Tag: shutout

Darren Rizzi has a big opportunity to buck one of Dennis Allen’s worst trends

Darren Rizzi has a big opportunity to buck one of Dennis Allen’s worst trends. His predecessor lost four times after shutting out an opponent in the first half:

New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi has a chance to buck an alarming trend that started under Dennis Allen, after holding the Los Angeles Rams scoreless in the first half.

Saints fan and professional statistician Jeff Asher shared an interesting stat; Allen-led New Orleans teams had lost four games after not allowing the opponents to score in the first half. Sean Payton never once lost one of those games.

And the only other time the Rams had been shut out under Sean McVay was the infamous Super Bowl LIII against the New England Patriots. Los Angeles will be entering unknown territory here.

The Saints were only able to muster six points themselves, so the game could still go either way. It’s another important test for Rizzi, and a big opportunity for him to buck one of the most troubling trends of his predecessor’s tenure.

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An embarrassing statistic for the Commanders defense

It’s been a long time since Washington shut out someone.

The then-Washington Redskins were so good in 1991 that they shut out three different teams. That was Washington’s last Super Bowl season, and the team featured one of the best offenses and defenses in the NFL.

It was Sept. 30, 1991, the last time Washington pitched a shutout — a 23-0 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

You read that correctly: Washington hasn’t shut down an opponent in 33 years. Washington has had some excellent defensive teams over the years, including when Gregg Williams coached the defense. But the Commanders haven’t shut out anyone.

Warren Sharp posted a graphic this week showing the number of years since all 32 NFL teams last had a shutout.

The Commanders were last at 33 years.

The most amazing part of this graphic is all the blank space between Washington and the next-closest team. It has been 15 years since the Jets and Giants have shut out someone. That means the Commanders’ streak is 18 years longer than the next teams.

Pitching a shutout in the NFL isn’t easy. Even great defenses allow points, whether it’s a field goal or short fields leading to a score. But at some point, you’d think Washington would get lucky and play someone worse. The Commanders have played worse teams over the past 33 years and still found ways to allow points and lose.

Even more remarkable is the assets Washington has used on its defense. From 2017-21, the Commanders used a first-round pick on a defensive player — four defensive linemen.

There have been ugly games over the years, but no shutouts.

Could that change in 2024 under new head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr? The Commanders should be better defensively in 2024. Quinn and Whitt have a track record of getting the most out of their players, and Washington has added some impact defenders this offseason.

While they will be better, Washington’s streak will likely increase to 34 years next season.

Saints defense shuts out Packers in the first half, first time in Lambeau since 2018

Saints defense shuts out Packers in the first half, first time in Lambeau since 2018

The New Orleans Saints defense continues their fantastic start as they shutout the Green Bay Packers offense at Lambeau Field. This is the first time that the Packers have been shut out in the first half at home since Week 17 of the 2018 season against the Detroit Lions. The Packers have won ten straight home openers.

The Saints defense has allowed just one touchdown this season, in garbage time against the Carolina Panthers last week. It was something that really upset the Saints defense and they have come out with a vengeance in this one.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love is making his first start at Lambeau Field, as the Saints look to ruin a home debut for the second straight week after beating Bryce Young in Carolina a week ago. The Saints lead the Packers 17-0 at halftime.

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Sproat hurls complete game against Alabama to kick off SEC play

Brandon Sproat was as good as an ace can be for Florida on Thursday night against Alabama as SEC play kicked off.

Florida needed to start off conference play with a win, and right-handed junior [autotag]Brandon Sproat[/autotag] made sure his team came out on top by throwing a complete-game, one-hit shutout against the Alabama Crimson Tide en route to a 3-0 win.

It was a masterful performance from the UF starter that needed it the most after being outshined by [autotag]Hurston Waldrep[/autotag] and [autotag]Jac Caglianone[/autotag] throughout the non-conference schedule. It was Sproat’s first complete game and first time hitting double-digit strikeouts (11) this season.

His fastball touched 99 mph and held at 97-98 mph through the ninth, similar to a prime Justin Verlander. He needed just 106 pitches to finish off the Tide, 64 of which came in for strikes. The lone Alabama hit of the night came from second baseman Ed Johnson, and Sproat only walked one after the second inning.

This is why Sproat is the team’s ace. He sets the tone in a series and, perhaps more importantly, keeps the bullpen fresh for whatever comes over the next two games.

Sproat said he felt the changeup was his best pitch of the night and it’s hard to argue with him. A pitch coming in as fast as 90 mph and vanishing out of the bottom of the zone is pretty tough to deal with, and Alabama had no answer for it.

