Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Tyrann Mathieu isn’t happy LSU football is 6-4
Brian Kelly isn’t thriving at LSU. The Tigers are 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the SEC after Saturday’s loss to Florida.
The troubles were noticed by a former LSU and current NFL player, Saints DB Tyrann Mathieu.
The tweet probably sums up the feelings of Tiger Nation because they expected far more success when Kelly came South.
I cannot wait to get to Baton Rouge & coach !!!
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) November 17, 2024
Familiarity plays a part in Saints vs. Browns, and Tyrann Mathieu knows what to expect from Jameis Winston in his return to New Orleans:
Tyrann Mathieu is ready to play his former teammate, Jameis Winston, on Sunday. Mathieu has one message for Winston, “I’m expecting a shot the first play of the game, Jameis, so throw it up there.”
Mathieu intercepted Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter to help the New Orleans Saints break their losing streak. The safety would like to build a streak of his own, but he knows Winston: “Probably tells me he’s going to throw it at me before he actually does it.”
Familiarity plays a big part in this matchup. “He knows us, we know him,” Mathieu said. Winston wasn’t in New Orleans long, but Mathieu still thinks this will be “somewhat of homecoming” because of how the city feels bout the former Saints quarterback. Mathieu said the team loves Winston the same way.
Mathieu joined the New Orleans Saints a year after Winston. Mathieu’s arrival coincided with Winston becoming the starter. Through this time, both were leaders on their side of the ball and they got to know each other well.
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Tyrann Mathieu and Drew Brees probably wouldn’t agree on his favorite INT. Mathieu’s takeaway in his 2013 homecoming stands the test of time:
It’s no secret that Tyrann Mathieu is a special talent. The New Orleans Saints safety returned home to close out his illustrious NFL career, and while Mathieu’s 2024 season hast had more low moments than he’s comfortable with, the highlights stand up with the best plays throughout his career.
He’s still making history. Mathieu is tied with his old college teammate Patrick Peterson for the most interceptions among all active NFL players (36). So which one was his favorite?
“I hate to say it but it’d have to be my rookie season, playing against Drew Brees in the Superdome,” Mathieu grinned. “And we got beat bad that day but I had a good game. And I got to walk l away with one of the most prized possessions of anybody’s life, and that’s a Drew Brees football. So I always remember that one.”
Mathieu played the Saints just three games into his pro career back in 2013, and while his Arizona Cardinals fell 31-7, he did finish the day with 10 tackles (9 solo), on top of that interception. That was a season-high for his rookie year, and clearly a memorable game in his NFL story.
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Darren Rizzi called Tyrann Mathieu’s interception the biggest play of the game as it swung momentum in favor of the Saints late against the Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons were down three points, but they had the New Orleans Saints on the ropes in the fourth quarter. It appeared the Saints were about to let another game slip through their grips, until Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Kirk Cousins on the Falcons’ second to last possession of the game.
In his post game press conference, Darren Rizzi said, “Honey Badger’s interception at the end of the game is maybe the biggest play of the game.”
It’s definitely on the short list and hard to find another play that felt like such a turn of events. That’s what makes the play special to Rizzi. The interception happened at a moment where “started to lose momentum a little bit.”
The interception didn’t put the game away, but it stonewalled the Falcons on their closest attempt to tying the game or taking the lead.
The Falcons were at the Saints’ 44-yard line when Cousins threw the interception. The drive prior Younghoe Koo missed his third field goal of the game. The Atlanta offense was figuring out how to move the football, while New Orleans had stagnated.
Mathieu’s interception stripped the way of points away from the rival, and they didn’t get close to scoring on their only other possession.
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Tyrann Mathieu hadn’t intercepted a pass since Week 3, and he was itching to touch the football. The New Orleans Saints safety delivered:
“Every now and then you itch to make more than just tackles. You want to touch the football.” You’d be unsurprised to know it was New Orleans Saints team captain Tyrann Mathieu who made that statement.
The safety made his name as a playmaker and is one of those defenders who’s really an offensive guy at heart.
Mathieu was finally able to scratch that itch. Against the Atlanta Falcons, he came down with his first interception of the season since Week 3. It came at a pivotal time in the fourth quarter. He anticipated what was coming based on formation and Cousins’ tendencies. By the Falcon formation, Mathieu knew it wasn’t going to be anything deeper than a dig route. That also is one of the quarterback’s favorite routes.
“When we played those guys the first game, it was a lot of digs. Kirk Cousins is comfortable throwing that route when he needs a play,” Mathieu said.
With that in mind, Mathieu “sat at 15 (yards)“ and broke on the pass once he read it.
The Falcons needed a play, and they went for the dig. The Saints needed a play, and Tyrann Mathieu showed he still has a nose for the ball.
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Will Harris played every defensive snap prior to his injury. This week the New Orleans Saints safety makes his return from injured reserve:
For the first time in a month, Tyrann Mathieu and Jordan Howden will be joined by Will Harris, and the New Orleans Saints will have their full compliment of safeties.
It’s been what Harris described as, “A long four weeks.”
Hamstrings have plagued the New Orleans Saints all season long. So much so that New Orleans had to revisit how they begin practice.
