Tag: win percentage

Early-season stumbles are par for the course for Sean Payton’s Saints

The New Orleans Saints have historically struggled in September under Sean Payton, but there’s reasons to expect their usual October bump.

[jwplayer IzFLaT7p-ThvAeFxT]

Another year, another slow start for the New Orleans Saints. After handling their business in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tom Brady, they dropped losses in each of the following weeks to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Green Bay Packers by a combined margin of 71-54. New Orleans also lead the NFL with 24 fouls for 331 penalty yards, further evidence of their sloppiness out of the gate.

Unfortunately, that’s been the norm since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team. Under his management, the Saints are 25-22 during the month of the September, usually the opening games of each season; but their record jumps to 38-13 in October, reflecting the in-season adjustments he and his staff have made year after year.

Put another way, that’s a leap from a September winning percentage of .532 all the way up to .745. Over the course of a full season, that’s the difference between an 8-7-1 regular season record and a 12-4 finish. That’s, uh, significant.

So don’t lose faith yet, even if the Saints are making it easy to doubt their process. There’s plenty of time for Drew Brees to get in better sync with his weapons (especially once Michael Thomas is back in the lineup), and for the pass rush to wake up from whatever’s put Cameron Jordan to sleep — returning third-year defensive end Marcus Davenport should help with that.

The Saints are set to visit the Detroit Lions before returning to New Orleans for another prime-time game with the Los Angeles Chargers, and both teams have 1-2 records.

There’s a world where the Saints go into their Week 6 bye with a 3-2 record, before coming out the other side and going on a tear. But they have a ton of work ahead of them if we’re going to see it.

[vertical-gallery id=38430]

Report: NFL won’t allow Saints to wear ‘Color Rush’ alternates vs. Vikings

The NFL won’t allow the New Orleans Saints to wear “Color Rush” alternate uniforms in Sunday’s wild-card round game vs the Minnesota Vikings

[jwplayer Bzpsacqq-ThvAeFxT]

We know now what the New Orleans Saints will be wearing in Sunday’s wild-card round game with the Minnesota Vikings: white jerseys and white pants. It’s a clean look, and the Saints have had success in its debut season, winning all five games in which they used the combination in 2019. But we could have so much more.

According to The Athletic’s Katherine Terrell, the Saints requested special permission from the NFL to wear their “Color Rush” alternate jerseys against the Vikings, but were denied. New Orleans already hit the three-game limit for alternate uniforms in a single season, having previously worn their widely-loved gold-on-white duds in wins over the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and Atlanta Falcons. Now that the playoffs are upon us, the Saints must have argued that the alternate jersey rule only applies to the regular season; the No Fun League and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell must have disagreed.

So, at least the Saints are going to look great when they line up against the Vikings. It’s just a shame that they won’t be looking their best. For superstitious fans, the white-on-white jerseys and pants are undefeated in 2019, and have the highest winning percentage of any uniform worn by the Saints since Sean Payton was hired as head coach, way back in 2006:

  • White jerseys, white pants: 5-0 (1.000)
  • “Color Rush” alternates: 6-2 (.750)
  • Black and gold throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  • Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  • White jerseys, black pants: 38-25 (.603)
  • Black jerseys, black pants: 41-27 (.603)
  • White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

The Saints also once used alternate gold jerseys during a 2002 loss to the Vikings, but it’s probably for the best that those weren’t considered this week, bad juju and all.

[vertical-gallery id=25987]

Saints announce Week 17 uniform combination vs. Panthers

The New Orleans Saints will pair white away jerseys with white pants again in the 2019 season, next in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers

The New Orleans Saints will again pair white jerseys with white pants, the team announced on its official Twitter account. This is the fifth time the Saints have used this uniform combination this season, eschewing the gold pants that were used regularly in past years. Including their “Color Rush” alternate uniforms, the Saints will have worn black or white pants in every regular season game in 2019.

New Orleans recently broke out the all-white uniforms for their Week 16 game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium, and they’ll be carried over for Week 17 with the Carolina Panthers. Like the other road venues the Saints have played at in these white pants, the Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium features a natural grass field (Voyager Bermuda grass, to be exact; it is the only NFL stadium to use that variety), which means nightmarish grass stains for the Saints equipment staff to deal with.

