Tag: DREW BREES
Brady on Brees: ‘I think there’s just a lot of mutual respect’
On Sunday in New Orleans in the Divisional Round of the playoffs, the Saints and Buccaneers will battle it out for the third time this season. Tampa Bay is 0-2 against the Saints this season and has been outscored 72-26. Overall, New Orleans has beaten the Buccaneers five straight times.
The two quarterbacks in this game have accomplished so much in the game of football. In a combined 41 years of NFL service, Tom Brady and Drew Brees have thrown for 176563 yards and 1263 touchdowns, with seven Super Bowl victories. Brady is number one in passing yards and touchdowns, while Brees is second in those categories. So, obviously, these guys have put in a lot of work.
Brady is 43, and Brees is 42, so there is a good chance that these two guys may never play against each other ever again. Brady, who is 2-5 against Brees all-time, has a lot of respect for the New Orleans Saints quarterback.
“He’s a lot younger than me – he’s 18 months younger than me. Eighteen months ago, I felt pretty good, so I’ve got a little advanced age on him – and experience,” Brady said this week. “I’m hanging in there. He’s had a terrific year. He’s a great player – I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve always had a great amount of respect for him going all the way back to his Purdue days. My roommate, when I first got to the Patriots, was from Purdue and was really good friends with Drew. I always just kept up with him and have gotten to know him somewhat well over the years. I just think so much of him as a person and as a player. I know what it takes to do what he’s doing [and] he knows what it takes to do what I’m doing. I think there’s just a lot of mutual respect.”
Turnovers have killed the Buccaneers against the Saints this season, and Brady has been the biggest culprit. He has thrown five interceptions against New Orleans, and according to him, turnovers could decide the outcome of Sunday’s game.
“It’s big for both teams,” Brady said. “Turnover margin – out of all of the stats – I think that one always speaks to wins and losses just about more than any other stat. Taking care of the football maximizes your ability to score. Taking the football away minimizes their ability to score. It’s very difficult to score if you don’t have the ball. If you give the ball away, it gives them more chances to score. When you play good teams, it always comes down to that. That’s a big point of emphasis – we’ve got to protect it in the passing game. That responsibility obviously falls on the quarterback, but it falls on a lot of other people too. It falls on all of us, making a concerted effort to be on the same page in the passing game so that we can play with anticipation [and] play with confidence.”
Brady’s worst moments this season have been against New Orleans, and quite frankly, Brady is going to have to protect the ball and be better if the Buccaneers want to beat the Saints on Sunday. If he is better, maybe the Buccaneers can finally beat the Saints. If not, we might see a repeat of the previous two games between these teams this season.
Bucs’ David on loss to Saints: ‘Guys were pissed because we know we’re not that type of team’
You got the sense that ever since they lost to New Orleans in Week 1, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were going to do everything in their power to defeat the Saints in the rematch. However, in their worst performance of the season, Tampa Bay(6-3) was blown out by the Saints(6-2) 38-3 at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night.
The Saints intercepted Tom Brady three times, and Drew Brees threw four touchdown passes. It was an embarrassing night for Tampa Bay, and one head coach Bruce Arians, was surprised to see.
“It was shocking. To watch us practice the way we practiced all week and the confidence we had coming in — we have to go back and look in the mirror as coaches, players, everybody, from yesterday to today,” Arians said after the game. “Another [game] where we go three-and-out and give up a touchdown [to begin the game]. Second half, I thought we got the turnover, and we don’t score a touchdown. I thought that kind of was the end of it right then and there. Give New Orleans credit — they kicked our [butts] in every phase.”
Because of the signing of Tom Brady, the Buccaneers were must-see TV, but they have struggled in primetime. The Buccaneers are 1-2 in primetime and have struggled offensively on the big stage. Tampa Bay is averaging 15.6 in those games, which Arians hopes to fix.
“That’s one of the things we have to look at because that’s what we just addressed in the locker room,” Arians said. “We have stunk in those games. We won one of them [and] we should have won [against Chicago], but we didn’t. This one, we just basically handed it to them.”
According to Buccaneers LB Lavonte David, the team was furious after getting dismantled by the Saints.
“Guys were pissed,” David said on Monday. “You saw it on the sidelines, you see it today [and] you saw it after the game. Guys were pissed because we know we’re not that type of team, especially against a team who we obviously wanted to really beat. To go out there and put on a show like that on Sunday night – guys feel some type of way about it. All you can do is move on from it. It’ll show how we prevail from it this week. Like I said, we’re focusing on the Carolina Panthers right now. They’re a pretty good football team with some talented weapons. A lot of guys took it to heart yesterday. We came in today, and the good thing about it is [I] didn’t have to go to [anybody]. Guys were coming to me [and saying], ‘That’s unacceptable. We can’t have [a] performance like that again. We have to do find a way to get better.’ That’s going to start this upcoming week, and I’m really excited to get to work this week, move on from last week and get back going.”
It was surprising to see Tampa Bay get beat up by the Saints on Sunday, but it’s clear that at this point, the Saints are the class of the NFC South and maybe the NFC. There is a lot of football left, but the Buccaneers have to fix some things if they want to be the team many thought they would be when the season started.
