Saints season ends with NFC divisional playoff loss to Seattle

There was no celebration for the Saints' Who Dat Nation on Saturday. The Saints failed to get it done in the divisional round playoffs falling to the Seattle Seahawks 23-15 as the Black & Gold offense sputtered in the first half. Seattle and their 12th Man did get the job done and proved they and proved one again they are the better team having derailed the Saints 34-7 back in week 13 also in Seattle.. The Saints finish the season 12-6, while Seattle improved to 14-3 and will now host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game at CenturyLink Field Sunday at 5:30. Seattle dominated the game, especially in the first half rushing out to a 16-0 advantage as they dominated the early play and used the consistent running of Marshawn Lynch, who finished with 140 yards 28 carries including TD runs of 15 and 31 yards. With the Seahawks' ground game controlling the clock and time of possession quarterback Russell Wilson only put the ball up 18 timne completing nine passes for 109 yards. Wilson also ran the ball three times for 16 yards keeping the SDaints' defense honest. The Saints shot themselves in the foot early with Mark Ingram fumbling the ball and Shayne Graham missed an early field goal as the Black & Gold fell behind. The Saints' defense actually played a pretty good ball game and the club never quit being able to battle back with two fourth quarter touchdowns. Marques Colston caught 11 passes for 144 yards with a nine-yard touchdown reception from Drew Brees, but it wasn't enough. Saints all-pro tight end Jimmy Graham was a non-factor coming up with just one reception for eight yards. Brees struggled mightily in the first half and only had 34 yards through the air, which helped to be the team's undoing. Brees managed to get on track during the second half, finishing with 309 yards hitting on 24-of-43 passing attempts. Khiry Robinson showed his ability rushing for 57 yards on 13 carries followed by Ingram with 49 yards on 10 rushes.The Saints finished with 108 yards rushing on 26 carries averaging 4.2 yards per attempt, while Seattle gained 174 yards on 35 carries, averaging 5-yards per attempt.   

New Orleans' head coach Sean Payton continues motivational tactics with Saints

The 12-5 New Orleans Saints returned to practice yesterday and head coach Sean Payton the master motivator continues to do what he can to energize his club as they prepare to meet the 13-3 Seattle Seahawks on the road Saturday afternoon with a 3:35 kick off. The Saints proved Saturday with their 26-24 come-from-behind victory over the Philadelphia Eagles that they are worthy of being in Seattle for the divisional round playoff game. It was no picnic for the Saints the last time they met Seattle in week 13 as they limped home following a frustrating 34-7 loss. Coach Payton is up to his old antics as he had the team's practice  fields painted with the Seahawks' logos as the team prepares for Saturday's playoff game.

Saints prepping for wild card showdown with much improved Philadelphia Eagles

In the NFL, the Saints are focused on their wild card playoff encounter Saturday with the explosive Philadelphia Eagles, who are on a roll being sparked by young quarterback Nick Foles, who has posted the best quarterback efficiency rating in the NFL at 119.7. The 11-5 Saints travel to Philly to take on the 10-6 Eagles, the NFC East champions, in what will prove to be a major task in frigid conditions for the road challenged Black & Gold. The Saints have only mustered a 3-5 road-record, while posting an 8-0 mark in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Saturday night's wild card game kicks off  7:10.

Saints hosting Tampa Bay Bucs still hoping for No. 2 playoff seed

Saints' rookie first-round draft choice Kenny Vaccaro chats with defensive coordinator Rob Ryan earlier this season. Vaccaro was placed on the injured reserve list after breaking his ankle in the team's 17-13 loss last week to the Carolina Panthers. Photo courtesy of the New Orleans Saints.