The Saints have held their own this year against a series of opponents including Tifway 419 Bermuda grass (Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium), Kentucky Bluegrass (Chicago Bears at Soldier Field), and TifSport Hybrid Bermudagrass (Titans at Nissan StadiuM), but keep the equipment staff in your thoughts in this difficult time.

Superstitious fans should be happy: though the Saints have only worn this combination four times previously since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team (all in 2019), they have yet to lose a game in white-on-white. We’ve ranked every uniform combination used by the Saints since 2006, ordered by winning percentage (don’t forget the alternate gold jerseys worn during a 2002 loss to the Minnesota Vikings):

  • White jerseys, white pants: 4-0 (1.000)
  • “Color Rush” alternates: 6-2 (.750)
  • Black and gold throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  • Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  • White jerseys, black pants: 38-25 (.603)
  • Black jerseys, black pants: 41-27 (.603)
  • White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

[vertical-gallery id=25491]

Saints reveal uniform combination for Week 16 vs. Titans

The New Orleans Saints will pair white jerseys with white pants for the fourth time in the 2019 season, latest against the Tennessee Titans.

The New Orleans Saints announced their uniform combination for Week 16’s road game with the Tennessee Titans: white jerseys with white pants. It’s the fourth time the Saints have worn this look in 2019, having previously done so for victories away from the Superdome over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Lift up a prayer for the Saints equipment staff, who probably have to use ridiculous quantities of bleach to keep these white threads clean after so many games on natural grass turf.

It’s a shame that the Saints can’t wear their “Color Rush” all-white alternate uniforms more often; NFL rules limit teams to wearing alternate uniforms just three times per season, and New Orleans previously did that for early-season wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys, as well as their Thanksgiving victory on top of the Atlanta Falcons.

For the superstitious: this combination has earned a terrific win percentage since the Saints introduced it, though they’ve only used the white pants in a few games this season. Here is every uniform combination used by the Saints during the Sean Payton era, listed by winning percentage (We’d be remiss to not mention the alternate gold jerseys worn during a 2002 loss to the Minnesota Vikings):

  • White jerseys, white pants: 3-0 (1.000)
  • “Color Rush” alternates: 6-2 (.750)
  • Black and gold throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  • Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  • White jerseys, black pants: 38-25 (.603)
  • Black jerseys, black pants: 41-27 (.603)
  • White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)
[vertical-gallery id=25083]

Saints announce uniform combination for Week 15 vs. Colts

The New Orleans Saints will wear black jerseys and black pants in their Week 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football

[jwplayer yGcuEl0y-XNcErKyb]

The New Orleans Saints revealed the uniform combination they will wear during their Week 15 game on “Monday Night Football” against their Indianapolis Colts: black jerseys paired with black pants. The announcement was made in a post from the team’s official Twitter account, which included a brief video of running back Alvin Kamara celebrating a big play in EA Sports’ Madden NFL 20. You can find it where it’s embedded below, or by clicking this link.

It’s been a common look this season, with the Saints most recently using it in last week’s game with the San Francisco 49ers (and six times this season in total, going 4-2).

For curious fans: the black-on-Black combo look carries a solid win percentage in the modern era, going back in 2006. We’d be remiss to not mention the alternate gold jerseysused during a 2002 game against the Minnesota Vikings, which they lost 32-31. The gold jerseys haven’t been seen again.

Here is every uniform combination used by the Saints during the Sean Payton era, listed by winning percentage:

  • White jerseys, white pants: 3-0 (1.000)
  • “Color Rush” alternates: 6-2 (.750)
  • Black and gold throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  • Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  • White jerseys, black pants: 38-25 (.603)
  • Black jerseys, black pants: 40-27 (.597)
  • White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

[vertical-gallery id=24372]

Of course it’s helpful, but do the Saints need home-field advantage in the playoffs?

