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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI at SEA | BAL at NYG | CHI at GB | CLE at BUF | DAL at WAS | DEN at ATL | DET at CAR | HOU at IND |
| MIN at TB | NO at KC | NYJ at NE | OAK at MIA | PHI at CIN | SD at PIT | STL at SF | TEN at JAX |
Week 11 Game Recap: New Orleans Saints 30, Kansas City Chiefs 20
What you need to know
| New Orleans Saints |
The Saints escaped Kansas City with their first road win of the season thanks largely to an impressive all around game by running back Pierre Thomas and a couple of key defensive stands.
Thomas filled in admirably for the injured Reggie Bush and compiled 144 total yards and a touchdown in the game. He was effective both as a ball carrier with 88 yards on 16 runs and as a receiver with four catches for 56 more yards. In all, Thomas averaged better than seven yards per touch and rendered Deuce McAllister mostly an afterthought.
The Saints' defense twice forced short Connor Barth field goals after Kansas City had first and goal, once from the one yard line late in the first half and another time from the three yard line in the third quarter.
Lance Moore led New Orleans receivers with eight receptions and 102 yards, including a 47 yard touchdown grab.
Drew Brees entered the game leading the NFL in pass attempts and yardage and is on pace to throw more than 600 passes. The Saints, however, were a bit more balanced against Kansas City. Brees threw 36 times and passed for 266 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
| Kansas City Chiefs |
The Chiefs once anemic offense has shown signs of life since Tyler Thigpen's second NFL start. Kansas City hoped to continue that trend with the return of Larry Johnson. Johnson had missed the last four games after being suspended by the NFL for one game and being deactivated by the Chiefs for three others. In games with Johnson this year, Kansas City had averaged 138.5 rushing yards and 4.9 yards per carry. Without Johnson, they gained only 86.4 yards per game and an average of 4.0 yards per attempt. Against New Orleans, the Chiefs totaled 124 yards rushing and averaged 5.2 per attempt. However, that figure was inflated by a 32 yard run from Thigpen. Johnson totaled 67 yards on 19 attempts. He ran hard, but did show a bit of rust. Nevertheless, Johnson brings balance to an offense that has now netted at least 330 yards in four straight games.
In his previous three games, Tyler Thigpen threw for 710 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions (a 104.6 rating). Thigpen, the first ever player drafted from Coastal Carolina, completed 19 of his 38 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He was intercepted on his final attempt, when he had to take a chance on a fourth and ten play. Prior to the play, Thigpen had thrown 161 straight passes without an interception.
Dwayne Bowe led the Chiefs with seven receptions. Thigpen looked for him often and found him twice in the end zone. Bowe now has five touchdowns on the season.
What you ought to know
| QB Drew Brees, Pass: 25 - 36 - 266 - 1 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - -2 - 0 |
Brees averaged 40 pass attempts in his first nine games. He threw slightly less often against Kansas City. He completed 69 percent of his passes in the game. Brees benefited from good pass protection and an anemic Chiefs pass rush and was not sacked in the game. His prettiest throw was a bomb down the right sideline that Lance Moore snagged in stride for a 47 yard touchdown. Brees had one pass intercepted. Devery Henderson slipped while Jarrad Page read the route and picked the pass off.
| RB Pierre Thomas, Rush: 16 - 88 - 1, Rec: 4 - 56 - 0 (5 targets) |
Thomas was the offensive star of the game for the Saints. He was effective in both the running and passing games and totaled 144 yards from scrimmage. Thomas had 20 touches compared to eight for Deuce McAllister. Thomas had runs of 16 and 15 yards and caught passes for 24 and 21 yards. He also plunged in for a one yard touchdown. With the return of Reggie Bush on the horizon, it will be interesting to see how Thomas factors in the Saints' offense.