McAllister on Brees: ‘He’s not the Drew Brees of 2011, the Brees of 2006 either, but I think he’s still good enough’
For most teams, winning 13 games in a season would be considered a success. However, for the New Orleans Saints, it turned out to be a disappointment. New Orleans would lose in the wild card round at home to the Minnesota Vikings.
At age 41, Saints QB Drew Brees only has so much football left in him, thus losing in disappointing fashion to the Vikings was a massive blow to New Orleans. According to one of Brees’ former teammates, Deuce McAllister, Brees might not be the same player he once was, but he is still has a lot to give.
“Drew is the old man in the room, the old man in the building,” McAllister said last week via a video call. “It’s amazing to watch him be able to go out there and do it, and I think it shows you how well he’s prepared, how he’s changed, not only how well he works out, but what he eats, what he consumes. And then for him to be able to say, look, my body is okay, I think I can give it another run and then truly commit to it, I think that’s probably the most amazing part about it just because of the player that he is.
“Look, he’s not the Drew Brees of 2011, the Drew Brees of 2006 either, but I think he’s still good enough and he’s still an elite enough of a player that can command the huddle, has the respect of the players, and then the question is can he go out and do his job effectively. That’s the biggest question. You listen to Sean (Payton), and how they will manage his throws, how they even may manage some of the games he plays in. Look, we all know Drew, Drew is not going to want to miss one play. Drew, this one is over, you are up 21, and there are ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, get out. That’s not him. He’s preparing from a physical standpoint and a mental standpoint to be able to finish the game, but sometimes they have to protect Drew from himself in that instance just because he is so competitive.”
You wonder if there will be any issues with Brees after his recent comments about kneeling during the national anthem. To Brees’ credit, he did apologize, and it appears that everybody is on the same page.
Back in March, the Saints and Brees agreed to a two-year, $50 million contract. Last season, Brees, who missed five games due to a thumb injury, threw for 2979 yards with 27 touchdowns and only four interceptions. Brees was also selected to the Pro Bowl for the 13th time in his career. Barring injury, it’s clear the Saints can still rely on Brees, but at some point, 41 is going to look like 41, so the Saints must win now.
Bridgewater: ‘I’m definitely getting comfortable just with all the guys’
When Saints QB Drew Brees injured his thumb in Week 2 against the Rams, many thought New Orleans would struggle without their 12-time Pro Bowler. But, fortunately for the Saints, the defense has stepped up, special teams have stepped up, and so has their backup QB, Teddy Bridgewater.
Bridgewater, 26, is 4-0 as a starter since replacing Brees, and each week he keeps getting better. In Week 5, Bridgewater threw four touchdowns passes against Tampa Bay. On Sunday, Bridgewater was solid as the Saints were able to go on the road to defeat the Jaguars 13-6.
Against Jacksonville, the six-year veteran completed 24 of 36 passes for 240 yards and one touchdown, and more importantly, the Saints are 5-1.
“We had a couple struggles early in the game, but great teams always try to find a way to win each football game, and that’s what we were able to do today,” Bridgewater said on Sunday. “Specialists did a great job with changing the field position, defense did a great job of, you know, keeping those guys from crossing the 50, and we came home with the win.
“Like I said, great teams find a way to win football games. We knew that there was going to be a fight coming out this way, with different elements and things like that, but it feels to get back on the plane and heading back to New Orleans with a win.”
Bridgewater, who signed a one-year, $7.25 million deal with New Orleans in the offseason, is the highest-paid backup QB in football, and as the weeks go by, Bridgewater feels he is getting more and more comfortable with his teammates.
“Yeah, I’m definitely getting comfortable just with all the guys,” Bridgewater said. “Of course, we scored a little today, mainly me with some accuracy things. But overall man, these guys, we work extremely hard throughout the week just trying to continue to build that chemistry. Today, Jared(Cook) had a solid day for us, and Mike(Thomas), even Mike, had some catches. It’s good to just continue to get those guys involved, and they help this team win football games.”
In five games this season, Bridgewater has thrown for 1,089 yards with seven touchdowns and only two interceptions. Bridgewater is doing his job, and hopefully, for Saints fans, he can continue to hold down the fort until Brees returns.
Saints QB Drew Brees tops Pro Bowl voting by fans
New Orleans Saints quarterback DREW BREES received 1,270,631 total fan votes to lead all NFL players in balloting for the 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon. Fan voting ended on Thursday, December 13.
Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES (1,197,370 votes) ranked second overall, while New York Giants rookie running back SAQUON BARKLEY (987,562 votes), Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY (957,052 votes) and Rams quarterback JARED GOFF (838,561 votes) rounded out the top five.
Seven of the top 10 vote getters – Mahomes, Barkley, Goff, Dallas Cowboys running back EZEKIEL ELLIOTT,Pittsburgh Steelers running back JAMES CONNER, New Orleans Saints running back ALVIN KAMARA and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver TYREEK HILL – are currently in their first, second or third NFL season. Additionally, nine first-or-second year players currently lead their conference in votes received at their respective positions.
Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Tuesday, December 18 live on NFL Network’s Pro Bowl special “NFL Total Access: Pro Bowl Players Revealed” at 8:00 PM ET.
