NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WEEKLY MEDIA INFORMATION GUIDE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS AT CINCINNATI BENGALS NOVEMBER 11, 2018 @ PAUL BROWN STADIUM GAME INFORMATION • ROSTERS • DEPTH CHART • TEAM AND PLAYER STATISTICS NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (7-1) AT CINCINNATI BENGALS (5-3) SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2018 – 12:00 PM (CST) PAUL BROWN STADIUM – CINCINNATI, OHIO TV: FOX (WVUE-FOX 8 locally) – Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Charles Davis (color analyst) and Pam Oliver (sideline) NATIONAL RADIO: Compass Media Networks – Doug Gottleib (play-by- play) and Brian Baldinger (color analyst) LOCAL RADIO: WWL (870 AM and 105.3 FM) – Zach Strief (play-by-play), Deuce McAllister (color analyst) and Steve Geller (sideline) SPANISH LANGUAGE RADIO: Louisiana Spanish Network (97.9 FM) – Marco Garcia (play-by-play), Juan Carlos Ramos and Victor Quinonez (color analysts) completing 25-of-36 passes for 346 yards with four touch- THE MATCHUP downs, zero interceptions and a 137.0 rating, tossing for Following a 45-35 victory over the Los Angeles Rams four scores for the first time since 2016. Los Angeles tied on Sunday that was aided by a combination of timely plays the contest at 35 apiece early in the fourth quarter, but on offense defense and special teams, the New Orleans Brees led the Saints on a nine-play, 40-yard drive, high- Saints will attempt to win eight straight games in consecu- lighted by a key third down conversion on an 18-yard tive seasons for the first time in franchise history and main- throw to Thomas that set up a 54-yard field goal by K Wil tain or build on their one-game NFC South Division lead Lutz. When the Saints defense forced a punt, three over Carolina when they travel to Paul Brown Stadium to plays later, Brees tossed the 72-yard touchdown to Thom- face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday at Noon (CT). as. In 2018, Brees has completed 213-of-279 (76.3%) New Orleans left the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on passes for 2,336 yards with 18 touchdowns, only one inter- Sunday in a contest that wasn’t in hand until RB Alvin ception and a 120.6 passer rating. He’s ranked first in the Kamara grinded out a first down on a fourth down NFL in completion percentage, rating and third down play. New Orleans is now riding the eighth winning streak passer rating (120.9). of at least seven games in franchise record books. The While the Saints defense faced and explosive offense, Saints (7-1), Rams (8-1) and Kansas City Chiefs are the they continued their success against the run, as they held only teams with one loss entering week 10. the Rams offense to 92 yards rushing, not allowing an op- WR Michael Thomas enjoyed the most productive per- ponent to reach the century mark for the seventh straight formance of his career Sunday, as he caught 12 passes contest. New Orleans is ranked first in the NFL in both op- for a franchise-record 211 yards (17.6 avg.) with a fourth ponent rushing yards per game (76.4) and opponent net quarter career-long 72-yard touchdown to give the Saints a yards per rush (3.4). LB Demario Davis had a club-best 45-35 lead. Thomas has recorded 70 receptions for 880 seven stops to up his team-high season total to 62. yards with five TDs, ranked second in the NFL in receiving. With Cincinnati going into Sunday’s contest with a 5-3 The Saints run game powered by RBs Mark Ingram and record, this will be the fifth straight opponent that the Alvin Kamara enjoyed a productive day, as they ran for Saints will face with a winning record, as so far the Black 141 yards on 34 carries (4.1 avg.). Kamara carried 19 and Gold have successfully navigated a challenging times for 82 yards and two touchdowns and added four schedule. receptions for 34 yards and a TD in the passing game, as In The NFC South This Week: The Carolina Panthers (6 he had his third, three-touchdown performance of 2018. -2) will travel to the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2-1) in another The second-year back’s ranked third in the NFL with 12 key interconference matchup. The Atlanta Falcons (4-4) TDs and seventh in total yards from scrimmage (917). play at the Cleveland Browns (2-5-1) and Tampa Bay (3-5) QB Drew Brees enjoyed another standout performance, hosts Washington (5-3). Saints at Bengals: Week 10 2 THE COACHES consecutive seasons from 2011-15, Cincinnati has missed the postseason the last two campaigns. But he has them New Orleans Saints Head Coach Sean