Monday’s upcoming game between the New Orleans Saints (#1 NFC South) and the Seattle Seahawks will prove to be the toughest game thus far in the season for either team. It will give each team a chance to silence all who have doubted their abilities as of late. In order to get the importance of this particular game, I’m going to do something I rarely do and that is break it down by statistics.
Seattle Advantage – The Run
The Hawks are 3rd in the league with 147.9 points rushing per game and leading rusher Marshawn Lynch is averaging 4.4 yards per carry with 208 carries, 925 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns this season as he proves a force to be reckoned with. The Saints will have to stop him early on, and failure to do so could prove costly. Seattle ranks 2nd in the league, only allowing 293.3 yards total for season, with a total of 11 rushing touchdowns.
On the opposite side, New Orleans are 23rd in the league with only 97.7 rushing yards per game, with Pierre Thomas as lead rusher with 4.2 average yards per carry but only 117 carries for season for 486 yards and 1 rushing touchdown . New Orleans will have to make better use of other running backs if they intend on trying to use any type of run game against Seattle.
New Orleans Advantage – The Pass
The Saints are 2nd in the league for average pass yards per game-317.3 and a quarterback named Drew Brees, who is currently 300/439 at 3647 yards so far with 28 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. Then there is the offense that has a vast array of receivers, with a total of 28 receiving touchdowns by ten different receivers. Tight end Jimmy Graham is the leading receiver with 946 yds and 11 touchdowns averaging 14.6 yards per reception. Seattle’s defense will do their best to shut him down, only to give Brees the opportunity to do what he does best – spread the ball around.
Seattle’s pass game isnt as great, at 24th in the league for passing yards per game averaging 210.5 yards and siting 12th in the league in total yards per game at 358.5. Leading receiver Golden Tate averages 14.3 yards per reception with 42 receptions for 600 yards this year and 4 touchdowns. Although Tate and Graham are almost identical to amount of yards they average, Graham is definitely the bigger threat QB Russell Wilson is 176/275 for 2362 yds with 19 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. With a total of 20 touchdowns by 7 different receivers. In order for Seattle to really protect their QB from the increasingly dominant Saints pass rush, or hope that Russell can hussle his way out of a sack, or he’s liable to be trounced.
On 3rd down conversions the Saints will definitely have the upper hand with a 45.3% average, where Seattle has 39.6%.
No matter what the numbers say, anything can happen at any time leaving each team in jeopardy of losing thier battles for a spot as #1 seed in the NFC. It will be an absolutely amazing game nonetheless, and is one I am confident the Saints will win and continue down the road to winning Lombardi.
–Who Dat
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