Tag: win percentage

Texas Football: ESPN FPI’s win percentage for each game left on the schedule

Texas is favored in every game left on the schedule.

Although Texas suffered two heartbreaking losses early on in the season, they’re still likely to finish the season with a winning record. Continue reading “Texas Football: ESPN FPI’s win percentage for each game left on the schedule”

Saints announce Week 7 uniform combination

New Orleans Saints announce Week 7 uniform combination vs. Seahawks

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The New Orleans Saints will be wearing white jerseys and black pants for the first time this season during Monday night’s game with the Seattle Seahawks, the team announced Friday. It’s unclear how many different shades of highlighter green the Seahawks will be using. While the Saints won all three games in which they used this uniform combination last season, it carries an all-time record of 41-25 (.621) in the Sean Payton era.

It’s a good look, though maybe not as strong as their white jerseys-gold pants away game combo. And it certainly doesn’t match up with what the Saints wore in their last game in Seattle — the “Color Rush” alternates that have yet to make an appearance in 2021. But with several more high profile games around the corner, those shouldn’t take much longer to appear.

Here is how the Saints have performed in every uniform combo they have used since Payton was hired in 2006:

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 8-2 (.800)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 8-3 (.727)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-14 (.622)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. White jerseys, gold pants: 33-24 (.578)
  7. Black jerseys, black pants: 46-31 (.597)

Can the Giants snap the Saints’ 15-game October win streak?

Saints vs. Giants: Will Sean Payton’s 15-game October win streak end?

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No, probably not. October has been better for the New Orleans Saints than any other month since Sean Payton took over in 2006; his teams have gone 41-13 in the second month of the NFL regular season, winning 15 consecutive games. They haven’t lost in October since 2016’s road game with the Kansas City Chiefs, and they haven’t lost at home in October since the Cleveland Browns upset them way back in 2010.

So why are Payton’s teams so successful here? Maybe he’s just a big fan of the month and all it brings: pumpkin spice lattes, bonfires, wool socks and sweaters, apple picking, and of course Halloween. Could all those seasonal festivities energize him?

Again, probably not. The more realistic explanation comes from what this month represents on the NFL calendar. Teams typically stumble out of the gate in September, taking a few weeks to find their bearings and sort out the playbook, and for coaches to find what their players really do well. You can only learn so much from training camp competition between your own players and a handful of snaps in preseason games when neither side is truly trying to win.

And this is when Payton shines. After getting three or four games of tape behind him, he’s got a good idea of what works and what doesn’t, and that’s reflected in his team’s winning percentage. They’ve improved from a 27-27 tally in September (precisely .500) to a 41-13 record in October (clocking in at .759).

Sure, things tend to settle down later in the season. Opponents catch up to what Payton has changed and how his team is working. The level of competition increases as the schedule moves into November and December. The stakes climb higher with playoff seeding on the line. Sometimes Payton’s teams rise to the occasion. Sometimes they’ve faltered.

We’ll see where they go in 2021, but it’s a good bet that this 0-3 Giants team won’t find their first win of the season in New Orleans.

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Saints choose their most-common uniform combo for Week 4 vs. Giants

Saints choose their most-common uniform combo for Week 4 vs. Giants:

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Here’s your Sunday dress code: the New Orleans Saints announced Friday that they will be pairing their black home jerseys with matching black pants in their upcoming matchup with the New York Giants. It’s the first time we’ve gotten a look at this specific uniform combination this season, but it’s the most popular combo the Saints have used in the Sean Payton era (76 games, including the playoffs).

However, it’s also been worn for their most losses (30) dating back to 2006. The good news is that the Saints have lost just five games in black-on-black since 2019, so they’ve got some good luck attached.

For the curious, here is how each uniform combo ranks by winning percentage since Payton was hired in ’06:

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 7-2 (.778)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 8-3 (.727)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-14 (.622)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 46-30 (.605)
  7. White jerseys, gold pants: 33-24 (.578)

NFL Week 3: Saints choose white jerseys, white pants vs. Patriots

NFL Week 3: Saints choose their winningest uniform combo vs. Patriots

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The New Orleans Saints have announced their Week 3 uniform combination, and it’s the winningest combo in their arsenal: white jerseys with matching white pants. The all-whites have been broken out eight times, with the Saints achieving a 6-2 record while wearing them. While the black-on-black uniforms have been worn for a team-leading 46 victories, these have a better winning percentage (.750).

Of course that doesn’t mean they should expect a win on Sunday. The New England Patriots are a tough out for anyone, even with a fresh-faced quarterback under center. The Saints have real flaws that need correcting, and Patriots coach Bill Belichick will do everything he can to frustrate them.

For the curious, here is where each Saints uniform combination ranks in win percentage since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team, way back in 2006:

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 6-2 (.750)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 8-3 (.727)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-14 (.622)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 46-30 (.605)
  7. White jerseys, gold pants: 33-24 (.578)
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NFL Week 1: Saints announce uniform combination vs. Packers

NFL Week 1: Saints announce uniform combination vs. Packers

Here’s a good look — the New Orleans Saints announced Friday that they will be wearing white jerseys paired with gold pants in their Week 1 game against the Green Bay Packers. That makes sense considering the nominal home game will be played under the Jacksonville sun at TIAA Bank Field. The Saints’ black jerseys wouldn’t be the best to wear in Florida in early September.

