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New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons 11.22.20

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• A Saints win would improve New Orleans’ record to 8-2, keeping them at least one half game ahead of the 7-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the NFC South, who play the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football. It would also give the franchise their eighth winning streak of at least seven games, their fifth under Head Coach and third in the last four seasons.

• With a win on Sunday, Saints Head Coach Sean Payton would improve his record against Atlanta to 19-8, his home mark to 10-4 and improve his record against Buccaneers Interim Head Coach Raheem Morris to 4-3, while making him the 50th head coach he would have a winning regular season record against.

• A win on Sunday over Atlanta would give Payton his 139th career regular season win, putting him in a tie with Pro Football Hall of Fame coach for 24th all-time in NFL records

• The Saints currently have a streak of 297 regular season games without having been shut out, dating back to a 26-20 win at Tampa Bay on September 6, 2002 at Raymond James Stadium, the longest running streak in the and fourth overall, a streak that they will look to extend to 297 games on Sunday vs. Atlanta.

• The Saints currently have a streak of 52 regular season and postseason games without giving up 100 yards rushing to an individual player, the longest streak in NFL record books. If the Saints don’t surrender 100 yards to an individual Falcons rusher on Sunday, they will extend the streak to 53 games.

• LB Kwon Alexander has 448 career tackles, needing two stops on Sunday to reach 450 for his career.

• TE Jared Cook has 489 career reception, ranked 22nd all-time among tight ends. With nine grabs, he would move into a tie with former Vikings TE Steve Jordan, the father of Saints DE Cameron Jordan, for 21st. With ten grabs, he would move into a toe with Ben Coates and Todd Heap for 19th. With 12 grabs, he would become only the 19th to have 500 career receptions. • LB will play in his 138th consecutive NFL game on Sunday, having never missed a contest in his nine-year NFL career. Davis has 940 career tackles, needing ten stops for 950.

• WR has 1,849 career all-purpose yards, needing 151 all-purpose yards to reach 2,000 for his career. Harris has 812 all-purpose yards in 2020, needing 188 to reach 1,000 for the second straight season.

• DE has a career-high 7.5 sacks. With 2.5 takedowns, he would have the first double-digit sacks season of his four-year career.

• QB has 186 rushing yards in 2020, needing 11 yards rushing to surpass his previous career-high of 196 in 2018. With four rushing attempts he would surpass his previous career-high of 37 in 2018. Hill needs one rushing to tie the career-best two he had in 2018 and two to set a new career-best.

• CB Janoris Jenkins has 449 career combined defensive/special teams solo tackles. With one solo stop on Sunday, he would reach 450 for his career. Jenkins will also be looking for his 25th career . Since he came into as a second round draft pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2012, only six players have 25 picks.

• S has 19 career interceptions after recording one pick apiece in the next two weeks. With a pick on Sunday, he would become the 33rd player with 20 picks since 2009, when he was selected in the first round of the NFL draft by the Saints.

• DE Cameron Jordan has 49 career passes defensed, needing one on Sunday to reach 50 for his career and at 593 career tackles, needs seven stops to reach 600. Jordan has 18 sacks vs. Atlanta, the most against any team in his career Jordan has 18 sacks against Sunday’s opponent Atlanta. With two takedowns, he would join , , Kevin Greene, , Jason Taylor, , Rickey Jackson, , as the tenth player with 20 takedowns against a single opponent. Jordan also needs at least half a takedown to reach 90 for his career. With that he would become the sixth player with 90 since he came into the league in 2011, joining , J.J. Watt, , and Justin Houston. Also with two more takedowns, he would move from a tie for 52nd all-time for a tie for 50th all-time with Clay Matthews in the sack category.

• Entering Week 11, RB has 486 rushing yards With at least 14 rushing yards Sunday, Kamara can become the first player with at least 500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in each of his first four seasons in NFL history. He will also become the sixth running back with four-or-more consecutive seasons with at least 500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in the era, joining (5), Lydell Mitchell (5), Charlie Garner (4), (4) and Bryan Westbrook (4).

• In 54 career games, Kamara has recorded 5,610 scrimmage yards and 48 scrimmage . With his next 106 rushing yards, Kamara will join Roger Craig as the only players with at least 3,000 rushing yards and 2,500 receiving yards in their first four seasons. He would join RB Pierre Thomas as only the second Saint with at least 3,000 rushing yards and 2,500 receiving yards.

• Kamara has 49 career touchdowns. With one touchdown, Kamara will reach 50 for his career and will move into a tie with WR Joe Horn (2000-06) for sixth place in club record books. With two touchdowns, he would move into a tie for fifth with TE Jimmy Graham (2010-14) and with three would take sole possession of fifth. With seven more receptions, With 310 career receptions, he needs 18 more grabs to surpass Pierre Thomas (327) for the most catches by a Saints running back and surpass Thomas to move into seventh place in club record books. Kamara will also set a new single-season career high with his next two receiving touchdowns (6). With a franchise-record four two-point conversions, Kamara also has 302 points, ranked 12th in club record books. With his next touchdown, he would surpass both Horn and Graham (306) into sole possession of tenth and with 17 points would surpass Dalton Hilliard to move into ninth.

• Kamara has 2,894 yards rushing. He needs 236 yards rushing to surpass into eighth place in club record books.

• P Thomas Morstead will play in his 184th game, moving into sole possession of sixth place in club record books past DE/DT (1981-93.

• RB has 5,925 career total yards from scrimmage, needing 75 to reach 6,000 for his career.

• DT has three sacks. With 1.5 takedowns, he would match his career-high total of 4.5 in 2018.

• LB Craig Robertson has 49 career special teams tackles, needing one coverage stop to reach 50 for his career.

• WR MICHAEL THOMAS has 480 receptions for 5,607 yards and 32 TDs in his five- year career. With two receptions on Sunday, Thomas will surpass JARVIS LANDRY (481 receptions) for the most catches by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history.

The players with the most receptions in their first five seasons in NFL history:

PLAYER TEAM(S) SEASON Jarvis Landry Miami, 481 Cleveland Michael New Orleans 480* Thomas Larry Arizona 426 Fitzgerald • S has 12 career interceptions, tied for 12th in club record books. With one more pick, he will move into a tie in the top 10, tied with CBs Fred Thomas and Mike McKenzie for tenth and two to reach sole possession of tenth.

• CB P.J. Williams needs one pass defensed each to reach 25 for his career.