The 10-5 New Orleans Saints face a crucial test at home Sunday taking on the 4-11 Tampa Bay
Buccaneers in a 3:25 kick off with major playoff implications on the line. A Saints' victory
Sunday would guarantee them a spot in the playoffs. If the saints win the Carolina Panthers lose to the Atlanta Falcons the Black & Gold  would claim the coveted No. 2 seed. The Saints put themselves in a somewhat precarious situation following their disappointing 17-13 road loss to the Panthers last Sunday. The Saints announced yesterday they have placed rookie first-round pick safety Kenny Vaccaro on injured reserve after he suffered a season ending ankle injury in the loss to Carolina. The Saints also announced the signing of corner back Terrence Frederick from the Cleveland Browns' practice squad. Frederick, 5-10, 187-pounds, a former Texas A & M star, was drafted last year by the  Pittsburgh Steelers as the 246th pick overall. A number of Saints' players were listed as limited in practice including signal caller Drew Brees with some type of knee issue. Brees' favorite target in recent weeks, Marques Colston, was also listed as limited for Sunday's big game with Tampa Bay. Buccaneers' guard Carl Nicks, a fifth-round pick of the Saints in 2008, earned two pro bowl appearances with the team during his four-year tenure with the Black & Gold.   

New Orleans Saints dominate Carolina Panthers in prime time; Drew Brees sets mark surpassing 50,000 yards

Saints' QB Drew Bres passes for 313 yards with four TDs surpassing the 50,000 yard barrier.

Saints' Marques Colston (12) is congratulated by teammate Lance Moore (16) after a TD reception against the Panthers.

The New Orleans Saints returned to their usual prime time form last night rolling past the Carolina Panthers 31-13 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in a record setting performance by quarterback Drew Brees, who passed for four touchdowns throwing for 313 yards on 30-of-42 passing. Brees became the fifth NFL quarterback to throw for over 50,000 yards joining four others and did it in 183 games, the quickest of either of them to accomplish the feat. Marques Coltston worked himself free and showed good hands, hauling in nine receptions for 125 yards with two scores. Jimmy Graham delivered catching six balls for 58 yards and two scores. The 10-3 Saints used a superb defensive team effort, which was able to bottle up Cam Newton sacking him five times triggered by Junior Galette with three and Cam Jordan, who recorded two, breaking the Panthers' eight game winning streak. The Saints' secondary did an excellent job throttling the Carolina receivers of Steve Smith, former LSU player Brandon LaFell and tight end Greg Olsen. Newton finished 22-of-34 for only 160 yards with a TD pass to Smith. Olsen caught eight passes for 40 yards, while Smith finished with six catches but for just 49 yards and LaFell had two receptions for 22 yards. The Saints took care of business in their key NFC South Division battle and square off next with the St. Louis Rams on the road this Sunday. Following the Rams' game the Saints gear up for another encounter with the Panthers, this time in Carolina before closing out the regular season hosting the much improved Tampa Bay Bucs Dec. 29. 

Saints hosting Carolina Panthers in crucial NFC South Division contest

 

The New Orleans Saints continue their preparations to host the surprising Carolina Panthers coming off their dismal showing Monday Night in a 34-7 lopsided road loss to the 11-1 Seattle Seahawks. The Saints and Panthers are both 9-3 tied for the league lead in the NFC South Division race. Carolina has won eight straight games with quarterback Cam Newton finding his rhythm. Newton presents the Saints' defense with similar challenges that they faced trying to contain Seattle's Russell Wilson, which they didn't do a very good job of. The Panthers' defense has allowed just 13.1 points per game, the NFL low, and they are plus 10 in turnover margin.  The Saints enter with a plus 3 turnover margin. Carolina's defense only allows 289.9 yards per game, giving up 209 passing yards per game and only 80 yards on the ground. The Panthers' aggressive defense has recorded 39 sacks, second most in the league, while the Saints pass rush has generated 38 sacks, while Drew Brees has been sacked 24 times. Brees and his offensive weapons will definitely have their hands full trying to generate some much needed offense after picking up only 188 total yards and scoring just seven points in last week's debacle at Seattle. The Saints' offensive line will have to do a better job protecting Brees giving him more time to look down field. Tight end Jimmy Graham leads the Black & Gold with 68 receptions for 988 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns. Pierre Thomas has latched onto 60 catches for 427 yards and three TDs. Curtis Lofton's tops the Saints' defense with 98 tackles including 63 solos with a sack. Linebacker David Hawthorne is next with 68 tackles followed by rookie safety Kenny Vaccaro with 64.   
   

Saints hold off Falcons in Georgia Dome

New Orleans Saints' running back Pierre Thomas rips off a big gainer in Thursday night's 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in the Georgia Dome. Thomas finished with 73 yards rushing and caught five passes for 57 yards. Photo courtesy of SBNation.