Players for the game are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who will be selected to the Pro Bowl. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its All-Star teams. NFL players and coaches cast their votes on Friday, December 14.
The 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon, which kicks off at 3:00 PM ET, will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Disney XD and simulcast on ABC – the second time the game will be available on both broadcast and cable networks, and the first time that the game is being televised on Disney XD.
Tickets to the game are on sale at NFL.com/ProBowlOnSale. New this year, tickets will also grant fans special benefits on gameday, including AFC & NFC seating sections, player red carpet viewing, special kid zone activities and postgame fireworks.
NFL PRO BOWL TOP-10 VOTE-GETTERS
| POS. | NAME | TEAM | VOTES |
| QB | Drew Brees | New Orleans | 1,270,631 |
| QB | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 1,197,370 |
| RB | Saquon Barkley | New York Giants | 987,562 |
| RB | Todd Gurley | Los Angeles Rams | 957,052 |
| QB | Jared Goff | Los Angeles Rams | 838,561 |
| RB | Ezekiel Elliott | Dallas | 827,888 |
| RB | James Conner | Pittsburgh | 817,495 |
| WR | Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh | 778,630 |
| RB | Alvin Kamara | New Orleans | 776,846 |
| WR | Tyreek Hill | Kansas City | 753,981 |
AFC & NFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS BY POSITION
| POS. | CONF. | NAME, TEAM | VOTES | POS. | CONF. | NAME, TEAM | VOTES |
| QB | AFC | Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City | 1,197,370 | DE | AFC | J.J. Watt, Houston | 547,364 |
| QB | NFC | Drew Brees, New Orleans | 1,270,631 | DE | NFC | Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas | 362,135 |
| RB | AFC | James Conner, Pittsburgh | 817,495 | DT | AFC | Geno Atkins, Cincinnati | 309,980 |
| RB | NFC | Saquon Barkley, NY Giants | 987,562 | DT | NFC | Aaron Donald, LA Rams | 505,207 |
| FB | AFC | Anthony Sherman, Kansas City | 231,804 | OLB | AFC | Von Miller, Denver | 413,057 |
| FB | NFC | Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco | 564,873 | OLB | NFC | Khalil Mack, Chicago | 577,100 |
| WR | AFC | Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh | 778,630 | ILB | AFC | Vince Williams, Pittsburgh | 119,985 |
| WR | NFC | Odell Beckham, Jr., NY Giants | 688,760 | ILB | NFC | Luke Kuechly, Carolina | 350,604 |
| TE | AFC | Travis Kelce, Kansas City | 745,416 | CB | AFC | Denzel Ward, Cleveland | 362,185 |
| TE | NFC | Zach Ertz, Philadelphia | 648,992 | CB | NFC | Kyle Fuller, Chicago | 377,687 |
| T | AFC | Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh | 276,378 | SS | AFC | Jamal Adams, NY Jets | 249,348 |
| T | NFC | Terron Armstead, New Orleans | 346,860 | SS | NFC | Adrian Amos, Chicago | 213,632 |
| G | AFC | David DeCastro, Pittsburgh | 334,644 | FS | AFC | Derwin James, LA Chargers | 165,153 |
| G | NFC | Zack Martin, Dallas | 379,700 | FS | NFC | Eddie Jackson, Chicago | 311,301 |
| C | AFC | Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh | 311,838 | P | AFC | Britton Colquitt, Cleveland | 179,390 |
| C | NFC | Max Unger, New Orleans | 339,631 | P | NFC | Michael Dickson, Seattle | 171,010 |
| K | AFC | Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis | 161,752 | ST | AFC | Roosevelt Nix, Pittsburgh | 126,957 |
| K | NFC | Wil Lutz, New Orleans | 195,895 | ST | NFC | Mark Nzeocha, San Francisco | 183,150 |
| RS | AFC | Tyreek Hill, Kansas City | 243,384 | ||||
| RS | NFC | Tarik Cohen, Chicago | 266,516 |
For the third consecutive year, Pro Bowl Week festivities will take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort and across the Orlando area, bringing free experiences and activities to fans as well as an extraordinary number of events focused on commemorating all levels of football – from youth to high school to the NFL’s best. Some of the Pro Bowl Week events include: Pro Bowl Practices, Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, NFL FLAG Championships Powered By USA Football and Play Football Celebrity Flag Game.
Brees leading the fan vote for the Pro Bowl
As fan voting enters its final week, New Orleans Saints quarterback DREW BREES, with 950,818 votes, leads all players in balloting for the 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon.
Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES (884,888 votes) ranks second overall, while Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY (747,516 votes), New York Giants rookie running back SAQUON BARKLEY (718,108 votes) and Pittsburgh running back JAMES CONNER (664,897 votes) round out the top five.
Six of the top 10 vote getters – Mahomes, Conner, Barkley, Los Angeles Rams quarterback JARED GOFF, New Orleans Saints running back ALVIN KAMARA and Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver TYREEK HILL – are currently in their first, second or third NFL season. Additionally, nine first-or-second year players currently lead their conference in votes received at their respective positions.