Thomas dropped one pass that was slightly behind him.
| RB Deuce McAllister, Rush: 8 - 18 - 1 |
Against a weak Kansas City run defense, McAllister figured to be a major factor. He was overshadowed, by Pierre Thomas, however. McAllister ran eight times for only 18 yards. His fourth touchdown of the year was the Saints' first touchdown of the game. The Saints' all time leading rusher tied Dalton Hilliard for first place with 53 career touchdowns.
| RB Aaron Stecker, Rec: 1 - 12 - 0 (1 targets) |
Stecker caught one 12 yard pass. He had no rushing attempts.
| WR Lance Moore, Rec: 8 - 102 - 1 (9 targets) |
Moore, New Orleans' leading receiver led the team in targets, receptions and receiving yardage. Moore made a nice grab on his fifth touchdown reception of the year. He now has a touchdown reception in each of his last three games.
| WR Marques Colston, Rec: 3 - 30 - 0 (7 targets) |
Colston had a relatively quiet game with three receptions for 30 yards. He dropped a pass inside the five yard line after a flea flicker. Colston was double covered on the play, but could have hauled it in. Colston was targeted in the end zone on another occasion.
| WR Devery Henderson, Rush: 1 - -1 - 0, Rec: 2 - 22 - 0 (5 targets) |
Henderson caught only two passes for 22 yards. He was targeted on Drew Brees' interception. Henderson slipped on the play, but Jarrad Page had a good jump on the pass and may have picked it off anyway. Henderson was guilty of one drop.
The Saints tried an end around to Henderson early in the game, but Kansas City was not fooled; the play lost a yard.
| TE Jeremy Shockey, Rec: 6 - 39 - 0 (8 targets) |
Shockey was New Orleans' second most targeted receiver. However, he was on the sideline in some notable passing situations. Nevertheless, he contributed six receptions for 39 yards. Shockey dropped his other two targets, one of which was not well thrown, but was catchable.
Shockey had his 400th career reception in the game. Among tight ends, only Kellen Winslow, Sr. took fewer games to reach 400 catches than Shockey.
| TE Mark Campbell, Rec: 1 - 5 - 0 (2 targets) |
Campbell caught one pass for five yards. He was injured on the play as the cornerback barreled into his legs and hyper extended his knee. The extent of the injury remains to be seen.
| PK Garrett Hartley 3 - 3 FG, 3 - 3 XP, 12 points |
In two games, Hartley has nailed all ten of his kicks (five extra points and five field goals).
| NO Rush Defense |
Kansas City rushed for 124 yards. However, 44 of those came on a 32 yard draw by Tyler Thigpen and a 12 yard draw play by Jamaal Charles that both occurred in passing situations. Larry Johnson was held in check and was stopped four times from inside the five yard line during the game. The Saints forced field goals of 20 and 21 yards on two key defensive stands.
Roman Harper led the unit with nine solo tackles and an assist. Scott Fujita chipped in with eight solos, an assist, and a forced fumble.
| NO Pass Defense |
Tyler Thigpen completed only 50 percent of his passes. However, he threw for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Usama Young sealed the game with an interception late on a fourth down play. The saints did a good job of pressuring Thigpen throughout the game and sacked him four times. Jeff Charleston had two sacks, while Will Smith and Bobby McCray each had one.
| QB Tyler Thigpen, Pass: 19 - 38 - 235 - 2 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 45 - 0 |
After struggling in his initial start earlier in the season, Thigpen has emerged as a reliable player since he took over in week eight. In his three previous starts, he threw for 710 yards and six touchdown passes with no interceptions. Thigpen kept that interception free streak alive until his final pass of the game on a fourth and ten play. He was forced to throw the ball up in the direction of Dwayne Bowe, but the pass was short and picked off by Usama Young. Thigpen had thrown 161 passes without an interception prior to that play.