On offense, [autotag]Cade Kurland[/autotag]’s two-run home run in the sixth was the big blow. Alabama was using whatever pitchers it had left and seemed to be saving its big guns for Friday and Saturday, so it’s impressive that this game stayed knotted at zero for so long.

Kurland is now up to six home runs, which is the same amount as his All-American teammate [autotag]Wyatt Langford[/autotag]. Speaking of the future top-five pick, he was once again absent from the Gators’ lineup in favor of Richie Schiekofer in left. Langford took a foul ball off the groin a last Friday and apparently hasn’t recovered yet. That’s something to monitor and potentially be nervous about.

[autotag]Ty Evans[/autotag] drove in an insurance run for Florida in the seventh with, scoring [autotag]Josh Rivera[/autotag] who went 2 for 3 on the night. Rivera was the only Gator other than Kurland to collect a hit on the night. Evans got his RBI via a ground out.

Hopefully, the bats come to life a bit on Friday, especially if the weather forecast forces a doubleheader. Alabama is throwing their regulars for the rest of the weekend, so they should be even more comfortable than tonight’s starter, Hagan Banks, was. At least relief arm Hunter Furtado will likely be unavailable for the remainder of the series.

First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT on Friday but remember that things could get changed because of the weather.

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49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games without a shutout

The 49ers ended the Saints’ streak of 332 games played without a shutout loss on Sunday. It had been the longest active streak in the NFL:

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It’s been a long, long time since the New Orleans Saints were last shut out. They put points on the board in 332 consecutive games — which had been the longest active streak in the NFL. But the San Francisco 49ers snapped that streak on Sunday, and now the Saints are left to pick up the pieces. Annoyingly, that isn’t even an NFL record. The 49ers themselves set it with 420 games played without a shutout.

So what happened in New Orleans’ last shutout? To give you some context, it happened on Jan. 6, 2002 at the end of the 2001 regular season. Jim Haslett coached the team, and Aaron Brooks was the Saints quarterback at the time, with Drew Brees closing out his rookie year with the Chargers (who played in San Diego at the time). At the time, this was a game between two rivals in the old NFC West; the NFC South would be founded a year later. Sean Payton was finishing out his second season as the New York Giants offensive coordinator and Dennis Allen was busy working the secondary at Tulsa, his first full-time coaching job. It capped a four-game losing streak that put the Saints at 7-9, eliminating them from the playoffs.

And of course it was the same 49ers team who beat them in a 38-nothing shutout at home. Terrell Owens started the game with two long touchdown catches from Jeff Garcia (of 56 and 60 yards, both in the first quarter) and things didn’t get much easier from there. The Niners racked up 407 yards of offense while limiting New Orleans to just 126 yards, intercepting Brooks four times and jarring loose four fumbles (three of them from Ricky Williams). San Francisco improved to 12-4 on the year but got knocked out of the playoffs a week later.

Things might be headed in a similar direction all these years later. The Saints are long shots of reaching the playoffs, while the 49ers look like a possible Super Bowl contender. There are still games left to play and decisions to make, but that’s where we are. History doesn’t always repeat itself  — but it often rhymes.

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National reactions: Saints’ shutout by 49ers draws plenty of criticism

National reactions: Saints’ shutout by 49ers draws plenty of criticism

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Here are the latest national media reactions to the New Orleans Saints’ 13-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12, ending the longest active streak of games played without being shut out:

New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers recap: Everything we know

New Orleans Saints vs. San Francisco 49ers recap: Everything we know after a demoralizing shutout loss

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Well, thank goodness that’s over. The New Orleans Saints were shut out for the first time in 332 games against the San Francisco 49ers — ending the longest active streak in the NFL. It was a dispiriting loss that would have hurt if the Saints went into it at 7-4. But they were 4-7 at kickoff, and it feels more like a final nail in their coffin. Here’s what you need to know:

Lions loss to Panthers ends impressive shutout streak from Detroit

It’s the first time Matthew Stafford has been shut out

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If it felt like Sunday’s 20-0 whitewashing at the hands of the Carolina Panthers was the worst offensive performance from the Detroit Lions in a very long time, that feeling was right. The blanking marked the first time in over a decade the Lions got shut out in the regular season.

The last time the Lions failed to score a single point in a game came in 2009, Matthew Stafford’s rookie season. Stafford did not play in the Week 6 loss, a 26-0 spanking in Green Bay. Daunte Culpepper started the game at QB but was yanked for Drew Stanton. It’s the first time Stafford has been on the wrong end of a shutout.

Detroit did score a potential touchdown on Sunday, but Marvin Jones’ reception was wiped out because he lined up illegally on the gadget play.

The 11-plus seasons without being shut out was the seventh-longest streak in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints have the longest streak, dating back to the 2002 season.