NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WEEKLY MEDIA INFORMATION GUIDE PITTSBURGH STEELERS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS DECEMBER 23, 2018 @ MERCEDES­BENZ SUPERDOME GAME INFORMATION • ROSTERS • DEPTH CHART • TEAM AND PLAYER STATISTICS PITTSBURGH STEELERS (8-5-1) VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (12-2) SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2018 – 3:25 PM (CST) MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME – NEW ORLEANS, LA. TV: CBS (WWL 4 locally) – Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (color an- alyst) and Tracy Wolfson (sideline) LOCAL RADIO: WWL (870 AM and 105.3 FM) – Zach Strief (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color analyst) and Steve Geller (sideline) NATIONAL RADIO: ESPN Radio – Adam Amin (play-by-play), Dusty Dvo- racek (color analyst) and Diana Russini (sideline); Sports USA Radio – Josh Appel (play-by-play) and John Robinson (color analyst). SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: Louisiana Spanish Network (97.9 FM) – Marco Garcia (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos (color analyst) and Victor Quinonez (sideline) On defense, the Steelers ranked ninth overall (sixth vs. the THE MATCHUP run, 13th against the pass). The Saints haven’t allowed Following three consecutive road games, the New more than 208 net yards passing in the last three contests. Orleans Saints (12-2) return to the Mercedes-Benz Super- In the win over Carolina, late in the third quarter, S Vonn dome to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-5-1) at the Mer- Bell forced a fumble by Carolina WR D.J. Moore deep cedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday. The two teams have in New Orleans territory that was recovered by LB A.J. met 15 times with the Saints in the lead at 8-7. Nine Klein with the Panthers leading 7-6. QB Drew Brees games between the two clubs have been decided by six then engineered an 11-play, 84-yard drive that ended with points or fewer. Coach Sean Payton has a 2-1 record a 16-yard rushing touchdown by RB Alvin Kamara to give against the Steelers. the Saints their first lead, which they would hold onto. On After starting the season 7-2-1, the Steelers lost three the game-winning drive, Brees completed four-of-four straight before reversing the tied and defeating New Eng- passes for 32 yards. land 17-10 on Sunday and New Orleans will be playing a WR Michael Thomas had seven receptions for 49 team in first place in the AFC North, but needing to win to yards, as he set a new career-high with 109 receptions in continue their road to the division title. New Orleans has 2018, with his 305 grabs the most by an NFL player in his clinched the NFC South and with a win on Sunday will first three seasons. With 113 total yards from scrimmage, clinch the NFC’s number one seed in the postseason guar- Kamara’s 14 games of 100 yards in his first two seasons, anteeing homefield advantage. The Saints are coming off surpassed RB George Rogers’ 13 in his first two for the a 12-9 win over the Carolina Panthers on Monday night at club record. Including a 50-yard kickoff return, he posted Bank of America Stadium. 153 all-purpose yards. New Orleans enters Sunday’s contest ranked seventh The New Orleans defense held an opponent at 17 in the NFL in total offense, averaging 385.9 yards per con- points or under for the sixth consecutive game and to 247 test. The Saints are eighth in rushing (127.4) after running total net yards. LB Demario Davis led New Orleans with up 155 yards on the ground on Monday night. New Orle- eight tackles, one sack and two passes defensed as he ans ranks 11th overall in total defense (first against the extended his team-leading tackle total to 103, reaching the run). They rank second in the NFL in scoring (32.8 ppg.) century mark. In addition to the big play by Bell and Klein, and are tied for seventh in opponent points per game (20.9 CB Eli Apple recorded a pick in the end zone near the end ppg.) Pittsburgh ranks fourth overall in offense and are of the first half. ranked 30th in rushing (93.9) and third in passing (311.9). Steelers vs. Saints: Week 16 2 THE COACHES Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin enters his 12th season in charge of the Steelers. He came to Pittsburgh after Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has posted a 124-78 spending the 2006 season as the defensive coordinator of overall record (.614), including a 7-5 postseason mark the Minnesota Vikings. (.583) after the franchise had won only one playoff game Tomlin has a career record of 124-65-1 in the regular prior to his arrival. Payton holds both the club’s top win to- season and 8-7 in the postseason, including