Harris was one of many starters to be taken out by the injury. That list includes Marshon Lattimore, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Pete Werner. For the first time since Harris injured his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs, the safety will return to the field.
Harris tried to stay as involved as he could during his stint on injured reserve even though he couldn’t get on the field. The safety said, “I try to stay as integral of a piece as possible. I try to incorporate myself in anything I can to help. I’m always around. I try to give them my perspective of what I see.”
At the time that’s all he could do. Prior to the injury, however, Harris was the only defensive player to play every single snap. It’s safe to say he’ll be involved in the defensive game plan next to Mathieu and Howden.
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Tyrann Mathieu voiced his thoughts on the Saints parting ways with head coach Dennis Allen, and he doesn’t share the same sentiment that so many seem to:
Tyrann Mathieu was among the many Saints players who spoke up and voiced their thoughts and opinions after New Orleans decided to fire the head coach on Monday.
“I’m from New Orleans so I remember when we weren’t very good on defense,” Mathieu told NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill. “We all played a part in him not being here anymore. … I think from an accountability standpoint, this just gives a chance to get together and get tighter.”
Even though there are several fans expressing joy and relief now that Allen is gone, Mathieu isn’t relishing in the events that have taken place at all.
“(I am) disappointed,” Mathieu said. “(It is) heartbreaking. First team I ever been that basically a coach got fired.”
The decision by team owner Gayle Benson to part ways with Allen came right after the Saints fell 23-22 to the Carolina Panthers, one of the worst teams in the NFL, on the road. That extended the Saints’ losing streak to seven games.
While injuries and other issues have plagued the Saints and continued to this backside after they started the season on a two-game winning streak, there is no doubt that coaching played a part.
Now the Saints will, at least temporarily, look to the talents of special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi to hopefully get them back to the right side of the win column as they face the visiting Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
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Forcing turnovers has been the Saints defense’s saving grace, but they didn’t intercept the quarterback for the first time this year against the Broncos:
A lot of things went wrong for the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night. Spencer Rattler struggled with ball security in the face of pressure. The running game was nonexistent. Defensively, New Orleans couldn’t stop the Denver Broncos from moving up and down the field.
Bo Nix didn’t look accurate throwing the ball outside of short throws. There was a moment where he had two uncovered receivers, and threw it in between the two of them. Despite his struggles, the Saints weren’t able intercept the rookie.
Tyrann Mathieu got close once. He had an interception fall right into his hands, but he dropped it. Other than that, there weren’t many other near-interceptions. For all of the yardage the Saints give up, turnovers have been their saving grace. For the first time this year, the Saints defense didn’t walk away with an interception.
New Orleans did get one turnover on Thursday. Willie Gay forced and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter. But by that time, the game was already out of hand. If nothing else, the turnover streak is still alive.
Richard Sherman said the Saints defense played ‘like they want to get their coach fired’ in the first half against the Broncos:
Yeesh. Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman didn’t hold back on the Amazon Prime halftime show during “Thursday Night Football,” after watching the New Orleans Saints slump into a 16-3 deficit.
He particularly took aim at the Saints defense’s poor performance, going so far as to suggest the unit’s poor effort was because they wanted head coach Dennis Allen to be fired.
“I’m telling you, Tony, I’m confused, I’m vexed, I’m perplexed, I don’t get it. These are good players,” Sherman said. “They don’t want to tackle, they don’t want to make plays. … I don’t understand this, it seems like they want to get their coach fired, that’s the effort they’re playing with.”
Sherman pointed to an uncharacteristic dropped interception by Tyrann Mathieu as one example. Mathieu could’ve snagged his 36th career pick when Bo Nix threw it right to him, only for the veteran safety to lose his grip, and the pass fell incomplete. Mathieu would’ve had a lot of room to run, too.
There were other miscues. A lot of missed tackles, including some bad whiffs by ironman linebacker Demario Davis and a couple of almost-sacks that got away from Chase Young and Johnathan Abram. These are all problems we’ve seen for a month now in their last four losses. They can’t stop the run, allowing 6 or more yards per carry in three of their last four games and giving up 130-plus yards and two scores in the one outlier.
For a coach lauded for his defensive background, it’s been Dennis Allen’s side of the ball slipping away from their fundamentals. And respected voices around the league’s media landscape like Sherman are taking notice.
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Tyrann Mathieu won’t return against the Buccaneers due to a wrist injury. It’s more adversity to deal with on a short week before their next game:
Things went from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints defense in Sunday’s game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Starting safety and team captain Tyrann Mathieu left early with an elbow injury, and was later downgraded. He was ruled out and didn’t return in the second half.
The Saints were already shorthanded at safety with Will Harris going on injured reserve before the game. After Mathieu went down their only active options were Jordan Howden, Johnathan Abram (called up from the practice squad, and who played through a back injury), and special teams ace J.T. Gray, who has never seen much action on defense.
It’s more losses than a team can reasonably handle, when guys are having to come in from the special teams units and practice squad and handle starter’s reps. It’s just more adversity for Dennis Allen’s team to navigate through the short week before Thursday night’s game against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos.
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