SEATTLE -- The New Orleans Saints survived Monday night's stormy, windy weather with a 13-10 win over the Seattle Seahawks.
For their clutch performances, Brian Johnson, a rookie kicker and New Orleans's stellar defense deserve special credit.
It is unsettling to consider where the Saints offense would be if Kamara had not gained 179 yards on 30 touches, and scored New Orleans' only touchdown.
Kamara became the fastest player to reach 3,000 career receiving yards and 3,000 career rushing yards in the 66th NFL game. Roger Craig, a former San Francisco 49ers runningback, set the previous record of 70 games. ESPN Stats & Information research.
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The Saints (4-2), now have a week to return across the country and get ready for a tougher opponent. They host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday (4:25 p.m.). ET, Fox
QB breakdown: Jameis Winston was a subpar performer, completing only 19 of 35 passes for 222 yard with one touchdown and no turnovers. Some of it was his fault, especially when he made some poor throws. His teammates failed to make open plays throughout the game and his team's inability to catch deep passes or show any talent at wide receiver was a problem. This has been New Orleans' biggest weakness all season and was even more evident Monday night.
Pivotal matchup. The eagerly awaited showdown between Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (Seahawks) and Seahawks receiver DK Mecalf was a great success and almost led to physical confrontations. Metcalf won round one with an 84-yard TD catch during Seattle's first drive. Metcalf seemed to be able to dodge offensive pass interference but the two players made quite a lot contact before Lattimore was thrown to the ground. Lattimore was then penalized with two personal fouls. Metcalf was eventually held in check by Lattimore, who caught one more pass for 12 yard.
Promising trend: Seattle was held to 219 yards by the Saints defense, 84 of which were on that single play. Demario Davis, the linebacker, was a key player in the team's success, with 10 tackles and 2 sacks. He also had 4 tackles for loss. The Saints were fourth in the NFL for points allowed per match (18.2), and they improved that ranking.
Pivotal plays are: Sometimes it's better to be lucky than to be good, especially when points seem impossible to score for either offense. With 3:08 remaining, the Saints lined up to attempt a 42 yard field goal before Seattle was flagged as encroachment. Johnson was able to kick the 33-yard goal that would have won the game after the two minute warning. Johnson was signed from the Chicago Bears practice team last week and was making his NFL debut. He is New Orleans' fifth kicker. Wil Lutz, a veteran kicker, is expected to return from injury shortly.
