Tag: Stats

Final Stats, best pics from Cowboys’ big win over Bucs despite elimination

The Cowboys have won four of their last five games, winning over the Bucs in one of their hardest-hitting performances of 2024. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys knew they weren’t making it to the playoffs this season, but they didn’t play like it. Eliminated earlier in the afternoon when Washington pulled out a last-second win over Philadelphia, the Cowboys had no inclination of mailing things in.

With no incentive to playing down-roster guys just to help the organization, lame-duck coach Mike McCarthy’s troops put their best foot forward, dominating the still-playoff hopeful Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Cowboys’ defense used relentless pressure on QB Baker Mayfield and unyielding hitting on ball carriers to bully their way to a double-digit lead in the third quarter.

Despite letting the Bucs make the game close and have a last chance to win, the Cowboys beared down and left AT&T with their second home win of the season, 26-24. Despite being eliminated from the playoffs, Dallas kept their hope of finishing above .500 alive and improved to 7-8.

Cooper Rush played his best game of the season, throwing for 292 yards and only having one egregious head scratcher of a throw. He focused his attention on CeeDee Lamb in the first half as the wide receiver crossed the 100-catch threshold with 100 yards through two quarters.

The defense, led by Micah Parsons and a turnover-focused secondary, corralled one of the league’s hottest offenses. Corners Jourdan Lewis and DaRon Bland made huge fourth-quarter plays, ripping balls away from ball carriers to thwart both a touchdown and a game extender with time running out.

Dallas will now prepare for their rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. Here’s a look at the stats and some great captures from the wonderful photographers of USA Today Images and Getty Images.

Spencer Rattler’s ball security will be tested vs. NFL’s best ballhawk

Spencer Rattler’s decision-making and ball security will be tested by the NFL’s best ballhawk on Monday night:

Spencer Rattler is stepping into his fourth start as the New Orleans Saints quarterback. It’s his first start since Week 8, and as long as Derek Carr remains out, Rattler will be the Saints’ starting quarterback. That stretch begins against the Green Bay Packers.

In last week’s contest, Rattler relieved Jake Haener and put on an improved performance. One of the rookie’s most glaring problems in his first stint was his issues protecting the football. He threw two interceptions in his first three games and fumble three times, too. As the Saints close out the season, Rattler must ensure he protects the football and avoids putting it in dangerous spots.

Rattler’s decision making will be put to the test this week, as Xavier McKinney is on the other side of the field. The Packers safety has seven interceptions, the most in the league.

McKinney’s presence should remain on Rattler’s mind. Rattler is going to take shots down the field, and McKinney is going to be waiting for the opportunity to get his hands on the ball.

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Packers’ big-play ability set to test Saints secondary’s vulnerability

The Packers have the most passing plays to gain 40 or more yards, and the Saints are one of the worst teams at stopping them. That’s a mismatch:

Alontae Taylor and Kool-Aid McKinstry have shown some positive things at cornerback since the New Orleans Saints traded away Marshon Lattimore. There have been lapses in technique occasionally too, however. The one thing the Saints secondary has objectively struggled with is stopping big plays. That will be challenged against the Green Bay Packers.

New Orleans has allowed the third-most passing plays of over 40 yards this season. Because of that, they’ve also allowed the fifth most yards. On Monday Night Football, they have to line up across from the passing attack with the most gains of 40-plus yards this season.

Green Bay has two wide receivers (Christian Watson and Jayden Reed) with receptions that gained more than 60 yards. Romeo Doubs has a 39-yard reception and Dontayvion Wicks caught a 36-yard pass earlier this season, too. Essentially, the Packers have four receivers who can stretch the field and a young quarterback who isn’t afraid to lean on them.

It’s not just about air yards when thinking about explosive plays. New Orleans has struggled with corralling receivers at the catch point as well, which has led to too many yards gained after the catch. When it comes to the Green Bay receiving corps, they have the ability to stretch the field and make a play with the ball in their hands. The Saints’ young duo must be on top of their game.

