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Saints at Bucs Things to Look For
NewOrleansSaints.com,
Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 11:30 AM
MILESTONE WATCH
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If the Saints beat Tampa Bay, it would improve their record in the series to 21-14. A win would also be their first at Raymond James Stadium against their NFC South rivals since the 2006 season.
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QB Drew Brees has 28,817 passing yards to ranked 37th all-time on the NFL’s all-time passing list. With 239 yards he will move past former Buccaneers signal caller Brad Johnson into 36th place.
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With 187 touchdown passes, Brees is tied for 39th all-time with Sammy Baugh. One touchdown throw would put him in sole possession of 39th.
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RB Reggie Bush and WR Marques Colston are tied for seventh on the club’s all-time list with 30 touchdowns with FB Wayne Wilson. With one more TD, either of them will move into sole possession of seventh place.
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Bush has 17 rushing TDs to rank ninth. With one more TD, he will move into a tie for eighth place with QB Archie Manning.
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G Jahri Evans has started every game at RG since being drafted by the Saints in 2006. He will make his 58th consecutive start on Sunday, putting him past T William Roaf for the most consecutive games started by a Saints offensive lineman to open a career. The games started streak will be fourth in club history.
MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES STARTED BY A SAINTS OFFENSIVE LINEMAN TO OPEN A CAREER
| Player
|
Pos.
|
Games
|
Years
|
How Acquired
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| William Roaf
|
T
|
57 |
1993-96
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D1, 1993
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| Jahri Evans
|
G
|
57
|
2006-
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D4, 2006
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| Don Morrison
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T
|
42
|
1971-73
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D4e-1971
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| J.T. Thomas
|
T
|
38
|
1978-80
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D2-1978
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| Brad Edelman
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G
|
31 |
1982-84
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D2-1982
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MOST CONSECUTIVE GAMES STARTED BY A SAINT TO OPEN A CAREER
| Player
|
Pos.
|
Games
|
Years
|
How Acquired
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| Rickey Jackson
|
LB
|
91
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1981-87
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D2b-1981
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| Bob Pollard
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DT
|
78
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1971-76
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D11-1971
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| William Roaf
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T
|
57 |
1993-96
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D1-1993
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| Jahri Evans
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G
|
57 |
2006-
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D4-2006
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- DE Mark Brunell/Charles Grant.aspx">Charles Grant will start the 100th game of his career Sunday. With 45.5 sacks, Grant is tied for seventh all-time with Jim Wilks in the club record books. With his next takedown, Grant will move into sole possession of seventh place on the list.
PAYTON’S PLACE: Since he was named head coach in 2006, the New Orleans Saints have enjoyed a significant turnaround under Sean Payton. During this period, New Orleans has posted a 34-23 (.597) regular season record, the best winning percentage among the four NFC South teams. This mark is tied for the seventh-best in the NFL and ranked third best in the NFC.
Payton has the top winning percentage for a Saints head coach. His 16-12 mark (.571) on the road and 18- 11 (.621) home record are both the club’s top winning percentages. Payton has recorded a 26-16 (.619) mark vs. NFC opponents. New Orleans’ 11-9 record in division play during this period is the second-best in the competitive NFC South.
IN THE NFC SOUTH
Under Payton, the Saints have enjoyed the top record among NFC South teams since 2006:
| Team
|
W
|
L
|
Pct.
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| New Orleans Saints
|
34
|
23
|
.597 |
| Carolina Panthers
|
31
|
26 |
.544 |
| Atlanta Falcons
|
27
|
30 |
.474
|
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
23
|
34
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.404 |
SAINTS HEAD COACHES
- Payton has the highest regular season winning percentage among the 14 head coaches in Saints history with a regular season winning percentage of 59.7%.
Top 5 Coaches In Saints History By Winning Percentage
| Head Coach
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Seasons
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W
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L
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Pct.
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| Sean Payton
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2006- |
34
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23 |
.597
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| Jim Mora
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1988-96
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93
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74
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.557
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| Jim Haslett
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2000-05
|
45
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51
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.469
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| Bum Phillips
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1981-85
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27
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42
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.391
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| Dick Nolan
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1978-80
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15
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29
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.341
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NFL POINTS PER GAME LEADERS IN 2009
| Rank
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Team
|
Points
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Points per Game Avg.
