Official NFL Release
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (4-3) AT NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (5-3)
SERIES
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BUCCANEERS |
SAINTS |
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SERIES LEADER |
22-17 |
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STREAKS |
3 of past 4 |
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COACHES VS. OPP. |
Morris: 3-2 |
Payton: 5-6 |
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LAST WEEK |
Bye (Wk. 7 L 24-18 vs. Bears in London) |
L 31-21 at Rams |
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LAST GAME |
10/16/11: Saints 20 at Buccaneers 26. Tampa Bay QB Josh Freeman passes for 303 yards & 2 TDs as Buccaneers race to 20-7 1st-half lead en route to victory. |
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LAST GAME AT SITE |
1/2/11: Buccaneers 23, Saints 13. Freeman completes 21 of 26 pass attempts (80.8 percent) for 255 yards & 2 TDs as Buccaneers earn division win. |
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BROADCAST |
FOX (12:00 PM CT): Dick Stockton, John Lynch, Jennifer Hale (Field reporter). SIRIUS: 136 (TB), 86 (NO). XM: 232 (NO). |
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STATS
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PASSING |
Freeman: 166-270-1,723-7-10-73.1 |
Brees: 242-343-2,746 (1L)-19 (T2L)-10-100.6 (3C) |
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RUSHING |
Blount: 77-328-4.3-3 |
Ingram (R): 85-329-3.9-3 |
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RECEIVING |
M. Williams: 31-317-10.2-1 |
Sproles (RB): 51 (1C)-389-7.6-2 |
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OFFENSE |
340.4 |
444.1 (2L) |
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TAKE/GIVE |
+1 |
-5 |
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DEFENSE |
391.1 |
346.0 |
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SACKS |
Clayborn (R): 3 |
Harper, Smith: 4.5 |
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INTs |
Jackson: 2 |
P. Robinson: 2 |
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PUNTING |
Koenen: 46.3 |
Morstead: 49.1 (2C) |
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KICKING |
Barth: 51 (12/12 PAT; 13/15 FG) |
Kasay: 76 (2L) (28/28 PAT; 16/19 FG) |
NOTES
BUCCANEERS: QB JOSH FREEMAN aims for 4th division win in row. Has won past 2 starts vs. NO, completing 44 of 67 (65.7 pct.) for 558 yards with 4 TDs vs. 0 INTs for 111.4 rating. In career, when he starts & has 100+ rating, Bucs are 7-1...When RB LE GARRETTE BLOUNT has 18+ carries, team is 7-1. In those 8, has rushed for 834 yards (104.3 per game) & 5 TDs...WR MIKE WILLIAMS had TD catch in last game at NO. Aims for 3rd in row with 6+ catches. Williams & TE KELLEN WINSLOW tie for team lead with 31 catches. Winslow has catch in 83 games in row. WR DEZMON BRISCOE had 24-yard TD in Week 7...CB RONDE BARBER has started 190 consecutive games, most by CB in NFL history. Only player in NFL annals with 25+ sacks (27) & 40+ INTs (41). Has 2 games with career-high 3 INTs, both vs. NO. Had safety in Week 7. DE ADRIAN CLAYBORN ranks 2nd among NFC rookies with 3 sacks. S TANARD JACKSON aims for 3rd in row with INT...
SAINTS: QB DREW BREES has 20+ comp. in NFL-record 28 games in row. Has TD pass in 35 consecutive games & can tie BRETT FAVRE (36) for 2nd-longest streak in NFL history. Since start of 2008, is 22-7 (.759) at home (incl. playoffs) with 70.1 comp. pct., 8,862 yards (305.6 per game), 77 TDs, 23 INTs & 109.5 rating...RB-PR-KR DARREN SPROLES is only player in NFL with 2 rush TD, 2 rec. TD & ret. TD. RB MARK INGRAM is 2nd among NFL rookies with 329 rush yards. Had rush TD in last meeting. RB PIERRE THOMAS has 9 TDs (5 rush, 4 rec.) in past 11 vs. division...TE JIMMY GRAHAM leads NFL TEs in receptions (49) & yards (713). Had 7 catches for 124 yards in last game vs. TB. WR MARQUES COLSTON had 7 catches for 118 yards & TD in last meeting. WR DEVERY HENDERSON has 5 rec. TDs vs. TB & averages 50 yards per TD catch. WR ROBERT MEACHEM has 20 career rec. TDs & 13 have gone for 25+ yards. Has 4 TDs in past 5 vs. TB...Since entering NFL in 2006, S ROMAN HARPER has 14 sacks, most by DB. DE WILL SMITH has sack in 3 of past 5 vs. TB. LB JONATHAN VILMA had FR-TD last week.
COOL BREES: Through Week 8, New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES leads the NFL with 2,746 passing yards. With 240 passing yards on Sunday against NFC South rival Tampa Bay, Brees can record the most passing yards ever through a team's first nine games of a season. Brees currently holds the record through nine games with 2,985 passing yards in 2008.
Brees also has a touchdown pass in 35 consecutive games and can tie BRETT FAVRE (36) for the second-longest streak in NFL history (Pro Football Hall of FamerJOHNNY UNITAS, 47).
The most passing yards through a team's first nine games of a season:
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QUARTERBACK |
TEAM |
YEAR |
MOST PASSING YARDS THROUGH 1ST 9 GAMES |
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Drew Brees |
2008 |
2,985 |
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Philip Rivers |
2010 |
2,944 |
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Rich Gannon |
2002 |
2,898 |
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Dan Fouts |
San Diego Chargers |
1982 |
2,883 |
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Peyton Manning |
2009 |
2,872 |
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Drew Brees |
New Orleans Saints |
2011 |
2,746* |
*Through eight games
Saints running back DARREN SPROLES (51) and tight end JIMMY GRAHAM (49) rank second and third in the NFL in receptions through Week 8. With one catch by Graham on Sunday, the Saints will become the first team to have a running back-tight end combo with 50+ catches apiece through the first nine games of a season.