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Saints’ run defense has a daunting challenge ahead in Green Bay

Josh Jacobs, the NFL’s third-leading rusher, faces the Saints, the sixth-worst run defense, on Monday. Advantage: Packers

The Green Bay Packers have the ability to exploit the New Orleans Saints in their weakest area defensively: the run defense. The defensive line has been praised for their improvements since moving to Brian Young as the position coach, but those improvements are in the pass rush department.

New Orleans has the sixth-worst run defense in the NFL. They did a better job against Brian Robinson, but the degree of difficulty rises on Monday.

New Orleans will have to take on the task of stopping Josh Jacobs on Monday night. The temperatures are expected to be below freezing when the Saints step onto Lambeau Field.

Northerners will call that football weather. That’s up for debate, but you can expect the Packers to come out running the football.

Jacobs is the third-leading rusher in the NFL, behind only Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. In addition to ranking third in rushing yards, Jacobs also has the third-most attempts and fourth-most rushing touchdowns in the league. The Packers use him frequently and efficiently. It’s vital that the Saints figure out how to slow him down. If he builds some momentum this one could get away from them in a hurry.

5 stats to know ahead of Packers vs. Saints in Week 16

Five stats to know before the Packers take on the Saints at Lambeau Field in Week 16.

The Green Bay Packers will welcome the 5-9 New Orleans Saints to Lambeau Field for an NFC showdown on “Monday Night Football” in Week 16. The Packers need a win to clinch a playoff spot, while the Saints will almost certainly be eliminated from the postseason at some point in Week 16.

Can the Packers improve to 11-4 with a win over a fading Saints team that will likely be without Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara?

Here are five stats to know ahead of Monday night’s showdown at Lambeau Field:

Plus-451: The Saints defense has allowed the most yards after catch over expected in the NFL this season, per Next Gen Stats. And opponents are averaging 6.3 yards after the catch against the Saints in 2024. This is all a fancy way of saying the Saints are struggling to get receivers on the ground after catches this season. Turns out, the Packers have several dynamic playmakers with the ball in their hands. Jayden Reed, Tucker Kraft and Josh Jacobs could do major damage on Monday night, especially if the Packers prioritize the short, quick passing game. Playing in the snow and cold won’t make tackling easier for the Saints.

14: Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler has only dropped back to pass 140 times this season, but he’s been sacked 14 times — a 10 percent sack rate. Avoiding sacks is a skill, and many young quarterbacks don’t have their  internal clock adjusted to the right time or possess enough pocket awareness early on. It doesn’t help that Saints offensive tackles Trevor Penning and Taliese Fuaga have both allowed more than 30 pressures this season. Like facing Sam Howell to end last week in Seattle, the Packers’ pass-rush could feast if they take away Rattler’s first read and continually collapse the pocket.

18 and 68: Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor has missed 18 tackles and given up 68 completions in coverage, both the most among cornerbacks entering Week 16, per Pro Football Focus. He’s also committed six penalties and doesn’t have an interception. In last year’s matchup, Taylor broke up three passes but also gave up four catches for 81 yards — mostly to Jayden Reed. Don’t be surprised if the Packers make him a frequent target again on Monday night.

5 straight: Packers quarterback Jordan Love has five straight games with a passer rating of 100.0 or better, but he’s about to face a stingy passing defense. The Saints are giving up a passer rating of just 83.0 overall (sixth best) this season, and they’ve allowed only 14 passing touchdowns (third fewest). Throw in a pass rush that has 37 sacks and two rushers with 50 or more pressures (Chase Young, Carl Granderson), and the Packers passing game will be tested on Monday night.

21: Since Darren Rizzi took over for Dennis Allen, or a span of five games, the most points the Saints have allowed is just 21. The Packers, meanwhile, have scored 30 or more points in four straight games. The Saints didn’t face a gauntlet of offensive powerhouses over the last five, but holding the Rams to 21 points and the Commanders to 20 points are both jobs well done. The Saints are stingy on third down (37.3 percent conversions) and in the red zone (51.2 percent touchdowns).