Fan voting for the 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon will continue online and on web-enabled mobile phones atNFL.com/ProBowlVote until Thursday, December 13.
Through the end of the voting period on December 13, fans will also be able to vote directly on Twitter. To cast such a vote, fans should tweet the first and last name of the player, the player’s official Twitter handle, or a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. Voting via Twitter is in addition to the online ballot at NFL.com/ProBowlVote, which will be available throughout the entire voting period.
Fans are able to vote as many times as they like through both NFL.com/ProBowlVote or directly on twitter.
The 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon, which kicks off at 3:00 PM ET, will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Disney XD and simulcast on ABC – the second time the game will be available on both broadcast and cable networks, and the first time that the game is being televised on Disney XD.
Tickets to the game are on sale at NFL.com/ProBowlOnSale. New this year, tickets will also grant fans special benefits on gameday, including AFC & NFC seating sections, player red carpet viewing, special kid zone activities and postgame fireworks.
Players for the game are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who will be selected to the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Friday, December 14.
Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Tuesday, December 18 live on NFL Network’s Pro Bowl special “NFL Total Access: Pro Bowl Players Revealed” at 8:00 PM ET. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its All-Star teams. It was also the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.
NFL PRO BOWL TOP-10 VOTE-GETTERS
| POS. | NAME | TEAM | VOTES |
| QB | Drew Brees | New Orleans | 950,818 |
| QB | Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 884,888 |
| RB | Todd Gurley | Los Angeles Rams | 747,516 |
| RB | Saquon Barkley | New York Giants | 718,108 |
| RB | James Conner | Pittsburgh | 664,897 |
| QB | Jared Goff | Los Angeles Rams | 658,150 |
| WR | Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh | 630,392 |
| RB | Alvin Kamara | New Orleans | 582,550 |
| WR | Tyreek Hill | Kansas City | 560,994 |
| TE | Travis Kelce | Kansas City | 551,249 |
AFC & NFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS BY POSITION
| POS. | CONF. | NAME, TEAM | VOTES | POS. | CONF. | NAME, TEAM | VOTES | |
| QB | AFC | Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City | 884,888 | DE | AFC | J.J. Watt, Houston | 405,878 | |
| QB | NFC | Drew Brees, New Orleans | 950,818 | DE | NFC | Danielle Hunter, Minnesota | 278,267 | |
| RB | AFC | James Conner, Pittsburgh | 664,897 | DT | AFC | Geno Atkins, Cincinnati | 242,851 | |
| RB | NFC | Todd Gurley, LA Rams | 747,516 | DT | NFC | Aaron Donald, LA Rams | 385,591 | |
| FB | AFC | Anthony Sherman, Kansas City | 170,608 | OLB | AFC | T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh | 314,173 | |
| FB | NFC | Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco | 423,176 | OLB | NFC | Khalil Mack, Chicago | 378,895 | |
| WR | AFC | Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh | 630,392 | ILB | AFC | Jon Bostic, Pittsburgh | 102,101 | |
| WR | NFC | Odell Beckham, Jr., NY Giants | 527,768 | ILB | NFC | Luke Kuechly, Carolina | 261,715 | |
| TE | AFC | Travis Kelce, Kansas City | 551,249 | CB | AFC | Denzel Ward, Cleveland | 268,092 | |
| TE | NFC | Zach Ertz, Philadelphia | 495,442 | CB | NFC | Kyle Fuller, Chicago | 281,555 | |
| T | AFC | Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh | 223,489 | SS | AFC | Jamal Adams, NY Jets | 178,371 | |
| T | NFC | Terron Armstead, New Orleans | 246,931 | SS | NFC | Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Washington | 135,256 | |
| G | AFC | David DeCastro, Pittsburgh | 273,059 | FS | AFC | Derwin James, LA Chargers | 110,193 | |
| G | NFC | Zack Martin, Dallas | 221,790 | FS | NFC | Eddie Jackson, Chicago | 150,525 | |
| C | AFC | Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh | 253,587 | P | AFC | Britton Colquitt, Cleveland | 127,866 | |
| C | NFC | Max Unger, New Orleans | 243,549 | P | NFC | Michael Dickson, Seattle | 95,266 | |
| K | AFC | Justin Tucker, Baltimore | 87,423 | ST | AFC | Roosevelt Nix, Pittsburgh | 108,445 | |
| K | NFC | Wil Lutz, New Orleans | 124,151 | ST | NFC | Mark Nzeocha, San Francisco | 129,446 | |
| RS | AFC | Tyreek Hill, Kansas City | 178,901 | |||||
| RS | NFC | Tarik Cohen, Chicago | 146,204 | |||||
| *Totals reflect players currently on active rosters through Tuesday, December 4 at 3:00 PM ET | ||||||||
For the third consecutive year, Pro Bowl Week festivities will take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort and across the Orlando area, bringing free experiences and activities to fans as well as an extraordinary number of events focused on commemorating all levels of football – from youth to high school to the NFL’s best. Some of the Pro Bowl Week events include: Pro Bowl Practices, Pro Bowl Skills Showdown, NFL FLAG Championships Powered By USA Football and Play Football Celebrity Flag Game.
