What looked like a turning point last week quickly unraveled, raising questions about consistency and leadership
The New Orleans Saints didn't look like the same team against the Atlanta Falcons that we saw last time New Orleans took the field. The offense wasn't as seamless. Tyler Shough and the Saints offense saw some early success, but the team stalled out in Atlanta territory. Most of those drives ended with missed field goals by Blake Grupe.
The Saints spent much of the third quarter controlling the football, but not scoring points. There was a point where the FOX broadcast flashed a graphic where the Saints had the ball for over 30 plays, and scored just 3 points. The Falcons had the ball for six plays and scored 8 points.
If there was one thing to point to to illustrate what type of game it was, that's the perfect stat. The Saints were able to move the football but never finished the drive. If those early field goals were made, this game would have felt a lot different as it progressed.
Saints fight their way out of the NFC South basement
The Saints came into this game looking to get out of last place. With a victory against Atlanta, both teams would be sitting at 3-8. The Saints would have had the early tiebreaker. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and the Saints remain in last place of the NFC South.
The Saints are right where they were predicted to be near the bottom of the league. They are. They were predicted to be near the bottom of the league. They are. If there was a team they were expected to share the basement with, it would have been the Carolina Panthers. That surprisingly wasn't the case.
The Panthers came into Week 12 a half game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Falcons only had three wins and were on a five game losing streak. This was a true role reversal for Carolina and Atlanta.
The odds felt like they were in the Saints favor coming into the game. The Falcons were without Michael Penix Jr. and Drake London. The Saints found out Kirk Cousins still has a little left in the tank. The offense primarily flowed through Bijan Robinson, but Cousins did deliver a bomb to Darnell Mooney. That plus the Saints own inefficiencies on offense were enough for Atlanta to walk away with a victory.
Saints RB Alvin Kamara exits Falcons game with knee injury
Saints running back Alvin Kamara left Sunday's game against the Falcons with a knee injury and is questionable to return.
The New Orleans Saints entered Week 12 with a chance to beat a division rival. Saints running back Alvin Kamara made his return against the Falcons despite being questionable with an ankle injury. Unfortunately, Kamara quickly suffered another injury that forced him to leave the game.
Kamara suffered a knee injury and is questionable to return, per Falcons reporter Tori McElhaney. He was later ruled out for the rest of the game.
Kamara went to the injury tent after going down awkwardly after hauling in a reception.
The veteran running back only managed three attempts for 11 rushing yards, plus two receptions for four yards, before leaving the game.
Atlanta has one of the weaker run defense units in the NFL. In fact, they allowed 138.5 rushing yards per game headed into Week 12.
New Orleans was probably hoping that Kamara's return against such a defense could be a big opportunity. Now Kamara's availability for the rest of the season hangs in the balance.
New Orleans would have loved to see Kamara return to the game and provide some stability for the offense. The Saints were struggling when Kamara was in, but it got worse once he left the lineup.
In fact, the Saints owe their defense for keeping them in the game. Safety Justin Reid picked off Falcons QB Kirk Cousins for a pick-six. That was the only score by New Orleans during the first half.
The Saints only managed 95 total yards in the first half. They are down 16-7 at halftime.
Hopefully they can rally in the second half and secure a huge upset victory.
Myles Garrett endorses Shedeur Sanders as QB1 after impressive debut against Raiders
The Cleveland Browns have not officially named Shedeur Sanders the starter after he led the team to a 24-10 victory in Week 12. But the rookie passer has the support of superstar defender Myles Garrett after his strong starting debut.
Sanders finished with 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception against the Raiders, but his highlight came early. In the first quarter, he rolled out to escape pressure and uncorked a 52-yard strike to Isaiah Bond down the sideline. The play drew a stunned reaction from Myles Garrett, whose look of disbelief was caught on the broadcast.
“I was just like ‘wow,'” Garrett said of the play. “There’s not many guys in the league that can make that throw. That was a hell of a throw. I hope he can continue to grow and develop from making plays like that and take it from there.”
Browns Avoid Naming Shedeur Sanders Starting QB
The Browns have said that Dillon Gabriel will regain the starting job once he’s cleared from concussion protocol. He exited at halftime of the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens and wasn’t cleared to play this week. However, Gabriel didn’t provide the spark the offense needed before the injury. Cleveland went just 1-5 in his starts, and he struggled to deliver the kind of dynamic plays that could jump-start the unit.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski declined to address who would be the starter moving forward after Sunday’s win.
“I’m not going to get into that,” Stefanski said. “Obviously proud of him and proud of this offense. But I’m just going to worry about today,” Stefanski said. “I’m always going to take my time and do what’s best for the football team.”
Sanders’ first start was far from flawless, but the offense clearly had a different pulse with the former Colorado star running the show. And he’s certainly not speaking like a quarterback preparing to hand the job back next week.
“The fact that I got an opportunity and I was able to show the organization, show everybody who I really am, then now it’s truly exciting,” Sanders said. “I was off balance for a little bit, but I’m thankful to be back where I am.”
Browns DE Myles Garrett Makes History Against Raiders
Lost in the Shedeur-mania was the Garrett continuing his tear as he eyes the NFL single-season sack record. Garrett racked up three more sacks against the Raiders, bringing his total this season to 18. The single-season NFL sack record is jointly held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt, who both recorded 22.5 sacks in their respective seasons in 2001 and 2021.
Garrett has racked up 14 sacks over the Browns’ last five games — the most by any player in NFL history during that span. His takedowns of the Raiders also pushed him past his own single-season franchise record of 16 sacks.
“That’s a hell of a month, hell of a last four games. I don’t even think about it. I’m just thinking about the next one,” Garrett said. “I can’t tell you how much I’m really proud of this team, how we responded.”
The Browns will look to string together wins for the first time this season next week as they host the San Francisco 49ers.