This also means the Packers will be wearing their dark green jerseys on Sunday afternoon. Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur has expressed concern about his players handling the sudden shift in heat and humidity, advising them to drink plenty of water, and wearing a heavier fabric just might create a very slight edge. Maybe.

That doesn’t mean I wasn’t hoping for the “Color Rush” uniforms to debut in Week 1. Looks like those will remain on the shelf until a bigger game. Unfortunately, this uniform combo carries the worst winning percentage the Saints have achieved of all their various looks in the Sean Payton era (2006 to the present, including playoff games). The good news is that they’ve still broken .500 in it:

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 6-2 (.750)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 8-3 (.727)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 46-30 (.605)
  7. White jerseys, gold pants: 32-24 (.571)
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Preseason Week 1: Saints to wear white jerseys, gold pants vs. Ravens

Preseason Week 1: Saints to wear white jerseys, gold pants vs. Ravens

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Here’s your dress code for the New Orleans Saints preseason opener: white jerseys and gold pants, with black socks. The Saints shared their fashion plans in an email to season ticketholders — plan to dress accordingly. They haven’t made a public announcement, though, so maybe pack a second jersey just in case.

It’s good to see the mismatched white socks have been shelved — they were a bit of an eyesore with the black trousers, and didn’t work with the black stripe running down the outside leg of these gold pants. Hopefully they only get used when the Saints wear white pants from now on.

The white road jerseys have been worn often enough the last few years, but appearances have been few and far between for the gold pants. New Orleans didn’t use gold pants at all after Drew Brees’ surprise Week 2 hand injury in 2019, introducing white pants instead to alternate with their black trousers for the next 29 games. That streak ended in the 2020 regular season finale. Team captains vote on each week’s uniform, so they must have felt any bad luck associated with this combo is behind them.

For the curious: here is how each uniform combo ranks by winning percentage, dating back to Sean Payton’s first game coaching the Saints in 2006 (including the playoffs, but not preseason games):

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 6-2 (.750)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 8-3 (.727)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 46-30 (.605)
  7. White jerseys, gold pants: 32-24 (.571)

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Jags finish 16-game era ranked 28th in win percentage

Jacksonville has only won 42.5% of its games since entering the league in 1995, the fifth-lowest of any team during the 16-game era.

After more than 40 years, the days of 16-game NFL seasons have now come to a close. This offseason, the league officially approved a measure that had been rumored for some time which would add a 17th game and 18th week to the regular season, the first expansion to the number of games played since 1978.

The Jacksonville Jaguars played fewer games than most NFL teams in this era as they didn’t begin play until 17 years after the league expanded from 14 games. Still, in spite of early success in the 1990s, the team’s struggles since have landed it near the bottom of the league in terms of win percentage. Overall, Jacksonville’s winning percentage since its inaugural season in 1995 is just .425, the 28th-best in the NFL.

The Jags come in just above the Arizona Cardinals and just below the Cincinati Bengals. The lowest two spots go to the Browns and the Lions, the only two teams to go 0-16 in league history.

Jacksonville was late to the party in the 16-game era, but with a new regime (and franchise quarterback) coming to town, it will hope that it’s much higher on this list during the 17-game era.

Saints wearing white jerseys, gold pants to close out the regular season

The New Orleans Saints shared a uniform update, announcing that they are wearing white jerseys and gold pants against the Carolina Panthers.

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Here’s a bit of a surprise: after initially announcing that they would use white jerseys and black pants in Week 17’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers, the New Orleans Saints have instead shared an update on the week’s uniform combo. They’ll still be wearing white away jerseys, but this time with gold trousers.

It’s the first time we’ve seen this look since the 2017 season. The gold pants last made an appearance in 2019 Week 2’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams (worn with black jerseys), but they haven’t been paired with white jerseys since 2017 Week 17’s loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This white jerseys-gold pants combo has been one of the more popular sets used in the Sean Payton era, going back to 2006. The Saints have worn it 55 times in that span, but only won 31 of those games — a winning percentage of .564, the lowest of all seven uniform combinations used by New Orleans since 2006:

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 6-2 (.750)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 8-3 (.727)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 45-29 (.608)
  7. White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

Maybe they can end the 2020 regular season on a high note and start to buck that narrative with a win at Carolina.

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Saints go with ‘Color Rush’ alternates for Christmas Day game vs. Vikings

The New Orleans Saints announced their Week 16 uniform combination, going with “Color Rush” alternate jerseys and pants against the Vikings.

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The New Orleans Saints revealed their Week 16 uniform combo on Wednesday, announcing that they will be wearing their “Color Rush” alternates on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Vikings.

Barring special permission from the NFL office, teams are only allowed to wear alternate uniforms three times each season, so it’s the third and final time the Saints will be using the iconic jersey-pants pairing in 2020, having previously broken them out in prime-time games with the Las Vegas Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For the superstitious fans out there, the Saints are 1-1 while wearing “Color Rush” jerseys this season and 7-3 all-time, lending a winning percentage of .700. That’s the second-highest rate of the Sean Payton era, dating back to his hiring in 2006. See how it shakes out for yourself:

  1. White jerseys, white pants: 6-2 (.750)
  2. “Color Rush” alternates: 7-3 (.700)
  3. “Black and Gold” throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  4. Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  5. White jerseys, black pants: 41-25 (.621)
  6. Black jerseys, black pants: 45-29 (.608)
  7. White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

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