The New Orleans Saints have posted a higher win percentage on the road than in the Superdome, which may prepare them well for the playoffs

[jwplayer IWFR8E8g-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints took a big hit in the playoff standings in their Week 14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, losing their grip on the first seed in the NFC playoff standings. They fell to third, and can’t fall further thanks to the NFC East’s collective mediocrity. If they win out, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles can each post records as strong as 9-7. The Saints will finish the year at 10-6 at worst, but they’ll be better than that.

It would take a lot of help for the Saints to rise back to the first seed, but the second seed is attainable. Both of the two top seeds guarantee a bye during the Wild Card Round, allowing lesser teams to duke it out in hopes of advancing, But only the first seed carries home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, ensuring that the team that holds it won’t have to travel for any games before Super Bowl LIV.

Obviously it would help the Saints to hold that advantage. Some dusty narratives suggest the Saints need it, and won’t reach the Super Bowl if they have to play away from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome; here are some numbers that disprove that notion.

The Saints are a better road team than home team in 2019. They’ve gone 5-1 on the road and 5-2 at home, winning their road games by an average difference of 9.8 points; at home, that point differential drops to 7.2 points per game. To put it another way, the average Saints victory at home this season has ended with a score of 27.6 to 20.4.

But on the road, the Saints are winning games with an average score of 28.4 to 18.6. Drew Brees and the Saints offense are blocking out the crowd noise, while Demario Davis and the New Orleans defense are benefiting from the relative quiet when their opponents have the ball.

This trend continues in recent history. The Saints were 7-1 on the road in 2018 but 7-3 at home, including the playoffs. You have to go all the way back to the 2017 season to find an appreciable difference, when the Saints went 8-1 at home but 4-5 on the road. And three of those losses were settled by six points or fewer, illustrating how the Saints remained competitive in hostile environments even then.

To sum it up, here are the Saints’ home and road splits over the last two years, a stretch of 31 games (including the playoffs):

  • Saints at home, 2018 to 2019: 12-5 (.705), average score of 29.9 to 24.8. Per-game scoring differential of 5.2.
  • Saints on the road, 2018 to 2019: 12-2 (.857), average score of 27.3 to 19.1. Per-game scoring differential of 8.1.

So the Saints not only have a stronger winning percentage on the road, they’re doing a better job of limiting opposing offenses while still putting up points at a rate that would rank top-five around the league. There’s no question that the Saints would prefer to host every playoff game they’re scheduled for, but it’s hardly a death sentence if they have to travel at some point. Saints coach Sean Payton and his staff are clearly up to embracing the challenge of playing — and winning — in a hostile venue; Saints fans should take the same approach.

[vertical-gallery id=24148]

Saints reveal uniform combination for Week 14 vs. 49ers

The New Orleans Saints announced their jersey-pants uniform combination for their Week 14 game against the San Francisco 49ers.

[jwplayer FgrNrsL9-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints will be wearing black jerseys with black pants during Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers, the team announced in an email shared with season-ticket holders detailing gameday festivities. The black-on-black uniform has been the Saints’ most-common look dating back to the 2017 season, and one of their most-winningest, logging a 15-5 record.

NFL rules stipulate that teams may only wear alternate jerseys (like the Saints’ “Color Rush” duds) three times per season, and they hit that limit last week against the Atlanta Falcons (having previously broken out the threads earlier this year in games with the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys). So we’ll be rolling with the black home jerseys and white away jerseys the rest of the season.

For the superstitious: the all-black look ranks high in winning percentage among uniform combinations used often since Sean Payton was hired to coach the team, back in 2006. We’d be remiss to not mention the alternate gold jerseys used during a 2002 game against the Minnesota Vikings, which they lost 32-31. Those jerseys haven’t been seen since.

Here is every uniform permutation used by the Saints during Payton’s tenure, ranked by winning percentage:

  • White jerseys, white pants: 3-0 (1.000)
  • “Color Rush” alternates: 6-2 (.750)
  • Black and gold throwbacks: 2-1 (.667)
  • Black jerseys, gold pants: 23-13 (.639)
  • Black jerseys, black pants: 40-26 (.606)
  • White jerseys, black pants: 38-25 (.603)
  • White jerseys, gold pants: 31-24 (.564)

[vertical-gallery id=23894]