Darren Rizzi sees a ‘reenergized’ Cameron Jordan amid late-season hot sreak

Cameron Jordan’s production has soared in the past few weeks, and Darren Rizzi believes some changes have reenergized the defensive end:

One player that has stepped up his play in recent weeks is Cameron Jordan. Jordan didn’t have a good season last year and started this season slow as well. The defensive end even began to be phased out of the rotation.

Jordan has awoken over the last five weeks. He’s getting to the quarterback and making impact plays again. Darren Rizzi described Jordan as being “reenergized” during this hot streak.

But what changed? Why is one of the leaders of the New Orleans Saints suddenly improving and feeling reenergized in the middle of the season?

The Saints changed philosophically when they changed head coaches. Rizzi moved position coaches around, too, putting longtime pass-rush specialist Brian Young in a more prominent role working with the entire defensive line, instead of Todd Grantham.

Jordan received one of the biggest direct impacts from the changes. Instead of being phased out of the rotation, Jordan has returned to being a critical piece. Pro Football Focus charting has credited him with 26 pressures this season and 15 of them have come in the five games since Rizzi took over and charged Young with livening up the defensive line, including Jordan.

Rizzi points to playing time and style of play as reasons for this improvement from Jordan: “I think the fact he has more opportunity to play, number one. We made the change and tried to simplify things up front these last five games.”

Rizzi also mentioned the way the Saints are practicing as a benefit to Jordan as well. There have been many changes in New Orleans since Rizzi has taken over and many of them have benefitted Jordan.

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Kendre Miller’s long road back from injury has led to a big opportunity

Kendre Miller has a big opportunity in front of him. His long road recovering from injuries has led to a chance to assert himself:

Heading into this past New Orleans Saints offseason, one of the more exciting talking points was the potential emergence of second-year running back Kendre Miller. He’s had to take a long road to get here, but he has a big opportunity through the last three weeks of the 2024 season after an injury to Alvin Kamara.

After an injury-plagued rookie year, Miller caught the attention of many in the 2023 regular season finale. In the first start of his career with  Kamara sidelined due to another injury, Miller delivered a promising performance against the rivaled Atlanta Falcons. In a 48-17 blowout win, Miller rushed for 73 yards on the ground on 13 carries (5.6 yards per carry) to go along with an acrobatic touchdown, the first of his young career.

With hopes high for Miller, many were looking forward to seeing what the offense could potentially be with he and Kamara sharing the backfield in Klint Kubiak’s zone-blocking run scheme.

But unfortunately, the now second-year pro was unable to catch a break. Miller would suffer a hamstring injury on the very first day of training camp, resulting in him being placed on injured reserve for the next three months or so.

Finally at full strength, Miller would be activated off of IR and return to play against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos. In what was a catastrophe of a game, many got to see that spark again from Week 18 of last season. In his six carries Miller rushed for 36 yards (6 yards per carry) including a 16-yard pick up. It was noticed quickly the burst, the elusiveness and contact balance was all still there post-injury.

In the coming weeks though, Miller would be hit with adversity once again. Now-former Saints head coach Dennis Allen would place Miller on IR for the second time, sidelining him for the next four weeks. It was reported there was a “lack of trust” in Miller’s ability to stay healthy which led to this decision. During this time, Miller was in fact healthy and ready to play despite being placed on IR, which only added more frustration to a player that is waiting to prove himself yet again.

After the firing of Dennis Allen and the elevation of now interim head coach Darren Rizzi, Miller and Rizzi had a positive conversation, giving the green light on his return when eligible. Miller was asked about this and replied with, “I’m ready to get out there and bark a little bit.” This would be indicative of him being out of the “doghouse.” Miller was ready to go.

Miller would get his first opportunity in over a month against the New York Giants in MetLife Stadium and was quick to deliver. Miller would score his first touchdown on a 9-yard outside run in which he and his teammates carried Giants defenders into the end zone. This marked his first touchdown of the season. He would follow this performance up with an exceptional game against the Washington Commanders (9 carries for 46 yards, 5.1 per carry) where he and rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler led a late second-half comeback down 17-0 but falling just short of victory after a failed two-point attempt.