becoming the tal and winning percentage. He continues to represent the youngest NFL head coach to win a Super Bowl, when the Saints as the model of stability not only within the NFC Steelers captured Super Bowl XLIII. Starting his NFL South, as he is the longest tenured head coach within the coaching career at Virginia Military Institute in 1995, Tomlin division, but also among the most accomplished within the spent six seasons in the college ranks before joining the NFL. Only the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick (2000) Tampa Bay Buccaneers as their defensive backs coach in and the Cincinnati Bengals’ Marvin Lewis (2003) have 2001. He spent five seasons with the Buccaneers, includ- been with the their teams longer. Payton is also one of just ing being part of a staff that captured Super Bowl XXVII. seven active coaches to lead a team to a Super Bowl victo- ry. The others are Belichick, the Seattle Seahawks’ Pete Carroll, the Oakland Raiders’ Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay in LAST MEETING 2002), the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh, the Philadel- phia Eagles’ Doug Pederson and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ New Orleans Saints 35, Pittsburgh Steelers 32; Novem- ber 30, 2014 @ Heinz Field – Defensive end Cameron Mike Tomlin. The 2018 Saints edition has posted a 11-2 Jordan and safety Kenny Vaccaro each recorded inter- record and have clinched the NFC South title, tied for the ceptions, of which quarterback Drew Brees converted into best record in the National Football League. New Orleans’ two of his five touchdown passes to help New Orleans ten-game winning streak was the second-longest in club snap a three-game losing streak in a 35-32 win over Pitts- history and the longest streak in the NFL this season. The burgh at Heinz Field, the Saints’ first win at the Steelers streak only sits behind in club record books, New Orleans’ since 1987. 13-0 start under Payton in 2009, the season when they captured Super Bowl XLIV. The 2017 Saints squad yielded The Saints held Pittsburgh to to six points in the first half an 11-5 regular season record, producing their first playoff and limited running back Le’Veon Bell to only 13 rushing yards in the second half. In addition to the first pick of his berth since 2013, behind a squad led by quarterback Drew NFL career, Jordan also recorded a sack in the second Brees offensively and defensive end Cameron Jordan de- half. The interception was the first pick by a New Orleans fensively, this team featured seven players selected to the defensive lineman since defensive end Will Smith at Dallas Pro Bowl, tied for the most in club history and four draft on November 25, 2010. picks selected to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, two more than any other club. With running back Alvin Kamara and Offensively, running back Mark Ingram rushed for 122 cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the 2017 Saints were the yards, his fourth 100-yard performance of the season. first team to have both the Associated Press NFL Offensive Brees threw five touchdown passes and zero interceptions Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year since for the NFL-record seventh time in his NFL career, throw- ing scoring throws to wide receiver Kenny Stills, wide re- 1967. The Saints defense saw improvement in virtually ceiver Marques Colston, wide receiver Nick Toon, tight end every major statistical category. New Orleans moved up Benjamin Watson and fullback Erik Lorig. Stills had ten spots in total defense, including from 32nd to 15th five receptions for a career-high 162 yards (32.4 avg.). against the pass. After ranking 31st in opponent points per Brees competed 19 of 27 passes for 257 yards and a 140.0 game in 2016, New Orleans moved up to tenth in 2017, passer rating. surrendering only 20.4 points per game. Payton earned a bachelor’s degree in communications at Eastern Illinois, Pittsburgh jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a pair of Shaun where as a quarterback he had 10,665 passing yards, at Suisham field goals. The Saints took the lead miday the time the third-highest total in NCAA Division I-AA histo- though the second quarter on Brees’ 15-yard touchdown pass to Watson and extended the halftime lead to 14-6 on ry. Payton was inducted into the Eastern Illinois Hall of a four-yard touchdown to Lorig. New Orleans broke the Fame in September of 2000 and had his jersey retired in a game open, taking advantage of Jordan’s interception early ceremony in September of 2010. He received an honorary in the third quarter when Brees completed an 11-yard doctorate from his alma mater in 2013. Payton was born touchdown to Toon.