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New Orleans Saints

KC Chiefs Remain Unbeaten; Carr Hurt

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KANSAS CITY – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Kareem Hunt and Xavier Worthy of Kansas City rushed for touchdowns, Harrison Butker kicked four field goals, Patrick Mahomes passed for 331 yards and the host Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints 26-13 on Monday night.

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JuJu Smith-Schuster caught seven passes for 130 yards and Travis Kelce made nine receptions for 70 yards to help the Chiefs (5-0) overcome the absence of injured wide receivers Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice.

Hunt rushed for 102 yards, while Mahomes completed 28 of 39 passes with one interception.

New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr completed 18 of 28 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns with one interception before leaving the game because of an oblique injury in the fourth quarter.

Rashid Shaheed finished with four catches for 86 yards and a touchdown, but the Saints (2-3) lost their third consecutive game.

The Chiefs had an opportunity to extend their 16-7 halftime lead on the first possession of the third quarter, but Butker’s 51-yard field goal hit the right upright and caromed wide.

Kansas City drove to the New Orleans 2-yard line on its next possession, but a Mahomes pass was intercepted in the end zone by defensive tackle Khalen Saunders, who returned to the New Orleans 35. Both teams went scoreless in the third quarter.

On the second play of the fourth quarter Carr threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau, pulling New Orleans within 16-13. Blake Grupe’s extra-point kick was no good.

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The Chiefs needed just five plays to answer as Mahomes connected with Smith-Schuster for a 50-yard gain and Kelce received a direct snap and handed to Worthy for a 3-yard touchdown run and a 23-13 lead.

Butker’s 38-yard field goal completed the scoring with 3:03 remaining.

On Kansas City’s first possession, Hunt ran 5 yards for a touchdown that gave the hosts a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Chiefs increased the lead on a 26-yard field goal from Butker before Carr threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to Shaheed to pull New Orleans within 10-7.

Kansas City overcame a second-and-34 on its way to a 34-yard Butker field goal, and the kicker added a 28-yarder to increase the lead to nine points entering halftime.

–Field Level Media

NFL: Rams Make a Stand

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INGLEWOOD – LA Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw two touchdown passes and the surging Los Angeles Rams strengthened their playoff chances with a 30-22 victory against the visiting New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.

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Stafford passed for 328 yards and threw touchdowns to Puka Nacua, who had 164 receiving yards, and Demarcus Robinson as the Rams (8-7), who entered the game in possession of the final wild-card berth in the NFC, won for the fifth time in six games.

Derek Carr passed for 319 yards, including 123 to Chris Olave, and three touchdowns, but two of them came after the Saints (6-7) fell behind 30-7.

The Rams received the second-half kickoff and drove to the Saints 3 before stalling, and Lucas Havrisik kicked a 22-yard field goal that gave them a 20-7 lead.

Kyren Williams ran for 10 of his 104 yards and a touchdown that pushed the lead to 27-7 and Havrisik added a 32-yard field goal before Carr threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson.

Carr connected with A.T. Perry for a 35-yard touchdown and a two-point conversion to Olave to trim the lead to 30-22 with 3:53 left, but the Rams recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Los Angeles started its first possession at its 5 and the 14th play of the drive was a 2-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Nacua on fourth-and-goal, giving the Rams a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Rams drove to Havrisik’s 20-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead, but missed an opportunity to increase the lead when Havrisik was wide left on a 47-yard field-goal attempt.

The Saints broke through when Carr connected with Rashid Shaheed for a 45-yard touchdown pass that cut the lead to 10-7.

New Orleans turned the ball over at the Rams 42 with 56 seconds left in the half when Carr threw an incompletion on fourth-and-5.

Five plays later, Stafford threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Robinson that increased the lead to 17-7 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

Lawrence Leads Jags Over Saints

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NEW ORLEANS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Ailing Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence threw a tie-breaking 44-yard touchdown pass to WR Christian Kirk late in the fourth quarter and the visiting Jaguars made a goal-line stand to win their fourth consecutive game, defeating the New Orleans Saints 31-24 Thursday night.

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Lawrence, whose status was uncertain until pregame warmups because of a nagging knee injury, completed 20 of 29 passes for 204 yards and the one score. He found Kirk on a crossing route that enabled the Jaguars (5-2) to overcome a fourth-quarter comeback by the Saints (3-4).

Saints QB Derek Carr, who completed 33 of 55 for 301 yards, drove New Orleans to a first-and-goal at the 6 in the final minute, but threw four straight incompletions. Saints tight end Foster Moreau was wide open in the end zone when he dropped a third-down pass with 25 seconds left.

Down by 11 at halftime, the Saints drove to Blake Grupe’s 42-yard field goal on the first possession of the third quarter to get within 17-9.

Foyesade Oluokun made the Jaguars’ NFL-leading 16th takeaway when he intercepted Carr and returned 24 yards for a touchdown that pushed the lead to 24-9.

On the second play of the fourth quarter, Taysom Hill ran 1 yard on fourth down for a touchdown that reduced the lead to 24-16.

