New Orleans Saints vs New York Jets
New Orleans Saints vs New York Jets is one of Sunday afternoon’s most interesting NFL clashes in Week 9. The Saints are flying high, looking to continue their push for the NFC South title, where as the Jets are trailing the New England Patriots in the AFC East, and know if they can just go on a steady run of form through the second half of the season now they could potentially cause an upset. The game will start at 1 p.m. ET and can be watched online through free live stream (details below).
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees pauses during a time out against the Green Bay Packers in the second half during their NFL football game in Green Bay, Wisconsin September 30, 2012.
(PHOTO: REUTERS/DARREN HAUCK)
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees pauses during a time out against the Green Bay Packers in the second half during their NFL football game in Green Bay, Wisconsin September 30, 2012.
The Saints are clear at the top of the NFC South with a 6-1 record – their only loss this season coming against the New England Patriots in Week 6. They bounced back from that first defeat with a comfortable 35-17 win against Buffalo last week, but now face an important run of games; today on the road to the Jets, before hosting the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers in consecutive weeks. If they can come through these next three games with three wins they will be almost there for the division title.
The Saints have the 6th best offense in the NFL this season so far, but today come up against the 6th ranked defense in the New York Jets. The Saints are posting total yardage gains of just under 400 yards per game (396 yards), and have successfully been converting those yards into points. They are ranked 5th in points scored, where they are scoring at a rate of 28 points per game.
Their success has come largely thanks to their efficient pass offense, where they rank 3rd in the league, recording 310.7 yards on pass per game. Drew Brees has been pivotal in those stats, and he is 183 of 271 for 2,290 yards and 19 touchdowns.
If the Jets are to claim a shock win here today they will need to pressure Brees and also block off his outlet to receiver Jimmy Graham, who has gone 630 yards on 40 receives for 8 touchdowns.
The Jets meanwhile are 4-4 and second in the AFC East. They have been blowing hot and cold all season, putting in some fantastic displays and causing some shocks along the way, but at other times they have been shockingly bad. The last two weeks show exactly that; they shocked everyone when they took down the New England Patriots 30-27 in Week 7, but last week it looked like an entirely different team, as they lost 9-49 to Cincinnati.