Stats – Page 4 – Syndication Server

Alvin Kamara set to hit an important new milestone in Week 14

Alvin Kamara is only 39 yards away from setting a new single-season high in rushing yards. He’s on pace for his first 1,000-yard season, too:

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is on pace to set a new single-season high in rushing yards against the New York Giants this Sunday. He set his previous personal-best back in 2020, when Kamara rushed for 932 yards. That was by far the best season of his career. He balanced a heavy workload and rare explosiveness, while also delivering the most touchdowns in the league (16).

The Saints haven’t been able to surround Kamara with the best pieces this season due to injuries. The offseason addition of Klint Kubiak, however, has clearly paid off. Kubiak’s new run scheme was one of the biggest selling points of the hire.

Kamara has produced despite injuries to blockers Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz and Lucas Patrick. Taysom Hill was the best secondary running threat. He’s missed time throughout the season and Jamaal Williams hasn’t been much help. The offense has ran through and leaned on Kamara all season, and he’s more than delivered. He’s up to 894 rushing yards through just 12 games.

With another 39 yards, Kamara will have his highest rushing total of his career and is likely going to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the first time ever. He may achieve that in Week 14, as well, with a strong performance. He’s averaging 74.5 yards per game on the ground this season and just put up 112 on the Los Angeles Rams, the fifth-ranked defense in rushing yards allowed per game (144.2). The fourth-ranked squad is Kamara’s next opponent, the New York Giants, who have averaged 145.8 yards per game. That’s looking like a favorable matchup.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Giants coach Brian Daboll announces starting QB for Week 14 vs. Saints

Giants coach Brian Daboll announced his starting QB for Week 14 vs. Saints. Ironically, they already cut the only QB on the roster with a win against New Orleans:

There it is. New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll announced Drew Lock, not Tommy DeVito, will be his starting quarterback for Week 14’s home game with the New Orleans Saints. DeVito has been dealing with a forearm injury and the Giants clearly feel a healthy Lock gives them a better chance to win.

But Lock won’t be the only backup starting for Big Blue. Daboll added that the starting offensive tackles will likely be Josh Ezeudu and Chris Hubbard due to injuries. That’s a favorable matchup for the New Orleans defensive line.

Ironically, the Giants already cut the only QB on the roster with a win against the Saints: Daniel Jones, who led a fourth-quarter comeback to force overtime against them back in 2021. DeVito is 0-1 against New Orleans, but this will be Lock’s first start against the Black and Gold. Let’s see what he’s made of.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

RECAP: Wisconsin basketball falls short against Michigan, drops first game of 2024-25 season

Wisconsin basketball fell to the Michigan Wolverines 67-64 on Tuesday night, dropping its first game of the 2024-25 season.

The story of the game can be told by a pair of stat lines:

Michigan center Vladislav Goldin finished the contest with 24 points, four rebounds and three blocks on 9-of-16 shooting, while forward Danny Wolf closed with 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and five blocks on 7-of-11 shooting.

Michigan’s two big men dominated the contest from start to finish. In a game where neither team found its shooting stroke from deep (Michigan 24% from three, Wisconsin 22%), the interior play of those two players ignited the Wolverines’ victory.

The game was tightly contested in every category. Michigan shot 39% to Wisconsin’s 34.4%, grabbed 43 rebounds to Wisconsin’s 41 and scored 34 points in the paint to Wisconsin’s 28.

The back-and-forth battle was decided by a key exchange late in the second half: Wisconsin led 64-61 with 2:23 remaining. A Goldin dunk cut the deficit to one point, before another layup gave Michigan a one-point lead with 1:34 remaining. Max Klesmit got several clean looks from three-point range to put the Badgers back in front. He missed the first, which allowed the Wolverines to extend the lead to 67-64. He then missed the second as time expired.

Wisconsin falls to 8-1 and 0-1 in Big Ten play with the loss. Michigan, meanwhile, is 7-1 to start Dusty May’s first season in charge. The triumph also pushed the Wolverines to 1-0 in Big Ten play.

The Badgers are back in action on Saturday on the road at rival No. 5 Marquette.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes, and opinion.

Where the Chargers rank statistically after Week 13

The Chargers only mustered 187 yards of total offense, so how did that impact them in the rankings?

