NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WEEKLY MEDIA INFORMATION GUIDE NFC CHAMPIONSHIP LOS ANGELES RAMS VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS JANUARY 20, 2019 @ MERCEDES­BENZ SUPERDOME GAME INFORMATION • ROSTERS • DEPTH CHART • TEAM AND PLAYER STATISTICS LOS ANGELES RAMS (13-3, 1-0) VS. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (13-3, 1-0) SUNDAY, JANUARY 20, 2019 – 2:05 PM (CST) MERCEDES-BENZ SUPERDOME – NEW ORLEANS, LA. TV: FOX (WVUE FOX 8 locally) – Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color analyst), Erin Andrews and Chris Myers (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: Westwood One – Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Kurt Warner (color analyst) and Ed Werder (sideline) SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: Louisiana Spanish Network (97.9 FM) – Marco Garcia (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos (color analyst) and Victor Quinonez (sideline) offense, while two takeaways and a fake punt on special THE MATCHUP teams changed momentum. The offensive line and running After defeating the Philadelphia Eagles, 20-14 in the backs tandem of RBs Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara pow- NFC Divisional Round on Sunday, the Saints will host the ered a rushing attack that outgained Philadelphia 137-49. Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Championship game on After the Saints rebounded from an early 14-0 deficit, the Sunday, January 20 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. duo helped close out the game with key fourth quarter runs, a 36-yarder by Ingram and a 12-yard carry by Kama- Sunday will mark the Saints’ third appearance in the ra with 1:03 left on third down to seal the win. NFC Championship game in their 52-season history and their first since the 2009 season when they went on to cap- Third-year WR Michael Thomas again helped QB Drew ture Super Bowl XLIV (2018, 2009, 2006). Brees in powering the passing attack, grabbing 12 balls for a Saints postseason-record 171 yards and a third In their only other postseason meeting with the Rams quarter go-ahead touchdown. Brees completed 28-of-38 on December 30, 2000, New Orleans captured their first passes for 301 yards with two touchdowns, one intercep- postseason victory in franchise history in holding onto a 31 tion and a 103.1 passer rating. -28 win at the Superdome. On a defense led by a pair of captains in DE Cameron Longtime rivals in the NFC West from 1970-2001, the Jordan, who finished first on the club with 12 sacks series between the two clubs has heated up in the past and LB Demario Davis, who had a club-leading 110 tack- two seasons as the Saints and Rams, along with the New les, a member of the Saints secondary also stepped up. England Patriots, another participant in NFL Championship CB Marshon Lattimore recorded a pair of interceptions in weekend have both been back-to-back division winners. the contest to supplement his team-leading five takeaways The Rams narrowly defeated the Saints 26-20 at the L.A. in the regular season. Coliseum in 2017 and the Saints defeated the Rams 45-35 on November 4 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. On special teams, QB Taysom Hill executed a success- ful fake punt on fourth-and-one from the Saints 30-yard Sunday’s win required a patient, balanced approach on line in the second quarter to keep a touchdown drive alive. Rams vs. Saints: NFC Championship 2 THE COACHES Named the 23rd full-time head coach in Los Angeles Rams team history on Jan. 12, 2017, Sean McVay became the Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has posted a 126-79 youngest head coach in modern NFL history. He led the overall record (.615), including an 8-5 postseason mark Rams to an 11-5 record and the NFC West title in his first (.615) after the franchise had won only one playoff game season in 2017 as he was named the Associated Press prior to his arrival. Payton holds both the club’s top win to- NFL Coach of the Year. In 2018, he has led the Rams to a tal and winning percentage. He continues to represent the 13-3 regular season record and a berth in the NFC Cham- Saints as the model of stability not only within the NFC pionship game. McVay completed his third season as the South, as he is the longest tenured head coach within the Redskins’ offensive coordinator in 2016 after initially being division, but also among the most accomplished within the promoted to the position in 2014. Prior to his promotion, NFL. Only the New England Patriots’ Bill Belichick (2000) McVay spent three seasons as the Redskins’ tight ends has been with the his team longer. Payton is also one of coach (2011-13) and one as an