New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara won a lot of fantasy championships this week with his huge, six-touchdown performance vs. the Minnesota Vikings on Friday.

One of those lucky beneficiaries just so happened to be the Baylen Brees, the son of Saints quarterback Drew Brees, as he told reporters on Monday:

Kamara went off in the 52-33 win over Minnesota, rushing 22 times for 155 yards and six scores while adding three receptions for 17 yards. It was a legendary performance. 

And hey, if it also helps the quarterback's son win a fantasy title, that's just gravy. It's never a bad idea to keep the QB1 happy. 

Alvin Kamara tied an NFL record with six rushing touchdowns in Friday's 52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings, and New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton saw greatness in his star back early on.

NBC Sports' Peter King got a quote from Payton about what he told scouts prior to the 2017 NFL draft: "I told 'em, 'Kamara's going to be a better player than [Christian] McCaffrey.'"

McCaffrey was a superstar at Stanford and broke Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season record with 3,864 all-purpose yards in 2015.

Two years later, the Carolina Panthers selected McCaffrey with the eighth overall pick (Leonard Fournette went fourth overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars). McCaffrey has lived up to the hype with three straight seasons with more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage from 2017-19. He became the third player in NFL history with at least 1,000 yards rushing and receiving last season.

Kamara also posted solid numbers in college and against SEC competition. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry and scored 23 total touchdowns in 24 games from 2015-16 at Tennessee.

New Orleans got Kamara in the third round with the 67th overall pick, and he's turned into a superstar with at least 1,330 yards from scrimmage in each of his first four seasons. He leads the NFL with 16 rushing touchdowns and 21 total touchdowns through 15 games in 2020.

Kamara leads the Saints in rushing yards (932) and receiving yards (756). And his production has been invaluable for the NFC South champions with the offense not having Drew Brees for four games earlier in the season and Michael Thomas being limited to just seven games because of ankle issues.

While both the Panthers and Saints are likely happy with their running backs from the 2017 draft—and Vikings (Dalvin Cook), Steelers (James Conner), Packers (Aaron Jones), Seahawks (Chris Carson)—Payton's prediction that Kamara would be a better player than McCaffrey is now certainly up for debate.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan was fined for throwing a punch at Kansas City Chiefs guard Andrew Wylie during the Chiefs' victory Sunday.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Jordan was fined $10,500 for unnecessary roughness.

He was ejected from the game following the incident. The Chiefs scored on the next play and added a two-point conversion for a 14-point lead with 13:44 remaining in the 32-29 win.

The 31-year-old had three tackles, a sack and a forced fumble. A Pro Bowl selection for the past three years, Jordan has played in every regular season game since he joined the Saints in 2011 when the team drafted him at No. 24 out of California.

Through 15 games this season, Jordan has 50 tackles, 16 quarterback hits and 7.5 sacks.

After the ejection, he sent a postgame tweet acknowledging the incident and taking responsibility.

The ejection was the 21st of the season, which is more than in any season since at least 2001, per ESPN Stats & Info (via ESPN's Kevin Seifert).

On Tuesday, Jordan told NFL Network's Jane Slater that his wife, former Rutgers basketball player Nikki Speed, had her water break before kickoff and gave birth to their fourth child, Chanel, two hours after he was ejected.

Alvin Kamara completed one of the best individual performances in NFL history with six touchdowns in a 52-33 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas Day at the Superdome.

The New Orleans Saints had been unstoppable all game long as they clinched their fourth straight NFC South title, and then Kamara added his name to the record books with his sixth score:

The 25-year-old running back matched Chicago Cardinals Hall of Famer Ernie Nevers, who was the only other player with six rushing touchdowns in a game, per NFL Research. He accomplished the feat in 1929.

After the game, Kamara credited the Saints offensive line and receivers for helping him achieve the feat:

Quarterback Drew Brees raved about Kamara's "awesome" accomplishment:

It had already been an impressive season for Kamara, who had 10 rushing touchdowns and five receiving scores entering Week 16. He is a major reason why the Saints have remained an elite team despite injuries to key players such as Brees, wide receiver Michael Thomas and others.

This performance on national television only adds to his success in 2020 and could further his case for the Offensive Player of the Year award.   

The New Orleans Saints have clinched the NFC South title for the fourth straight season with Friday's 52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

The Saints entered the year with high expectations after back-to-back 13-3 seasons, and the squad has lived up to them despite dealing with significant challenges.

Future Hall of Famer Drew Brees missed four games after suffering multiple rib fractures and a collapsed lung. It forced Taysom Hill into his first extended action at quarterback, and the versatile player did enough to lead the team to three wins in four starts.

The offense was also without the NFL's reigning Offensive Player of the Year Michael Thomas for much of the season as the receiver totaled just 40 catches in seven games. It was well short of the record-breaking 149 receptions from the 2019 season.

Pro Bowl linemen Terron Armstead and Andrus Peat also missed time to give the offense a much tougher path than in past seasons.