Drew Brees leads Pro Bowl voting by fans
New Orleans Saints quarterback DREW BREES, with 487,400 votes, leads all players in balloting for the 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon.
Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES (459,325 votes) ranks second overall, while Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY (402,238 votes), Pittsburgh running back JAMES CONNER (384,643 votes) and New York Giants rookie running back SAQUON BARKLEY (363,609 votes) round out the top five.
Fan voting for the 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon will continue online and on web-enabled mobile phones at NFL.com/ProBowlVote until Thursday, December 13.
During the final two weeks of 2019 Pro Bowl voting – November 29-December 13 – fans will also be able to vote directly on Twitter. To cast such a vote, fans should tweet the first and last name of the player, the player’s official Twitter handle, or a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. All three of these methods must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote. Voting via Twitter is in addition to the online ballot at NFL.com/ProBowlVote, which will be available throughout the entire voting period.
The 2019 Pro Bowl presented by Verizon, which kicks off at 3:00 PM ET, will be televised live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Disney XD and simulcast on ABC – the second time the game will be available on both broadcast and cable networks, and the first time that the game is being televised on Disney XD.
Tickets to the game are on sale at NFL.com/ProBowlOnSale. New this year, tickets will also grant fans special benefits on gameday, including AFC & NFC seating sections, player red carpet viewing, special kid zone activities and postgame fireworks.
Players for the game are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 88 All-Star players who will be selected to the Pro Bowl. NFL players and coaches will cast their votes on Friday, December 14.
Pro Bowl rosters will be announced on Tuesday, December 18 live on NFL Network’s Pro Bowl special “NFL Total Access: Pro Bowl Players Revealed” at 8:00 PM ET. The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its All-Star teams. It was also the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995.
NFL PRO BOWL TOP-10 VOTE-GETTERS
POS. |
NAME |
TEAM |
VOTES |
QB |
Drew Brees | New Orleans | 487,400 |
QB |
Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 459,325 |
RB |
Todd Gurley | Los Angeles Rams | 402,238 |
RB |
James Conner | Pittsburgh | 384,643 |
RB |
Saquon Barkley | New York Giants | 363,609 |
WR |
Antonio Brown | Pittsburgh | 353,169 |
QB |
Jared Goff | Los Angeles Rams | 337,765 |
RB |
Alvin Kamara | New Orleans | 312,083 |
RB |
Kareem Hunt | Kansas City | 293,209 |
TE |
Travis Kelce | Kansas City | 283,104 |
AFC & NFC LEADING VOTE-GETTERS BY POSITION
POS. |
CONF. |
NAME, TEAM |
VOTES |
POS. |
CONF. |
NAME, TEAM |
VOTES |
|
QB |
AFC | Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City | 459,325 |
DE |
AFC | J.J. Watt, Houston | 212,514 | |
QB |
NFC | Drew Brees, New Orleans | 487,400 |
DE |
NFC | Danielle Hunter, Minnesota | 149,946 | |
RB |
AFC | James Conner, Pittsburgh | 384,643 |
DT |
AFC | Geno Atkins, Cincinnati | 132,284 | |
RB |
NFC | Todd Gurley, LA Rams | 402,238 |
DT |
NFC | Aaron Donald, LA Rams | 201,789 | |
FB |
AFC | Roosevelt Nix, Pittsburgh | 92,592 |
OLB |
AFC | T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh | 167,030 | |
FB |
NFC | Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco | 229,543 |
OLB |
NFC | Khalil Mack, Chicago | 178,678 | |
WR |
AFC | Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh | 353,169 |
ILB |
AFC | Jon Bostic, Pittsburgh | 59,201 | |
WR |
NFC | Odell Beckham, Jr., NY Giants | 278,490 |
ILB |
NFC | Luke Kuechly, Carolina | 132,323 | |
TE |
AFC | Travis Kelce, Kansas City | 283,104 |
CB |
AFC | Denzel Ward, Cleveland | 147,901 | |
TE |
NFC | Zach Ertz, Philadelphia | 266,553 |
CB |
NFC | Patrick Peterson, Arizona | 125,114 | |
T |
AFC | Alejandro Villanueva, Pittsburgh | 125,152 |
SS |
AFC | Jamal Adams, NY Jets | 92,765 | |
T |
NFC | Terron Armstead, New Orleans | 128,234 |
SS |
NFC | Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Washington | 75,331 | |
G |
AFC | David DeCastro, Pittsburgh | 157,292 |
FS |
AFC | Derwin James, LA Chargers | 57,858 | |
G |
NFC | Zack Martin, Dallas | 114,083 |
FS |
NFC | Harrison Smith, Minnesota | 57,938 | |
C |
AFC | Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh | 145,261 |
P |
AFC | Britton Colquitt, Cleveland | 66,746 | |
C |
NFC | Max Unger, New Orleans | 125,249 |
P |
NFC | Michael Dickson, Seattle | 51,852 | |
K |
AFC | Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh | 47,581 |
ST |
AFC | Roosevelt Nix, Pittsburgh | 63,995 | |
K |
NFC | Graham Gano, Carolina | 59,923 |
ST |
NFC | Justin Hardee, New Orleans | 45,658 | |
RS |
AFC | Tyreek Hill, Kansas City | 91,964 | |||||
RS |
NFC | Tarik Cohen, Chicago | 54,362 | |||||
| *Totals reflect players currently on active rosters through Tuesday, November 20 at 3:00 PM ET | ||||||||
What to look for in Week 10 of the NFL
WHAT TO LOOK FOR – WEEK 10
MILESTONES ON THE HORIZON: New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES passed for 346 yards with four touchdowns and New England quarterback TOM BRADY passed 294 yards with a touchdown in Week 9. Brees (506 touchdown passes) and Brady (505) rank third and fourth, respectively, all-time in touchdown passes.
