The New Orleans Saints aim to hold onto the top spot in the NFC South.
After the Vikings ended their two-game winning streak in their last game, New Orleans enters the game on a bye and looks to turn things around. With a 5-5 record going into this game, the Saints have a one-game advantage over Tampa Bay and Atlanta for the top spot in the NFC South. After the first quarter, the game was tied at three points between Minnesota and the team, but the latter gave up 24 straight points to fall behind 27-3 early in the third quarter. With 11:40 remaining, they rallied to tie the game at one, but they punted after going three and out and then having two interceptions on their last drive. With 237.4 yards per game this season, the Saints rank 11th in the league in passing offense and 22nd in rushing offense (100 yards per game). With an average of 21.4 points per game, New Orleans’ scoring offense ranks 16th in the league, while their scoring defense ranks 8th, giving up 19.8 points per game on average. Passing for 2,231 yards on 220 of 334 attempts, Derek Carr has 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He’s had 19 job terminations. Taysom Hill leads the team with 261 yards and three touchdowns on 49 carries, and he is five of six for 72 yards and a score. Jameis Winston has two touchdowns and is 23 of 42 for 223 yards. With 56 receptions for 657 yards and three touchdowns this season, Chris Olave leads the team in receiving yards. Good targets include Hill (20 grabs, 142 yards, TD), Kamara (50 receptions, 305 yards, TD), Rashid Shaheed (31 grabs, 525 yards, three touchdowns), Michael Thomas (39 catches, 448 yards, TD), and tight end Juwan Johnson (14 receptions, 97 yards, TD). Blake Grupe has a long of 55 for the year and is 19 of 19 on extra point attempts and 19 of 24 on field goal attempts.
The Saints’ injury report is comparatively quiet. Michael Thomas was removed from the mix earlier this week after being placed on injured reserve. Only two players missed practice on Wednesday or Thursday: running back Kendre Miller (ankle) and cornerback Marshon Lattimore (ankle). While defensive end Isaiah Foskey (quad) was limited both days, tackle Ryan Ramczyk (rest/knee) did not practice on Wednesday and was limited on Thursday. Keep an eye out for any updates on their statuses.