Thigpen completed only 50 percent of his passes in the game, but still threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns. He was also effective with his feet, running three times for 45 yards, including a 32 yard scamper on a well executed quarterback draw. The play set the Chiefs up at the Saints' three yard line. Two plays later, Thigpen found Dwayne Bowe for a touchdown to cut the Saints' lead to seven points. Thigpen also twice set up big plays by rolling out and throwing on the run. In the first half, he bought time and found Will Franklin open for a 42 yard gain. Later, on a very similar play, he hit Mark Bradley for a big gain.
| RB Larry Johnson, Rush: 19 - 67 - 0, Rec: 1 - 20 - 0 (1 targets) |
Johnson returned after missing four games. He fought hard for extra yardage, but may have been somewhat rusty. Johnson was stopped four times from inside the New Orleans' five yard line, including just outside of the goal line in the second quarter. At times, it appeared Johnson was slow to the hole, while other times, he showed good burst. Johnson fumbled twice, but Kansas City retained possession both times. Johnson lined up frequently in what is called the "pistol" formation, which is essentially an I formation without the fullback. He also took direct snaps a few times in the game.
Johnson caught a screen pass and reeled off a 20 yard gain.
| RB Jamaal Charles, Rush: 2 - 12 - 0 |
Charles gained 12 yards on a draw play. He did a nice job to make a defender miss, regain his balance and break a tackle to pick up the first down.
| WR Dwayne Bowe, Rec: 7 - 53 - 2 (16 targets) |
Bowe was targeted a game high sixteen times. He led the Chiefs with seven receptions and had his first two touchdown game. On both touchdown plays, Thigpen threw the ball high and allowed Bowe to use his size and strength in jump ball situations.
Bowe was targeted two other times in the end zone and also on two other deep passes. He was guilty of three drops, though one would have been a tough catch. Another on a screen attempt probably would have lost yardage.
| WR Mark Bradley, Rec: 3 - 54 - 0 (8 targets) |
Bradley caught three passes for 54 yards and looks to be an effective complement to Bowe. One of his catches was a short pass. On the play, Bradley was able to spin out of a tackle to gain a first down. However, Bradley dropped a key third down pass late in the game that forced Kansas City to punt. The pass, which would have picked up the first down, hit Bradley right in the numbers.
| WR Will Franklin, Rec: 1 - 42 - 0 (2 targets) |
Franklin was targeted deep twice in the first half. He had a 42 yard reception that helped set up a short field goal.
| WR Devard Darling, Rec: 1 - 8 - 0 (1 targets) |
Darling caught his only target for an eight yard gain.
| TE Tony Gonzalez, Rec: 5 - 39 - 0 (10 targets) |
Gonzalez had five catches for 39 yards. Gonzalez was stopped inside the one after a grab. He was also targeted on a stop and go near the end zone. The pass was incomplete, but drew a penalty flag. He twice left the game with injuries, but was able to return each time. When he was in the game, Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe drew Thigpen's focus.
Gonzalez has now caught a pass in 125 consecutive games. Only Ozzie Newsome had a longer streak among tight ends
| TE Brad Cottam, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (1 targets) |
Cottam made a good catch on a low throw early in the game for a 19 yard gain.
| PK Connor Barth 2 - 2 FG, 2 - 2 XP, 8 points |
Barth hit two short field goals and remains perfect on his five attempts this season.
| KC Rush Defense |
Kansas City held Deuce McAllister in check, but Pierre Thomas averaged 5.5 yards on his 16 carries. Maurice Leggett led the team with seven solo tackles.
| KC Pass Defense |
The Chiefs gave ups 266 passing yards on the game. They were unable to get consistent pressure on Drew Brees and finished with no sacks.
Kansas City's last ranked defense had only six sacks in its first nine games. No team since 1982 has gotten to the opposing passer so infrequently. As you might expect, the Chiefs registered no sacks against New Orleans either.
Despite the lack of pressure the unit has generated, the Chiefs led the NFL with 21 takeaways coming in. Jarrad Page added to that number with an interception.