The Saints 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons wasn't pretty and it wasn't a convincing outing, but nonetheless it is a key 'W' for the club.
The 9-2 Saints have some off time coming following last night's win and travel to Seattle to battle the once beaten Seahawks Dec. 2 on a Monday Night encounter.
The Saints' defense did another good job last night sacking Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan five times with Cameron Jordan recording 2 1/2 sacks to help spark the defense, which did a tremendous job pressuring the Falcons' signal caller. Jordan, who consistently puts pressure on the opposing QB, leads the team with 9 1/2
sacks.
Running back Pierre Thomas, an unsung hero on the Saints' offense, put together another solid performance in workman like fashion, rushing for 73 yards on just 10 carries. Thomas also caught five passes for 57 yards on nicely executed screen passes from Drew Brees, helping to spark the offense.
Brees finished 23-of-33 for 278 yards with touchdown passes to Ben Watson, one yard and Jimmy Graham from 44-yards out. Graham notched his sixth 100-yard receiving game, tying him with the Falcons' Tony Gonzalez, who did it in 2000 and again in 2004.  

Saints squeak past 49ers on Garrett Hartley's game-winning kick

 

Saints' Garrett Hartley (5) boots 31-yard game-winning field goal as time expired out of Luke McCown's (7) hold propelling the the Black & Gold to a thrilling 23-20 win.  AP Photo by Bill Haber.

The New Orleans Saints secured an exhilarating 23-20 victory yesterday over the San Francisco 49ers on a clutch 31-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley as time expired before an enthusiastic Mercedes-Benz Superdome crowd. The 8-2 Saints have a short turnaround as they head to Atlanta for a Thursday night encounter with the struggling 2-8 Dirty Birds in the Georgia Dome. When these two NFC South bitter rivals tee it up, you can throw out the records. 
Drew Brees had another clutch outing yesterday as he passed for 305 yards, connecting on 30-of-43 attempts with a score including engineering the game's final drive setting the Black & Gold up for the winning drive culminating in Hartley's game-winner with no time left. Hartley also connected on on a 21-yarder and a key 42-yarder, which tied the game at 20-20 with just 2:06 remaining. 
Brees shared the ball connecting with 11 different receivers. Marques Colston, who has battled injuries this season, caught five passes for 80 yards including a key reception on the game's final drive helping to put the Saints in field goal position. Colston became the Saints all-time receiving yardage leader as he surpassed Eric Martin.
The Saints' defense playing without rookie first round pick Kenny Vaccaro out with a concussion
lost Jabari Greer early in the game after he suffered some sort of knee injury and didn't return. Corey White intercepted a Colin Kaepernick pass and returned it down to the 49ers' two yard line before he fumbled the ball out of the end zone resulting in a touch back. Saints' linebacker David Hawthorne turned in a superb effort, registering eight tackles including six solo stops with one tackle for a loss.    

Brees and Ingram lead Saints' victory over Dallas

Saints' QB Drew Brees releases a pass in Sunday night's 49-17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. Photo by Bill Haber/Associated Press.

The New Orleans Saints were in true playoff form last night in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome
thrashing the Dallas Cowboys 49-17 as Drew Brees demonstrated pinpoint accuracy throwing for 392
yards and four touchdowns in the rout. The Black & Gold set an NFL record, picking up 40 first downs and gained a franchise record 625 yards.
The Saints, 7-2, moved to 5-0 in the friendly confines of the Dome this year as Brees clicked on 34-of-41 passes without throwing a pick.
Brees completed a career-high 19 consecutive passes at one point before misfiring trying to find Benjamin Watson in the end zone. Just as important the Saints' offensive line got the job done against an injury riddled Cowboys' defensive unit as former first round pick Mark Ingram turned in a superb effort, rushing for
145 yards on 14 carries including a 4-yard TD run, averaging 10.4 yards per carry. Pierre Thomas also got the job done picking up 87 yards on 17 carries, averaging 5.1 yards with a score.
Marquis Colston returned to action after missing last week and caught seven balls for 104 yards with a touchdown. Darren Sproles also had seven receptions for 76 yards with a TD. The Saints' defense did its job holding the Cowboys to just 193 yards of total offense and only nine first downs, while sacking Tony Romo three times for 24 yards in losses.
The Saints host the San Francisco 49ers Sunday. The 49ers came up short falling to the much improved Carolina Panthers, 10-9. The Panthers trail the Saints by just one game in the NFC South.   