offensive assistant (2010). just seven active coaches to lead a team to a Super Bowl McVay joined the Redskins prior to 2010 after an undefeat- victory. The others are Belichick, the Seattle Seahawks’ ed regular season with the Florida Tuskers of the UFL. The Pete Carroll, the Oakland Raiders’ Jon Gruden (Tampa Tuskers finished a perfect 6-0 before losing in the UFL’s Bay in 2002), the Baltimore Ravens’ John Harbaugh, the inaugural championship game. McVay originally entered Philadelphia Eagles’ Doug Pederson and the Pittsburgh the NFL as an offensive assistant with Tampa Bay in 2008. Steelers’ Mike Tomlin. The 2018 Saints edition posted a 13 McVay played wide receiver at Miami (Ohio). His grandfa- -3 regular season record, secured the NFC’s number one ther, John McVay, served in various administrative roles, seed for the postseason and will play in the NFC Champi- including director of research development for the New onship game. A franchise-record five players were selected York Giants (1976), vice president/director of football oper- to the Associated Press All-Pro team. New Orleans’ ten- ations for the San Francisco 49ers (1983-94), as well as game winning streak was the second-longest in club histo- serving as general manager one year in San Francisco ry and the longest streak in the NFL this season. The (1998-99). John McVay oversaw five Super Bowl champi- streak only sits behind in club record books, New Orleans’ onship squads and earned induction into the 49ers Hall of 13-0 start under Payton in 2009, the season when they Fame in 2013. captured Super Bowl XLIV. The 2017 Saints squad yielded an 11-5 regular season record, producing their first playoff berth since 2013, behind a squad led by quarterback Drew 2018 NEW ORLEANS – LOS ANGELES Brees offensively and defensive end Cameron Jordan de- fensively, this team featured seven players selected to the STATISTICAL COMPARISON Pro Bowl, tied for the most in club history and four draft 2018 Regular Season Final National Football League picks selected to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, two more Rankings than any other club. With running back Alvin Kamara and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the 2017 Saints were the Saints L.A. Rams first team to have both the Associated Press NFL Offensive Record 13-3 13-3 Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year since Scoring Avg. (NFL Rank) 31.5 (3) 32.9 (2) 1967. The Saints defense saw improvement in virtually Opp. Scoring Avg. (NFL Rank) 22.1 (14) 24.0 (20) every major statistical category. New Orleans moved up Total Off. (NFL Rank) 379.2 (8) 421.1 (2) ten spots in total defense, including from 32nd to 15th Rushing Off. (NFL Rank) 126.6 (6) 139.4 (3) against the pass. After ranking 31st in opponent points per Passing Off. (NFL Rank) 252.6 (12) 281.7(5) game in 2016, New Orleans moved up to tenth in 2017, Total Def. (NFL Rank) 349.1 (14) 358.6 (19) surrendering only 20.4 points per game. Payton earned a Rushing Def. (NFL Rank) 80.2 (2) 122.3 (23) bachelor’s degree in communications at Eastern Illinois, Passing Def. (NFL Rank) 268.9 (29) 236.3 (14) where as a quarterback he had 10,665 passing yards, at Kickoff Return Avg. (NFL Rank) 24.3 (10) 21.4 (23) the time the third-highest total in NCAA Division I-AA histo- Punt Return Avg. (NFL Rank) 6.5 (24) 10.2 (10) ry. Payton was inducted into the Eastern Illinois Hall of Turnover Margin (NFL Rank) +8 (7) +11 (4) Fame in September of 2000 and had his jersey retired in a Penalties 94 96 ceremony in September of 2010. He received an honorary Penalty Yards 939 878 doctorate from his alma mater in 2013. Payton was born Opp. Penalties 85 99 December 29, 1963 in San Mateo, Calif., and raised in Na- Opp. Penalty Yards 814 852 perville, Ill., Payton has a daughter, Meghan and a son, Connor. Rams vs. Saints: NFC Championship 3 SERIES HISTORY SAINTS-RAMS SERIES FAST FACTS The Saints and Rams have played 74 times in the regular TEAM season with Los Angeles holding a 41-33 edge, while New Saints’ Largest Margin of Victory: 31 (Saints 37, Rams Orleans has captured the lone playoff contest, a 31-28 win 6, 10/3/93 at Anaheim Stadium) at the Superdome on December 30, 2000. Former longtime foes in the NFC West, the Saints have played only the At- Rams’ Largest Margin of Victory: 31 (Rams 43, Saints lanta Falcons (99) and the San Francisco 49ers (75) more 12, 11/28/99 at Trans World Dome) often than the Rams. Since Sean Payton became head Current Series Streak: Saints 1 (11/4/18-present) coach of the Saints in 2006, the Rams have won five of the eight meetings, a trend which New Orleans has started to Saints’ Longest Win Streak: 7 (12/9/90-10/3/93) reverse by winning two of the last three.