Brees, who faces Cincinnati (1:00 PM ET, FOX) on Sunday, needs three touchdown passes to surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE (508) for the second-most regular-season touchdown passes in NFL history. Brady, who plays at Tennessee (1:00 PM ET, CBS), needs four touchdown passes to surpass Favre.
The players with the most touchdown passes in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS |
| Peyton Manning | Indianapolis, Denver | 539 |
| Brett Favre^ | Green Bay, New York Jets, Minnesota | 508 |
| Drew Brees | San Diego, New Orleans | 506 |
| Tom Brady | New England | 505 |
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||
Brady has an additional 71 touchdown passes in 37 career playoff games, an NFL record, and needs four touchdown passes to surpass PEYTON MANNING (579 touchdowns) for the most passing touchdowns in league history, including the postseason.
The players with the most touchdown passes (including the postseason) in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | PASSING TOUCHDOWNS |
| Peyton Manning | Indianapolis, Denver | 579 |
| Tom Brady | New England | 576 |
Brady, who has appeared in 262 regular-season games and 37 playoff games, can become the second quarterback in league annals to appear in 300 games (including the postseason), joining Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE (326).
Arizona wide receiver LARRY FITZGERALD has 15,902 receiving yards in his 15-year NFL career. With 33 receiving yards on Sunday at Kansas City (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Fitzgerald would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer TERRELL OWENS (15,934) for the second-most receiving yards in NFL history.
The players with the most receiving yards in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM(S) | RECEIVING YARDS |
| Jerry Rice^ | San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle | 22,895 |
| Terrell Owens^ | San Francisco, Philadelphia, Dallas, Buffalo, Cincinnati | 15,934 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | Arizona | 15,902 |
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||
— NFL —
PROLIFIC PAT: Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES leads the NFL with 2,901 passing yards and 29 touchdown passes through the first nine weeks of the season. Mahomes has thrown for at least 300 yards and three touchdowns in each of his past four games.
With 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes on Sunday against Arizona (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Mahomes would join Pro Football Hall of Famer STEVE YOUNG (five games in 1998) as the only quarterbacks in league history to record at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes in five consecutive games.
The players with the most consecutive games with at least 300 passing yards and three touchdown passes in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | CONSECUTIVE GAMES |
| Steve Young^ | San Francisco | 1998 | 5 |
| Patrick Mahomes | Kansas City | 2018 | 4* |
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | |||
| *Active streak | |||
— NFL —
LUCKY NUMBER THREE: Indianapolis quarterback ANDREW LUCK ranks second in the NFL with 23 touchdown passes this season and has thrown at least three touchdowns in each of his past five games.
With three touchdown passes on Sunday against Jacksonville (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Luck would join TOM BRADY (10 consecutive games in 2007) and PEYTON MANNING (eight consecutive games in 2004) as the only quarterbacks to record six consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes in a single season. Brady and Manning were each named Associated Press MVP in those seasons.
The players with the most consecutive games with at least three touchdown passes in a single season in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | CONSECUTIVE GAMES | |
| Tom Brady# | New England | 2007 | 10 | |
| Peyton Manning# | Indianapolis | 2004 | 8 | |
| Andrew Luck | Indianapolis | 2018 | 5* | |
| #Named Associated Press MVP | ||||
| *Active streak | ||||
— NFL —
RISING RIVERS: Los Angeles Chargers quarterback PHILIP RIVERS passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns for a 105.9 passer rating in the Chargers’ 25-17 win at Seattle in Week 9. Rivers has recorded at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 95 or higher in each of the Chargers’ first eight games this season.
Rivers, who plays at Oakland (4:05 PM ET, FOX), can join AARON RODGERS (13 games in 2011) and TOM BRADY (10 games in 2007) as the only quarterbacks in league history to throw at least two touchdown passes and have a passer rating of 95 or higher in each of his team’s first nine games of a season. Rodgers and Brady were each named Associated Press MVP in those seasons.
The players with the most consecutive games with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 95 or higher to begin a season in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | CONSECUTIVE GAMES | |
| Aaron Rodgers# | Green Bay | 2011 | 13 | |
| Tom Brady# | New England | 2007 | 10 | |
| Philip Rivers | Los Angeles Chargers | 2018 | 8* | |
| #Named Associated Press MVP | ||||
| *Active streak | ||||
— NFL —
TOUCHDOWN TODD: Los Angeles Rams running back TODD GURLEY leads the NFL with 16 touchdowns in 2018 and has scored at least one touchdown in each of the Rams’ first nine games of the season.