With Kamara’s status in question, Miller has an opportunity to cement himself as the team’s No. 2 back going into the offseason. After much uncertainty due to injury, Miller gets his chance to showcase his abilities and even audition as the teams answer at the position once Kamara decides to hang it up. Now is the time for Kendre Miller to prove that there he’s the guy for the job and that the team can allocate their resources elsewhere.

The lights will be bright for the young buck on Monday night against the Green Bay Packers. Expect him to embrace it.

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Saints sign former LSU star, ex-Chiefs first-round draft pick

The New Orleans Saints signed former LSU star Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The ex-Chiefs first-round draft pick arrives after an injury to Alvin Kamara:


The New Orleans Saints have made a move at the running back position, after Alvin Kamara’s groin injury. The team signed former LSU star Clyde Edwards-Helaire, adding depth to the running back room, announcing that defensive tackle Kendall Vickers was let go from the practice squad to make room.

Edwards-Helaire started his career with the Kansas City Chiefs as the 32nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. In his first season with the team, he got off to a hot start totaling 1,100 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns in 13 games. In the following year, Edwards-Helaire still proved to be productive in scoring six touchdowns in ten games but his yardage numbers would dip down a bit.

With the emergence of Isiah Pacheco in 2022, Edwards-Helaire saw his opportunities lessen significantly as a result and there would be more of the same in 2023. This season however, he would spend the majority on the NFI list as he’s battled with post-traumatic stress disorder.

At only 25 years old though, Edwards-Helaire likely has a lot of tread left on the tires and could provide some decent depth behind what will likely be Kendre Miller and Jamaal Williams on Monday night in Green Bay. It will be interesting to see if he’ll fit in as a spell back potentially with Kamara possibly out this week.

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Chase Young is putting it all together down the stretch with the Saints

An uptick in performance and diversifying his pass rush arsenal shows Chase Young is starting to put it together in New Orleans:

Chase Young was a huge addition for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. When he was signed, Young was looked at as the piece to take the Saints pass rush over the top.

That didn’t happen, and fans became critical of Young early in the season. When expectations are high, patience is low.

Over the last two weeks, however, Young has begun to put it together. He recorded a career-high 10 pressures against the New York Giants. Young, then, followed that up with two sacks against his former team, the Washington Commanders.

This was Young’s first multi-sack game since Week 7 of 2023. It was also an example of the defensive end finishing. He ranks high in the NFL in quarterback pressures, and in this game he was able to convert his pressures into sacks.

Joe Woods praised Young for diversifying his pass rush move set, as well. This has all been a part of the development of Young through the season. The manifestation of that is arguably his two best performances in a Saints jersey over the last two games. Soon the question will be whether the Saints can re-sign him so he can keep playing at a high level in black and gold.

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Saints’ defense putting together some of their worst performances since 2015

The Saints defense has done well in the red zone recently, but they rank 30th in this key defensive statistic. It’s their worst showing since 2015:

The New Orleans Saints defense has been extremely hit or miss this season, as early on they were getting gashed on many different types of plays and struggled to maintain any resemblance of protection against the run. However, in recent weeks they have stepped up in not allowing points, but still giving up an obscene amount of yards.

This has been one of the killing points of the Saints’ defense this season, as they allow significant time of possession defensively due to their struggles against the run game and against third down scenarios.

As of the end of Week 15, the Saints rank 30th in yards allowed this season, behind only the Jacksonville Jaguars (5,549) and Carolina Panthers (5,407), where the Saints have given up 5,272. However, the intriguing part of this comes when you look at the point differential of these teams, where the Jaguars have a -114 and the Panthers have a -171, while the Saints have only a -3, showing how effective they are in the red zone.

Unfortunately, yards do matter however, especially when it comes to time of possession which the Washington Commanders dominated in the most recent game, where they held the ball for a whopping 40 minutes and 50 seconds to the Saints’ 19 minutes and 10 seconds.

Who knows if this really has had a major impact overall, as the offense has been a key factor in why the Saints have been such a net negative team this season. But regardless, it is eye popping, considering the Saints have not ranked this low in the yards allowed category since 2015.

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