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| 1.
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New Orleans Saints
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331
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36.8
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| 2.
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Minnesota Vikings
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271
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30.1
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| 3.
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New England Patriots
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259
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28.8
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| 4.
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Indianapolis Colts
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252
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28.0
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| 5.
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Philadelphia Eagles
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242
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26.9
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- Since 2006, the Saints have been the NFL’s top ranked offense in net yardage, averaging 393.9 yards per game. In the past three seasons, they were ranked first twice, and are again in 2009, averaging 426.1 yards per game. In a display of balance, the Saints are the only NFL team to be ranked in the top five in both passing and rushing.
NFL TOTAL OFFENSE LEADERS SINCE 2006
| Rank
|
Team
|
Yards
|
Yards per Game Avg.
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| 1.
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New Orleans Saints
|
22,450 |
393.9 |
| 2.
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New England Patriots
|
21,547 |
378.0
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| 3.
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Indianapolis Colts
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20,787
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364.7
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| 4.
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Dallas Cowboys
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20,649
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362.3
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| 5.
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Philadelphia Eagles
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20,610
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361.6
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NFL TOTAL OFFENSE LEADERS IN 2009
| Rank
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Team
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Yards
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Yards per Game Avg.
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| 1.
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New Orleans Saints
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3,835
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426.1
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| 2.
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New England Patriots
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3,751
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416.8
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| 3.
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Indianapolis Colts
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3,610
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401.1
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| 4.
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Dallas Cowboys
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3,514
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390.4
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| 5.
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New York Giants
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3,399
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377.7
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DID YOU KNOW? IN THE RED ZONE
- After finishing ranked third in the NFC and fifth in the NFL in 2008 in red zone touchdown percentage with a 61.3 percent effectiveness rate, the New Orleans offense has found the end zone on 27 of their 44 opportunities (61.4 percent) inside the 20 yard line in 2009 to rank third among teams in the NFC and sixth in the NFL.
LEAST SACKS ALLOWED BY NFL TEAMS FROM (2006-PRESENT)
| Rank
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Team
|
Sacks Allowed
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| 1.
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Indianapolis Colts
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60
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| 2. |
New Orleans Saints
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65
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| 3.
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Tennessee Titans
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78
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| 4.
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Denver Broncos
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91
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| 5.
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New York Giants
|
96
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LEAST SACKS ALLOWED BY NFL TEAMS IN 2009
| Rank
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Team
|
Sacks Allowed
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| 1.
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Tennessee Titans
|
7
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| 2.
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Indianapolis Colts
|
8
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| 3t.
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Atlanta Falcons
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12
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| 3t.
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New England Patriots
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12
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| 5.
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New Orleans Saints
|
13
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POINTS PER GAME
- After finishing the 2008 season ranked 26th in scoring defense, surrendering an average of 24.5 points per game, the Saints have moved up in the NFL rankings. New Orleans is ranked 17th in the NFL, surrendering an average of 21.9 points per game.
IN THE RED ZONE
The Saints finished fourth in the NFC and ninth in the NFL in opponent red zone touchdown percentage (48.3) in 2008, allowing TDs on only 29 of 60 possessions inside the 20-yard line. The defense has continued stopping opponents inside the 20 in 2009, allowing only 13 touchdowns on 30 red zone possessions (40.6%) to rank third in the NFC and sixth in the NFL.
NFL OPPONENT TOUCHDOWN PERCENTAGE INSIDE THE 20 LEADERS IN 2009
| Rank
|
Team
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Poss.
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TD Allowed
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Pct.
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| 1.
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Washington Redskins
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19 |
3
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31.6%
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| 2.
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Minnesota Vikings
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24
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9
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37.5%
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| 3.
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Cincinnati Bengals
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23
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9
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39.1%
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| 4t.
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New York Jets
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20
|
8
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40.0%
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| 4t. |
Pittsburgh Steelers
|
20
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8
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40.0%
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| 6.
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New Orleans Saints
|
32
|
13
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40.6%
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