch a spot in the playoffs.

For now, that playoff berth is the first seed in the NFC, carrying a valuable first-round bye week. Not bad for a team starting a tight end at quarterback, to hear some experts tell it.

And what a day that tight end had. Taysom Hill had his most impressive game as a passer yet, going 27-of-37 for 232 passing yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Tre’Quan Smith and Jared Cook. Hill also had his longest career rushing attempt (a 43-yard gain), totaling 83 yards on the ground off of 14 carries. His passing numbers would have been even better if Smith and Cook hadn’t dropped several targets early on, but it’s to their credit that they each rebounded for Hill’s first career touchdown passes.

But enough about the Saints offense: the defense won this matchup, limiting the Falcons offense to just 16 points and forcing a punt or turnover on downs on half of Atlanta’s possessions. The pass rush only got to Matt Ryan three times on the afternoon, but they were critical stops that help snuff out the Falcons’ comeback rally late in the fourth quarter. It’s a performance they can hang their hats on.

Meanwhile, around the NFC; the Saints needed some help from the Detroit Lions to secure a playoff berth, and interim coach Darrell Bevell’s team came through to upset the Chicago Bears 34-30. That was enough to put the Saints over the time, and now they’re guaranteed to at least own a wild card seed once it’s all said and done. A couple more wins should seal up the NFC South and a playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and maybe the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye week.