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New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram has never had a 100-yard rushing game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Week 9 would be a perfect time to change that.
Last Sunday against the Bears, Ingram coughed up the ball twice in the 4th Quarter to give Chicago new life, and it nearly cost the Saints their fifth-straight victory. However, their defense helped solidify a win. Ingram knew it, and he wasn’t shy about telling reporters in post game locker rooms about it.
“We had a chance to ice it, and I really let a lot of my teammates down,” said Ingram.
“I sucked. I sucked. That’s the bottom line. I sucked. Two back-to-back possessions about to ice the game and I sucked. Let the ball go, hurt my team, hurt my coaches. That’s the thing about a family, that’s the thing about a team, they lift you up. They held my back, and we were able to get the W.”
It wasn’t over for Ingram, who also took to Twitter to tell the world that he was super whack.
I was super whack today. My teammates savage af n bail me out! I WILL bounce back! I owe my team and Nola! Good W #WhoDat #GodWins
— Mark Ingram II (@MarkIngram22) October 29, 2017
Head coach Sean Payton made it a point on Wednesday to discuss Ingram, providing confidence in his running back to bounce back.
“I’m sure he’ll respond. Every once in a while something like this happens. The second time it happened in the game, in the four-minute (offense), I know he was disappointed, upset. I was upset,” Payton said.
“Situationally, you’re carrying the ball and you’re carrying everyone’s hopes and dreams, not just your own. He’ll work to fix that, and I’m sure he will.”
It’ll be the 10th time Ingram suits up to face the Bucs in his career, with the Saints holding a 6-3 record with him in the lineup since 2011. The most Ingram has mustered in any single performance against Tampa Bay was 90 yards in 2016 and 2012, both of the contests coming late in the season.
Mark Ingram vs. the Bucs
| Date | Result | Score | Attempts | Yards | Yards/Att | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Result | Score | Attempts | Yards | Yards/Att | TD |
| 10-16-11 | Loss | 26-20 | 9 | 22 | 2.44 | 1 |
| 10-21-12 | Win | 35-28 | 7 | 21 | 3.00 | 0 |
| 12-16-12 | Win | 41-0 | 14 | 90 | 6.43 | 1 |
| 9-15-13 | Win | 16-14 | 8 | 20 | 2.50 | 0 |
| 12-29-13 | Win | 42-17 | 3 | 20 | 6.67 | 0 |
| 12-28-14 | Win | 23-20 | 14 | 57 | 4.07 | 1 |
| 9-20-15 | Loss | 26-19 | 16 | 53 | 3.31 | 1 |
| 12-11-16 | Loss | 16-11 | 7 | 14 | 2.00 | 0 |
| 12-24-16 | Win | 31-24 | 18 | 90 | 5.00 | 2 |
| Totals/Averages | 96 | 387 | 4.03 | 6 |
The Bucs are giving up just 111.7 yards/game on the ground, which puts them ranked at 17th in the league. Ingram is pretty hot for the Saints, averaging well over 4 yards/carry in the team’s past three victories. Getting Terron Armstead back on the offensive line has been a big help for the offense. Many might recall Ingram’s benching in 2016 last season and the subsequent killer performance that followed against the 49ers. Look for Angry Ingram, or ANGRAM as I like to call him, to have a killer showing to help fuel New Orleans in a big NFC South showdown.