With a touchdown against Seattle (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Gurley would join Pro Football Hall of Famers O.J. SIMPSON (1975), LENNY MOORE (1964) and ELROY “CRAZY LEGS” HIRSCH (1951) as the only players in league annals to score a touchdown in each of their team’s first 10 games of a season. Simpson and Moore had at least one touchdown in each of their team’s 14 games during their respective seasons.
The players with the most consecutive team games with at least one touchdown to begin a season in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON | CONSECUTIVE GAMES | |
| O.J. Simpson^ | Buffalo | 1975 | 14 | |
| Lenny Moore^ | Baltimore Colts | 1964 | 14 | |
| Elroy “Crazy Legs” Hirsch^ | Los Angeles Rams | 1951 | 10 | |
| Todd Gurley | Los Angeles Rams | 2018 | 9* | |
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||||
| *Active streak | ||||
— NFL —
TOP 25: New Orleans running back ALVIN KAMARA had 116 scrimmage yards (82 rushing, 34 receiving) and three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) in the Saints’ Week 9 win over the Rams. Since entering the league in 2017, Kamara ranks third in the NFL with 2,471 scrimmage yards (1,253 receiving, 1,218 rushing) in 24 career games.
With 82 rushing yards and 47 receiving yards at Cincinnati (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Kamara, who will be playing in his 25th career game, would join HERSCHEL WALKER (1,394 receiving, 1,339 rushing) as the only players with at least 1,300 rushing yards and 1,300 receiving yards in their first 25 career games.
Carolina running back CHRISTIAN MC CAFFREY, who will also be playing his 25th career game on Thursday at Pittsburgh (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFL Network/Amazon Prime), needs 63 rushing yards to become the seventh player in league history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in his first 25 career games.
The players with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in their first 25 career games in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASONS | RUSHING YARDS | RECEIVING YARDS |
| Le’Veon Bell | Pittsburgh | 2013-14 | 1,906 | 1,042 |
| Abner Haynes | Kansas City | 1960-61 | 1,564 | 1,001 |
| Herschel Walker | Dallas | 1986-87 | 1,339 | 1,394 |
| Alvin Kamara | New Orleans | 2017-18 | 1,218* | 1,253* |
| Charley Taylor^ | Washington | 1964-65 | 1,131 | 1,364 |
| Reggie Bush | New Orleans | 2006-07 | 1,016 | 1,046 |
| Christian McCaffrey | Carolina | 2017-18 | 937* | 1,029* |
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||||
| *In 24 career games | ||||
— NFL —
CATCH IT LIKE MIKE: New Orleans wide receiver MICHAEL THOMAS had a franchise-record 211 receiving yards, including a 72-yard touchdown catch, in the Saints’ 45-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9.
Thomas, who has 266 receptions in 39 career games, needs one catch on Sunday at Cincinnati (1:00 PM ET, FOX) to surpass ODELL BECKHAM, JR. (266) for the most receptions by a player in his first 40 career games in NFL history.
The players with the most receptions in their first 40 career games in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON(S) | RECEPTIONS |
| Odell Beckham, Jr. | New York Giants | 2014-16 | 266 |
| Michael Thomas | New Orleans | 2016-18 | 266* |
| *In 39 career games | |||
— NFL —
BIG BEN & AB: Pittsburgh quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN in the Steelers’ 23-16 win at Baltimore last week. It marked the 68th touchdown Roethlisberger has thrown to Brown during their careers, including nine this season.
With two touchdown passes from Roethlisberger to Brown on Thursday against Carolina (8:20 PM ET, FOX/NFL Network/Amazon Prime), the duo would become the seventh quarterback-receiver combination in NFL history to connect on 70 career touchdown passes.
The quarterback-receiver combinations with the most touchdowns in NFL history:
| PASSER | RECEIVER | TEAM | TOUCHDOWNS |
| Peyton Manning | Marvin Harrison^ | Indianapolis | 112 |
| Philip Rivers* | Antonio Gates* | Los Angeles Chargers | 88 |
| Steve Young^ | Jerry Rice^ | San Francisco | 85 |
| Dan Marino^ | Mark Clayton | Miami | 79 |
| Tom Brady* | Rob Gronkowski* | New England | 76 |
| Drew Brees | Marques Colston | New Orleans | 72 |
| Ben Roethlisberger* | Antonio Brown* | Pittsburgh | 68 |
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | |||
| *Active duo | |||
— NFL —
NICK AT NIGHT: San Francisco quarterback NICK MULLENS passed for 262 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions for 151.9 rating in his NFL debut in Week 9.
With three touchdown passes against the Giants on Monday Night Football (8:15 PM ET, ESPN), Mullens would become the fifth player in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to throw at least three touchdown passes in each of his first two career starts at quarterback.
The players with at least three touchdown passes in each of their first two career starts at quarterback in the Super Bowl era:
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEASON(S) |
| Tyrod Taylor | Buffalo | 2015 |
| Matt Flynn | Green Bay | 2010-11 |
| Kurt Warner^ | St. Louis | 1999 |
| Dan Marino^ | Miami | 1983 |
| Nick Mullens | San Francisco | 2018* |
| ^Pro Football Hall of Famer | ||
| *Threw three TD passes in first-career start last week | ||
With a start on Monday, Mullens will become the first quarterback since Kansas City’s TYLER PALKO(2011) to make his first two career starts in primetime (Thursday Night, Sunday Night or Monday Night).