The Chargers improved to 8-4 after beating the Falcons in Week 13.

Los Angeles’ defense, which compiled four interceptions on the day, was why they won the game. The offense only managed 187 yards of total offense and allowed five sacks to a Falcons defense with just ten entering Sunday.

With Week 14 coming up, how do the Bolts compare to the rest of the NFL? Here is where Los Angeles ranks:

Offense

Category	Stat	Rank
Points per game	21.7 ppg	18th
Passing offense	198.4 ypg	24th
Rushing offense	112.9 ypg	18th
Total offense	311.3 ypg	24th
3rd down conversions	37.74%	18th
Red zone scoring	53.33%	21st
Sacks allowed	30	21st
Turnovers	5	1st

Defense

Category	Stat	Rank
Points allowed	15.7 ppg	1st
Passing defense	206.4 ypg	10th
Rushing defense	119.4 ypg	14th
Total defense	325.8 ypg	14th
3rd down conversions	33.33%	2nd
Red zone defense	42.86%	2nd
Sacks	35	T-6th
Takeaways	13	14th

Bryan Bresee on track to lead the NFL’s defensive tackles in sacks

Sacks aren’t everything for a defensive tackle, but there’s a lot to be said for leading the league in them. Bryan Bresee is on track to do just that:

Sacks aren’t everything for a defensive tackle, but there’s a lot to be said for leading the league in them. And Bryan Bresee is on track to do just that. The New Orleans Saints’ second-year pro is up to 6.5 sacks through 12 games, a big improvement over his rookie numbers (4.5 in 17 games). That ranks second-most in his position group.

So who’s on top? That would be New York Giants star Dexter Lawrence, with 9.0 sacks in 12 games for himself. But Lawrence’s season has ended on injured reserve after he suffered a dislocated elbow. He isn’t expected back in 2024, which sets a clear goal for Bresee to chase through these last five games. His next challenge comes against Lawrence’s teammates on the Giants, who have allowed 40 sacks as a team. That’s tied for seventh-most. For comparison, the Saints have allowed the seventh-fewest quarterback sacks with 23.

This would be an impressive achievement for Bresee if he can get there, but he’s already made some big strides through two years in the NFL. It’s encouraging that he’s improving, but he isn’t a finished product just yet. He’s still getting pushed around and washed out on running downs. He struggles to disengage against an opponent advancing uphill. If he can continue to learn on the job and make improvements, and clean up that part of his game? The sky might be the limit for the young pro.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Surprising Saints rookie leads his position group in NFC Pro Bowl votes

After the first week of Pro Bowl voting, it’s New Orleans Saints rookie punter Matthew Hayball ahead of his peers in the NFC:

With the start of the 2025 Pro Bowl voting starting officially just week ago, we have received our first update on the current leaders of each position group in the league. You can cast your vote here.

As the New Orleans Saints have fallen apart with many injuries sustained over the course of the year, it was highly unlikely that they’d have any Pro Bowl players let alone a top vote-getter.

Turns out, that just might not be the case. Undrafted rookie punter Matthew Hayball currently leads the NFC in Pro Bowl votes at his position. Quite a pleasant surprise, isn’t it?

For those who may not know, Hayball is currently first in the NFC with 29 punts pinned inside the 20. That’s eight more than the next-closest player.

Diving a little bit deeper into the statistics, one may say that Hayball has punted 50 times this season tying him for third most the conference. However, in comparison to the punters’ ahead of him in this category, Hayball has been far more efficient in terms of forcing opponents into poor field position.

Hayball also ranks in the top five in total punt yardage and touchbacks but for the most part is somewhere between average and the bottom of the conference elsewhere. This is likely indicative of Hayball not having the biggest leg but makes up for it with his ability to accurately place his kicks.

Credit to special teams guru, now head coach Darren Rizzi, as well as the teams scouting department for locating Hayball this offseason. The Saints potentially have their long term solution at the punter position, after years of searching for Thomas Morstead replacement, a former franchise hero and Super Bowl XLIV champion.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Report: Saints fear grim news on Taysom Hill’s knee injury

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the New Orleans Saints are bracing for bad news on Taysom Hill’s knee injury after an upcoming MRI:

Taysom Hill’s knee injury late in Sunday’s New Orleans Saints loss to the Los Angeles Rams may have been just as bad as it looked. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Saints fear it’s a significant knee injury that will end Hill’s season. Rapoport adds that while Hill is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday “to determine the severity of the injury,” the team is bracing for the worst.