City of New Orleans invited to bid on 2018 Super Bowl

The National Football League has invited the city of New Orleans along with Indianapolis and Minneapolis to bid for the right to host the 2018 Super Bowl. If selected, the Crescent City would be on display as it celebrates its Tricentennial and would host its record 11th Super Bowl party. Being a host for the Super Bowl is something the Big Easy has had lots of experience doing and it would be a major party for all key players having another opportunity to showcase our wonderful sports town and avid Black & Gold fan base.
If selected as the 2018 Super Bowl host city much of the credit would go to Saints' owner Tom Benson, who continues to play a key role as an ambassador convincing the NFL owners to consider our city as a potential host. Benson made a pitch in front of the Super Bowl Advisory Committee Monday and again yesterday speaking to the other 31 NFL team owners  at the Washington, D. C. meetings.

Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation president and CEO Jay Cicero, whose organization partnered
with the Saints to garner the invitation said, "I've got to hand it to Mr. Benson. We are very happy and very proud to be partnered with the Saints on this bid. Hopefully, if we are successful, we will be able to host a record 11th Super Bowl here in New Orleans in 2018," added Cicero.
The Saints continue their preparations for this week's opponent, 4-1 New England, traveling to
Foxboro, Mass., doing battle with Tom Brady and the Patriots.
The Saints are only one of three remaining undefeated teams joining the Denver Broncos and
the surprising Kansas City Chiefs. The Saints don't face either of those two teams during the
regular season.
The Saints squad had a much deserved day off yesterday and are off to their fourth 5-0 start,
having done that in 1991, 1993 and the Black & Gold's memorable Super Bowl season of 2009.
   

Saints heading to Chicago to battle Da Bears

The Saints, off to their best start since the 2009 Super Bowl championship, take their 4-0
mark into Soldier Field in Chicago to do battle with the Bears.
Chicago, 3-1, is coming off a 40-32 Sunday road loss to Reggie Bush and the Detroit Lions.
Bears' first-year head coach Marc Trestman had the Bears off to a 3-0 start in spite of some
serious defensive deficiencies.
The Bears' defense couldn't contain Bush, the Saints' former No. 1 draft pick, who finished
with 139 yards on 18 carries.
While the Saints' defense continued its dramatic turnaround from a year ago, the team's offensive
line is struggling. The Saints' one weakness to this point is the lackluster play of the O-line, not opening holes and doing a very good job of protecting Drew Brees.
Despite Brees passing for 413 yards and four touchdowns, the Saints only managed 68 yards on 24 carries, just 2.8 yards per rush. The Saints haven't rushed for 100 yards in any of their four outings and running the ball was supposed to be a main focus for the team this season according to coach Sean Payton.
Kirey Robinson topped the ground game with 37 yards on 12 rushes, averaging 3.1 yards per game
followed by Darren Sproles with 28 yards on just four carries, including his 5-yard TD run.
The Saints' defense, which recorded three picks and a fumble recovery, will have its hands full
trying to stop Bears' QB Jay Cutler and former Slidell High Tiger and Tulane University
graduate Matt Forte at Soldier Field.
Forte, 27, a six-year vet with the Bears, gained 95 yards with a TD in last week's loss to Detroit. Forte has picked up 320 yards on 69 carries, averaging 4.6 yards per rush with three TDs this season.
Forte is also second with 23 receptions behind team leader Brandon Marshall with 27 catches.
He has 160 receiving yards with 101 of those yards coming after the catch. 
Forte has rushed for 5,647 yards in his six-year career since becoming a Bear in 2008. He has 38
career TDs, 29 rushing and nine receiving. Forte is someone the Saints' defense will have to keep
an eye on this Sunday if they want to be successful and continue their unbeaten streak.

Chicago Bears' running back Matt Forte, who starred for the Slidell High Tigers and Tulane University. Photo courtesy of Chicago Bears.