Payton has posted primed to return in 2018 with a 5-3 mark. Lewis was named a 119-77 overall record (.607), including a 7-5 postseason the ninth head coach in Bengals history on January 14, mark (.583) after the franchise had won only one playoff 2003. The McDonald, Pa. native served as the Washington game prior to his arrival. Payton holds both the club’s top Redskins’ defensive coordinator and assistant head coach win total and winning percentage. He continues to repre- in 2002, after spending six seasons (1996-2001) as defen- sent the Saints as the model of stability not only within the sive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens, which included NFC South, as he is the longest tenured head coach within a Super Bowl victory in the 2000 season, when his de- the division, but also among the most accomplished within fense set the NFL record for fewest points in a 16-game the National Football League. Only New England’s Bill Bel- campaign (165). ichick (2000), Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis (2003) and Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy (hired one week prior to Payton in 2006) have been with their teams longer. Payton is also SERIES HISTORY one of just eight active coaches to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. The others are Belichick, Seattle’s Pete Car- The Bengals lead the all-time series over the Saints 7-6 roll, Oakland’s Jon Gruden (Tampa Bay in 2002), Balti- entering Sunday’s matchup. The teams first faced off in more’s John Harbaugh, McCarthy, Philadelphia’s Doug 1970, as the Saints lost 26-6 at Cincinnati. They did not Pederson and Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin. The 2018 Saints meet again for five years, when the two teams christened have posted a 6-1 record and currently sit atop the NFC the Superdome for the first regular season game, a 21-0 South through Week Eight. The 2017 Saints squad yielded Bengals win. Three years later, the Saints recorded their first win against Cincinnati, a 17-7 home win. The two clubs an 11-5 regular season record, producing their first playoff split their next meetings, while the Saints won the next berth since 2013, behind a squad led by quarterback Drew three. The Bengals then captured three straight until New Brees offensively and defensive end Cameron Jordan de- Orleans broke the skid in 2010. The Bengals defeated the fensively, this team featured seven players selected to the Saints 27-10 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Novem- Pro Bowl, tied for the most in club history and four draft ber 16, 2014. Five of the games in the series have been picks selected to the PFWA All-Rookie Team, two more decided by a touchdown or less. A look back at the results than any other club. With running back Alvin Kamara and between the Saints and Bengals in the previous 13 meet- cornerback Marshon Lattimore, the 2017 Saints were the ings between the clubs: first team to have both the Associated Press NFL Offensive Date Site Score Att. Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year since 1967. The Saints defense saw improvement in virtually 11/29/70 Cincinnati L, 6-26 59,432 every major statistical category. New Orleans moved up 9/28/75 New Orleans L, 0-21 52,531 ten spots in total defense, including from 32nd to 15th against the pass. After ranking 31st in opponent points per 9/24/78 Cincinnati W, 20-18 40,455 game in 2016, New Orleans moved up to tenth in 2017, 10/25/81 New Orleans W, 17-7 46,336 surrendering only 20.4 points per game. Payton earned a 12/9/84 New Orleans L, 21-24 40,855 bachelor’s degree in communications at Eastern Illinois, where as a quarterback he had 10,665 passing yards, at 12/20/87 Cincinnati W, 41-24 43,424 the time the third-highest total in NCAA Division I-AA histo- 11/4/90 Cincinnati W, 21-7 60,067 ry. Payton was inducted into the Eastern Illinois Hall of Fame in September of 2000 and had his jersey retired in a 1/2/94 New Orleans W, 20-13 58,036 ceremony in September of 2010. He received an honorary 9/15/96 Cincinnati L, 15-30 45,412 doctorate from his alma mater in 2013. Payton was born 12/22/02 Cincinnati L, 13-20 43,544 December 29, 1963 in San Mateo, Calif., and raised in Na- perville, Ill., Payton has a daughter, Meghan and a son, 11/19/06 New Orleans L, 16-31 68,001 Connor. 12/5/10 Cincinnati W, 34-30 60,067 11/16/14 New Orleans L, 10-27 73,073 Marvin Lewis is 130-115 in the regular season since be- coming the Bengals’ head coach in 2003 and he is current- ly the league’s second-longest tenured head coach behind Belichick.