- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,245,246
- Reaction score
- 59
What did we learn about the New Orleans Saints on Sunday? This is a team that can compete with fringe playoff squads like the Arizona Cardinals, and if a few bounces go their way, they can win those battles. But that wasn't the case in Week 1. Still, win or lose, there's always something to be gained. So let's highlight some key stats from the first game of the season.
Jordan was credited with 1.5 sacks on Sunday, putting him at 123 in his career. That slots him ahead of longtime Saints rival Simeon Rice and ties him with the great Robert Mathis to rank 20th. He didn't get a single sack until Week 10 last year, so it's really encouraging to see him playing at a high level right off the bat.
How high could he climb this season? Here are some of the players ahead of Jordan and Mathis:
Kamara's 18-yard touchdown run was the 87th touchdown of his career, and the 1,000th touchdown the Saints have scored at the Caesars Superdome. How special is that? He still ranks fifth in touchdowns scored among active players, but Kamara is up to 53rd all-time. He's tied with Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Lance Alworth. Scoring another touchdown will put him among the top 50 scorers in NFL history, and in a seven-way tie with this group:
Rattler ended the day with just 214 passing yards off of 45 pass attempts, without a touchdown or an interception. It's just the sixth time a quarterback has put up so few yards on so many passes since the year 2000. In NFL history, it's happened 15 times, and teams are 3-12 when their quarterbacks have these kinds of numbers. He's got to do a better job pushing the ball downfield and giving speedsters like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks a fighting chance.
Here are the other quarterbacks who most recently joined the group:
Kellen Moore's team was flagged 16 times, though only 13 of those penalties were enforced. And that ties the high-water mark set by the 2017 team in a Week 6 win over the Detroit Lions. While that team saw a near-equal distribution between the offense (4), defense (4), and special teams (5), this year the Saints had 11 fouls just on their offense. And eight of those were pre-snap penalties: three false starts, two illegal formation, two illegal shifts, and one offsides foul. That can't happen. You expect some growing pains with a new coaching staff, but the Saints have too many guys who have been there before on offense to hurt themselves like this.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL Week 1: 4 memorable stats to know from Saints vs. Cardinals
Continue reading...
Cameron Jordan ranks top-20 in sacks, all-time
Jordan was credited with 1.5 sacks on Sunday, putting him at 123 in his career. That slots him ahead of longtime Saints rival Simeon Rice and ties him with the great Robert Mathis to rank 20th. He didn't get a single sack until Week 10 last year, so it's really encouraging to see him playing at a high level right off the bat.
How high could he climb this season? Here are some of the players ahead of Jordan and Mathis:
- 19. Dwight Freeney (125.5)
- 18. Derrick Thomas (126.5)
- 17. Rickey Jackson (128.0)
- 16. Von Miller (129.5)
- Tied-14. Leslie O'Neal and Lawrence Taylor (132.5)
Alvin Kamara scored the 1,000th Saints touchdown at home
Kamara's 18-yard touchdown run was the 87th touchdown of his career, and the 1,000th touchdown the Saints have scored at the Caesars Superdome. How special is that? He still ranks fifth in touchdowns scored among active players, but Kamara is up to 53rd all-time. He's tied with Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Lance Alworth. Scoring another touchdown will put him among the top 50 scorers in NFL history, and in a seven-way tie with this group:
- Antonio Brown
- Ezekiel Elliott
- Irving Fryar
- Don Maynard
- Andre Reed
- Thurman Thomas
Spencer Rattler joins some unpleasant company
Rattler ended the day with just 214 passing yards off of 45 pass attempts, without a touchdown or an interception. It's just the sixth time a quarterback has put up so few yards on so many passes since the year 2000. In NFL history, it's happened 15 times, and teams are 3-12 when their quarterbacks have these kinds of numbers. He's got to do a better job pushing the ball downfield and giving speedsters like Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and Brandin Cooks a fighting chance.
Here are the other quarterbacks who most recently joined the group:
- Deshaun Watson (Week 1, 2024): 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, 169 yards on 45 attempts
- Blake Bortles (Week 10, 2015): 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, 188 yards on 45 attempts
- Ryan Mallett (Week 12, 2014): 0 touchdowns, 1 interception, 189 yards on 45 attempts
- Matthew Stafford (Week 8, 2010): 4 touchdowns, 1 interception, 212 yards on 45 attempts
- Jake Plummer (Week 14, 2001): 1 touchdown, 0 interceptions, 207 yards on 45 attempts
Saints' penalties were their most fouls since 2017
Kellen Moore's team was flagged 16 times, though only 13 of those penalties were enforced. And that ties the high-water mark set by the 2017 team in a Week 6 win over the Detroit Lions. While that team saw a near-equal distribution between the offense (4), defense (4), and special teams (5), this year the Saints had 11 fouls just on their offense. And eight of those were pre-snap penalties: three false starts, two illegal formation, two illegal shifts, and one offsides foul. That can't happen. You expect some growing pains with a new coaching staff, but the Saints have too many guys who have been there before on offense to hurt themselves like this.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL Week 1: 4 memorable stats to know from Saints vs. Cardinals
Continue reading...