Jacksonville’s RB Travis Etienne Jr., who rushed for two touchdowns, was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-1 at the New Orleans 47 midway through the fourth. Three plays later, Carr threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Michael Thomas and connected with Alvin Kamara for a two-point conversion that tied the score with 6:38 remaining.

The Jaguars received the opening kickoff and drove 75 yards, scoring on Etienne’s 2-yard touchdown run.

The Saints moved into scoring range on the ensuing possession, but Grupe was wide right on a 51-yard field-goal attempt.

New Orleans recovered a fumbled punt at the Jacksonville 17 but could drive only 12 yards. Grupe kicked a 23-yard field goal to trim the lead to 7-3 at the end of the first quarter.

On the fourth play of the second quarter, Etienne ran 17 yards for a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.

Grupe added a 35-yard field goal and Brandon McManus answered with a 43-yard field goal, leaving the Jaguars with a 17-6 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Patriots Beaten Down (Again)

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Saints veteran QB Derek Carr threw two touchdown passes and the New Orleans’ defense forced three turnovers in a 34-0 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts.

Carr passed for 183 yards, Alvin Kamara rushed for 80 yards and a touchdown and Tyrann Mathieu got the rout started by returning an interception of Mac Jones for the game’s first score.

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The Saints (3-2) ended their NFL-worst streak of 10 consecutive games scoring 21 or fewer points.

For the second straight week, Jones had two interceptions and a lost fumble before being replaced by Bailey Zappe in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots (1-4) nearly matched the futility of their 38-3 loss at Dallas a week earlier, the most lopsided defeat in Bill Belichick’s 29 seasons as a head coach. Sunday’s margin was the largest in a home shutout loss in franchise history.

Belichick failed for a second consecutive week to join Don Shula and George Halas as the only NFL head coaches to win 300 games.

New England, which finished with 156 yards and eight first downs, went 1-of-14 on third-down conversions and 0-for-2 on fourth downs.

Jones lost a fumble on the first possession of the third quarter, leading to Blake Grupe’s 54-yard field goal and a 24-0 New Orleans lead at the end of the third quarter.

Pete Werner intercepted Jones at the New England 31, and Carr’s ensuing 6-yard touchdown pass to Foster Moreau made it a 31-0 lead. Grupe’s 53-yard field goal completed the scoring with 5:43 left.

Jones, who had an interception and a fumble returned for touchdowns last week, was intercepted on New England’s second possession Sunday by Mathieu, who returned it 27 yards for a touchdown that gave New Orleans a 7-0 first-quarter lead.

On the second play of the second quarter, Kamara ran 2 yards for the Saints’ first offensive touchdown in 20 possessions, increasing the lead to 14-0.

They made it two touchdown drives in a row when Carr threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave for a 21-0 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media

Big Game for Patriots and Saints

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FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New England Patriots are coming off the most lopsided loss in Bill Belichick‘s 29 seasons as a head coach while the New Orleans Saints are in the midst of one of the worst stretches of offense in the NFL.

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Both teams are seeking significant improvement when they meet Sunday afternoon in Massachusetts.

New England (1-3) lost 38-3 at Dallas last Sunday as quarterback Mac Jones turned the ball over three times, including a pick six and a scoop and score.

“The biggest thing is moving on from it and learning from it,” Jones said. “(I need to) take care of the football, go through my reads. That’s all I can do as the quarterback, and I feel like the guys are doing a good job. So, I just have to get the ball out to them and let them make plays.”

Belichick, who’s in his 24th season as Patriots head coach after five seasons as Cleveland’s head coach, has a chance to achieve a far more positive milestone this week. If New England beats New Orleans, Belichick will join George Halas and Don Shula as the only coaches with 300 career regular-season victories.

“That wasn’t our best game,” Belichick said of last week’s loss. “We’re capable of more than that. We just have to play collectively better complementary team football, and that includes everything – offense, defense, special teams.”

The Patriots rank 30th in scoring and 17th in yards. The Saints are tied for 25th in scoring and are 23rd in yards.

New Orleans has scored 21 or fewer points in 10 consecutive games, the longest such streak in the NFL.

The Saints (2-2) have lost two games in a row and failed to reach the end zone in a 26-9 home loss to Tampa Bay last week.

Derek Carr passed for just 127 yards while playing with a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder that forced him to miss two days of practice last week.

“I feel much better this week than I did at this time last week,” Carr said after practice Wednesday. “I’ve been through tougher times than this. We’re going to be all right. We’ve got the right kind of people in our room.”

New Orleans ranks 25th in rushing offense even after leading rusher Alvin Kamara returned last week from a three-game suspension. He had 51 yards on 11 carries against the Bucs.

“The sense of urgency is extremely high,” guard James Hurst said. “We’re not playing up to the level that we hoped to at this point in the season.

“It’s extremely frustrating because we know we have the potential to move the ball and score points, but at the same time we’re hopeful because you look around the offense and see players who have proven they can make plays.”

