JOURNAL SPORTS
NEW ORLEANS – A stifling New Orleans defense combined with a strong performance by Alvin Kamara led the Saints to a 24-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in the Caesars Superdome on Sunday.
The win, which improved New Orleans’ record to 3-5, marked the first time the Saints have had shutouts in back-to-back seasons since the 1991 and 1992 campaigns.
“I think anytime you get to get a shutout in a game, I think that is huge,” said New Orleans head coach Dennis Allen. “They are hard to come by in our league and you know the defense was challenged this week in terms of stepping up and playing the way we are capable of playing.
“I think they came out and played with energy, passion, and I thought they played with a swagger – which was good to see.”
The Saints’ defense — which held the Raiders to 12 first downs, 38 rushing yards, and 145 passing yards – did not allow the Las Vegas offense to cross midfield until 2:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.
With his half-sack of Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr on Sunday, Cameron Jordan now has sacks against 28 of the NFL’s teams. Carr was the 44th player the Saints’ defensive end has sacked in his career.
Defensive ends David Onyemata and Payton Turner also recorded sacks. Onyemata tallied his first sack of the season while Turner added his first two sacks of the season.
Linebacker Pete Werner led the Saints with 11 tackles (seven solo) and tipped a pass that was intercepted by safety Tyrann Mathieu in the second quarter.
“I was just trying to get to the ball,” said Mathieu, who also had four total tackles. “I think tips and overthrows are a big part of the game. It’s cool to make a play for the team at any time.”
Making plays for the Saints on offense was Kamara, who became the first player in NFL history to record 10 games with at least one rushing and one receiving touchdown in his first six seasons.
Kamara led the team in both rushing (62 yards on 18 carries with 1TD) and receiving (nine receptions for 96 yards and 2TDs). His 3-yard scoring run in the first quarter was Kamara’s first touchdown of the season.
Kamara’s 16-yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton with a 37-yard Will Lutz field goal in the second quarter gave the Saints a 17-0 lead at the half. His second touchdown reception (36 yards) came in the third quarter.
“Anytime I can get those touches in bunches and early and often, I can get going and really impact the game,” said Kamara. “I feel like I can do that every game. Luckily, I was able to get some plays dialed up that put the ball in my hands.”
Dalton completed 22-of-33 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns with a 117.2 passer rating.
“I think by far this is the most complete game that we’ve played up to this point and I think it shows what we can do when we play the right way,” said Dalton. “For us, we got to keep that going, keep that as the mindset and the mentality that this is how we expect to play.”
The Saints return to the field on Monday, Nov. 7, when they host the Baltimore Ravens (5-3) in the Caesars Superdome.