It’s a tough blow for one of the toughest players on the team. Hill missed four games earlier this season but played through pain while dealing with other ailments, and he’s been a great fit in Klint Kubiak’s offense when healthy. Hill was recognized as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after the Saints’ last game and was averaging the best rushing yards per game (38.3) and receiving yards per game (21.4) of his career this season.

He’s proven to be irreplaceable. We’ll keep an eye out for updates on his status as more information becomes available.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Falcons lose due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping Saints’ hopes alive

The Falcons lost to the Chargers on Sunday due to multiple Kirk Cousins turnovers, keeping the Saints’ playoff hopes alive:

Don’t look now, but there might be a quarterback change on the horizon for the Atlanta Falcons. Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins threw the game away in their Sunday loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, who won 17-13, which teed up a fascinating scenario for the New Orleans Saints as they prepare for kickoff with the Los Angeles Rams. How did we get here?

Cousins played one of the worst games of his pro career, throwing four interceptions without a touchdown pass. One of those interceptions was credited to former Saints safety Marcus Maye, who arrived in Los Angeles just this week after being waived by the Miami Dolphins. Talk about making the most of your opportunity.

As for the implications on the NFC South? That remains to be seen, but for now the Saints are still in this. The Saints go into their game with the LA Rams at 4-7, trailing the Falcons (now at 6-6) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), who visit the upstart Carolina Panthers (3-8) this afternoon.

Everything depends on the Saints sending the Rams away from New Orleans with a loss, but at this point the division — and the coveted playoff berth — are within reach for Darren Rizzi’s team.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Broncos defense continues to dominate ahead of ‘MNF’ clash

Going into MNF, the Broncos rank third in total yards allowed (296.0), second in points allowed (16.8) per game and first in sacks (44).

Going into a Monday Night Football showdown with the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has his unite playing at an elite level.

The Broncos rank third in total yards allowed (296.0), eighth in passing yards allowed (199.8), sixth in rushing yards allowed (96.2) and second in points allowed (16.8) per game this season. Denver’s 15 takeaways rank 10th and their 44 sacks rank first in the league.

“It’s obviously a really good defense,” Browns offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey told reporters on Friday. “Vance does a great job with those guys. They’re aggressive, not only in style of play, but also individuals on their team. They’ve got a lot of guys who can rush the passer. When you look at it, it’s not just one guy, it’s multiple guys, both on the outside and inside. And then Vance does a great job getting him in position to do that and creating matchups, creating opportunities for those guys. Whether it’s the front variations, whether it’s the different pressure variations and things like that.

“And then obviously, I think that pass rush allows those outside guys to be extremely effective as well. And obviously they got one of the best corners in the league out there. They’re talented around him as well in the secondary. So, it’s a great challenge. It’s a very good challenge for us. And you’ve got to be on your point. You got to be on top of your stuff. You got to be able to get in and out of the huddle quickly to give yourself time at the line of scrimmage and do those types of things to make sure that you’re maximizing your opportunities.”

Monday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN. Playing at home, the Broncos are considered favorites in Week 13.

[vertical-gallery id=620142]

Week 13 is Alontae Taylor’s chance to make up for last year’s lowlight

Alontae Taylor was benched against the Rams last year. This is the Saints’ cornerback opportunity to replace that with a new memory:

When the New Orleans Saints go against the Los Angeles Rams, Alontae Taylor could look at this game as an opportunity for redemption.

The Saints took on the Rams last year, and it wasn’t a good game for Taylor. Dennis Allen benched Taylor in the “Thursday Night Football” contest after he was at fault on too many big gains.

That game may have taken place last season, but those types of moments don’t just fade from memory. We also know it’s a moment that Taylor carried with him into this season. It was last year’s contest against the Rams the cornerback referenced when speaking on the desire to show the prime time lights aren’t too bright.

If Taylor wanted redemption on primetime games in general, it wouldn’t be far fetched to assume he may also be looking for redemption against the Rams specifically.

Taylor will be aligned at outside cornerback opposed to in the slot. While his alignment has changed, that’s no reason for the motivation to subside.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]