Two Patriots injured against the Cowboys missed practice Wednesday – rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) and pass rusher Matthew Judon (elbow). New England addressed Gonzalez’s absence when it re-acquired former All-Pro cornerback J.C. Jackson in a trade with the Chargers on Wednesday.

Two Saints starters besides Carr were limited Wednesday: cornerback Paulson Adebo, who has missed the past two games because of a hamstring injury, and center Erik McCoy (knee).

– Field Level Media

NFL Sports Desk: Saints, Cards on TNF

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GLENDALE – (Staff and Wire Service Preview from Field Level Media) – The New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals both had high expectations entering the season. But both are off to 2-4 starts as they try to get their campaigns headed in the right direction when they meet tonight in Arizona.

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The Cardinals lost two offensive starters to major injuries during a 19-9 loss at Seattle last Sunday. Left guard Justin Pugh suffered a torn ACL that will end his season and wide receiver Marquise Brown will miss at least several weeks because of a foot injury.

“It’s tough anytime you lose starters that you’re depending on in your offense,” Arizona coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “But it’s the NFL and everybody is dealing with the same thing. We’ve got to be able to continue to play and improve, so we’ll make adjustments and go from there.”

The Cardinals got a boost when wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins came off the suspended list Monday and the team bolstered the position further by trading two draft choices to the Carolina Panthers for Robbie Anderson.

Hopkins is expected to make his season debut against the Saints and Kingsbury said he’s hopeful Anderson will be able to play, though the short week provides limited practice opportunities.

“I’m really excited to see what he brings,” Kingsbury said of Hopkins. “He’s a guy you can throw out and expect to make plays, there’s no doubt. We’ll see how he fits in, but he’s the centerpiece of it.”

Three Arizona starters — center Rodney Hudson (knee), running back James Conner (ribs) and kicker Matt Prater (hip) — missed practice Tuesday, as did backup running back Darrel Williams (knee).

[Read more…] about NFL Sports Desk: Saints, Cards on TNF

Vikings Hold Off Saints in London

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LONDON – (Staff with Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – Greg Joseph kicked five field goals, including a game-winning 47-yarder with 24 seconds left, as the Minnesota Vikings held off the New Orleans Saints 28-25 on Sunday in the NFL’s International Series in Britain.

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Wil Lutz, whose 60-yard field goal tied the score for the Saints moments earlier, tried a 61-yarder on the final play of the game, but the ball hit the left upright and the crossbar before falling short in the end zone.

Kirk Cousins completed 25 of 38 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings (3-1).

Andy Dalton, starting in place of injured Jameis Winston, completed 20 of 28 for 236 yards and a touchdown for the Saints (1-3), who lost their third straight.

After Lutz tied the score with 1:51 left, Cousins and Justin Jefferson connected on a 39-yard completion to set up Joseph.

Joseph’s 24-yard field goal increased Minnesota’s lead to 16-7 early in the third quarter.

Dalton and Marquez Callaway teamed on a 33-yard completion, leading to Latavius Murray’s 1-yard touchdown run that trimmed the lead to 16-14 at the end of the third quarter.

Minnesota used a fake punt to convert a fourth-and-2, leading to Joseph’s 46-yard field goal and a 19-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Taysom Hill ran 2 yards for a touchdown and Dalton’s two-point conversion pass to Jarvis Landry gave the Saints their first lead, 22-19 with 9:29 left.

The Vikings converted four third downs — three on defensive penalties — on their way to Jefferson’s 3-yard touchdown run. But Joseph missed the extra point, leaving Minnesota with a 25-22 lead.

That made a difference when Lutz tied the score with his 60-yarder.

Cousins’ 15-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Mattison on the first possession of the game gave the Vikings a 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Saints converted three third downs, the last of which came on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Dalton to rookie Chris Olave to tie the score.

Joseph made 28- and 36-yard field goals to increase the lead to 13-7 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

NFL Sports Desk: Winston Out in London

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LONDON – (Staff and Wire Service Report from Field Level Media) – New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston will miss Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in London due to back and ankle injuries. The Saints downgraded Winston from doubtful to out on Saturday.

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Veteran Andy Dalton will serve as the starting quarterback for the Saints (1-2).

Winston has been dealing with back issues since Week 1. The injuries to his ankle and foot became known during the week following the Saints’ second game and he didn’t practice at all this week making Saturday’s announcement an expected development.

Winston, 28, has passed for 858 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions this season in his third campaign with the Saints. He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winston has passed for 21,840 yards, 139 touchdowns and 96 interceptions in 86 games (80 starts).

The Saints ruled out receiver Michael Thomas (foot), guard Andrus Peat (concussion) and safety Marcus Maye (ribs) on Friday.

Dalton, 34, has started 148 of 152 games played during his 12 NFL seasons. He has passed for 35,279 yards, 226 touchdowns and 135 interceptions for the Cincinnati Bengals (2011-19), Dallas Cowboys (2020) and Chicago Bears (2021).

New Orleans also signed quarterback Jake Luton to the active roster from the practice squad on Saturday. Luton, 26, started three games for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 and passed for 624 yards, two touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Saints also waived fullback Adam Prentice.

–Field Level Media