Seven statistical facts from Week 9 in the NFL
A look at seven statistical highlights from games played at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 4, the ninth week of the 2018 season.
- New Orleans quarterback DREW BREES passed for 346 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a 137 passer rating and wide receiver MICHAEL THOMAS had a franchise-record 211 receiving yards, including a 72-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, in the Saints’ 45-35 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
Brees has 22 career games with at least four touchdown passes and zero interceptions, tied with New England’s TOM BRADY (22) for the most such games by a quarterback in NFL history.
Thomas’ 211 receiving yards are the most in a single game in Saints’ history, surpassing the previous high of 205 set by WES CHANDLER on September 2, 1979 against Atlanta. He is the third Saint to record 200+ receiving yards in a single game, joining Chandler and TORRANCE SMALL (200 on December 24, 1994 at Denver).
- Los Angeles Chargers quarterback PHILIP RIVERS passed for 228 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions for a 105.9 passer rating in the Chargers’ 25-17 win at Seattle.
Rivers, who has started 200 consecutive games dating back to September 11, 2006, became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to start at least 200 consecutive games, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer BRETT FAVRE (297 consecutive games), ELI MANNING (210) and PEYTON MANNING (208).
- Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES passed for 375 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for a 129 passer rating in the Chiefs’ 37-21 win at Cleveland.
Mahomes, who appeared in his 10th career game today, has 29 touchdown passes and 3,185 passing yards, both the most by a player in his first 10 career games in NFL history. Mahomes is the only quarterback in league annals to pass for at least 3,000 yards in his first 10 career games.
Mahomes has passed for at least 300 yards in eight consecutive games, tied with Indianapolis’ ANDREW LUCK (2014) for the most consecutive games with 300+ passing yards in a single season in NFL history.
- Pittsburgh running back JAMES CONNER had 107 rushing yards, 56 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in the Steelers’ 23-16 win at Baltimore.
Conner has four games with at least 100 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards and at least one touchdown this season, the most such games by a player in a single season in NFL history.
Conner, who has 1,085 scrimmage yards (706 rushing, 379 receiving) and 10 total touchdowns (nine rushing, one receiving) this season, is the only player in franchise history with at least 1,000 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in the team’s first eight games of a season.
- Kansas City running back KAREEM HUNT had 141 scrimmage yards (91 rushing, 50 receiving) with three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) in the Chiefs’ Week 9 win and New Orleans running back ALVIN KAMARA had 116 scrimmage yards (82 rushing, 34 receiving) with three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) in the Saints’ win on Sunday.
Kamara, who played in his 24th career game on Sunday, has five games with both a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown, the second-most in NFL history by a player in his first 25 career games. Only Indianapolis’ EDGERRIN JAMES (six) had more such games in his first 25 career contests.
Hunt, who appeared in his 25th career game today, has four such games, tied with Chicago’s HUGH GALLARNEAU (four games in 1941-42, 1945) for the third-most in league annals by a player in his first 25 career games.
- The MINNESOTA VIKINGS, led by defensive end DANIELLE HUNTER‘s career-high 3.5 sacks,recorded a franchise-record 10 sacks in the team’s 24-9 victory over Detroit.
The Vikings’ 10 sacks surpassed the previous franchise-high of nine, which was accomplished four times and most recently on October 25, 1993 at Chicago.
Hunter, who returned a fumble 32 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, became the second player with at least 3.5 sacks and a touchdown in a single game since the individual sack became an official statistic in 1982. The Chargers’ SHAUN PHILLIPS, who had four sacks and a 31-yard interception-return touchdown against the Cardinals on October 3, 2010, is the only other player to accomplish the feat since 1982.
Chicago safety EDDIE JACKSON had a 65-yard fumble-return touchdown and linebacker LEONARD FLOYD scored on a 19-yard interception-return touchdown in the Bears’ 41-9 victory at Buffalo.
Jackson, who had both a 76-yard interception-return touchdown and a 75-yard fumble-return touchdown against Carolina on October 22, 2017, joined Pro Football Hall of Famer DEION SANDERS (three touchdowns in 1994) as the only players since 1970 with at least three defensive touchdowns of 65 or more yards over any two-year span. Sanders had interception-return touchdowns of 93, 90 and 74 yards with San Francisco in 1994.
- Atlanta quarterback MATT RYAN completed 26 of 38 passes (68.4 percent) for 350 yards with four touchdowns and one interception for a 121.6 passer rating and wide receiver JULIO JONES had seven catches for 121 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons’ 38-14 win at Washington.
Ryan, who recorded his 50th career game with at least 300 passing yards on Sunday, joined DREW BREES (57 games) as the only quarterbacks in NFL history with at least 50 games of 300+ passing yards in their first 11 seasons.
Jones has 44 career games with at least 100 receiving yards, tied with CALVIN JOHNSON for the second-most in NFL history by a player in his first eight seasons. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (45) had more such games in his first eight career seasons