The Saints continued to produce behind Alvin Kamara and others, entering the week ninth in the NFL in points scored. Kamara showed his ability to take over games with an amazing six touchdowns on Christmas Day against Minnesota.

New Orleans also got a lot of production all year from the defense led by Marshon Lattimore, Trey Hendrickson and Cameron Jordan. The unit ranks in the top five in the league against both the run and the pass, making it a challenge for all opposing teams.

This complete roster when healthy could be enough to challenge for a Super Bowl title, although the Saints will have to overcome their past disappointment.

New Orleans has been eliminated in shocking fashion in each of the last three years, including overtime losses the past two and a miracle walk-off touchdown by Stefon Diggs after the 2017 season.  

The talent is there to bring home a championship, but Brees and company must find out ways to pull out wins in the postseason. Securing the division title is simply the next step toward achieving the squad's goals for the season.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees continues to make his mark on the NFL record books, becoming the first player in history with 80,000 passing yards: 

Brees entered the day needing 154 yards to reach the milestone, and he accomplished it with a nine-yard pass to running back Latavius Murray in the third quarter of Friday's Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Vikings.

Only four players in NFL history have over 70,000 passing yards in a career: Brees, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. Brady continues to chase Brees but remains over 1,000 yards behind the Saints star.

It continues an incredible career for Brees, who also holds the record for the most pass completions while ranking second in passing touchdowns, entering Friday five behind Brady for the all-time record.

Adding in 13 Pro Bowl selections and one Super Bowl title, the 41-year-old is a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame when he is eligible.

The New Orleans Saints claimed wideout Jake Kumerow off waivers from the Buffalo Bills on Friday, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

A product of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the 28-year-old Kumerow scored his first touchdown of the season against the Denver Broncos in Week 15. He'll now join a Saints offense in need of skill players after wideout Michael Thomas went on injured reserve with an ankle injury last week.

Kumerow could serve as an insurance policy for New Orleans as the playoffs near. Head coach Sean Payton still has plenty of options to help make up for the loss of Thomas, including Emmanuel Sanders, Austin Carr, Juwan Johnson and Lil'Jordan Humphrey. 

Yet with Tre'Quan Smith and Deonte Harris both on IR, as well, it makes sense that the team would want another healthy body on the depth chart. 

The Bills released the Chicago native with the idea he would end up back in Buffalo after clearing waivers, per Rapoport. The Saints made sure that wouldn't happen.

That could allow Kumerow to contribute to two division titles this season, with the Bills claiming the AFC East last week and the Saints able to clinch the NFC South with a win against the Minnesota Vikings on Christmas. A Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss Sunday, or a tie from both New Orleans and Tampa Bay this week, would also hand the division crown to the Saints. 

Kumerow, who also happens to be the cousin of Nick and Joey Bosa, joins his third NFL franchise with 344 yards and three touchdowns on 21 career receptions. 

Maybe Drew Brees will be healthy for a potential Super Bowl rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs.

"No, but I'm on my way," the New Orleans Saints quarterback told reporters when asked if he is 100 percent healthy following Sunday's 32-29 loss to the Chiefs. It was his first game since Nov. 15 as he returned from 11 broken ribs and a punctured lung.

"I'll be honest. I think there's some things that I'm still kind of working on," he said. "But it is what it is."

Brees was far from his typically dominant self and finished 15-of-34 passing for 234 yards, although he did have three touchdowns to one interception.

Still, the Saints went just 1-of-11 on third downs, which is a formula for defeat against Patrick Mahomes and the high-powered Chiefs offense. Part of that was on Brees, but part of it was also on a depleted wide receiver group that was missing Michael Thomas and Deonte Harris even before Tre'Quan Smith exited with an ankle injury.

New Orleans is now 10-4 following a second straight loss and facing an uphill battle for the NFC's No. 1 seed with the Green Bay Packers sitting at 11-3 with the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Getting everyone healthy before the playoffs is the more important task at this point, and Brees may be able to shake off some of the rust and find his footing in the final two regular-season games against the 6-8 Minnesota Vikings and 4-10 Carolina Panthers.

He appeared to do just that for stretches as Sunday's game unfolded when he found Latavius Murray, Alvin Kamara and Lil'Jordan Humphrey with touchdown passes in the second half even though the Chiefs had more firepower.

It was a welcome sign following a slow start and perhaps an indication that Brees will return to form as he settles back in and puts his injuries further in the rearview mirror.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan was tossed from the team's game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday after he threw a punch at Chiefs guard Andrew Wylie.

Chiefs running back Le'Veon Bell scored on the next play to help put Kansas City up 29-15 with less than 14 minutes left to play.

Jordan's ejection is the 21st of the season, marking the most ejections since at least 2001, per ESPN Stats & Info.

Jordan had three tackles (one for loss) and a hit on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes before he left the game.

Following his team's 32-29 defeat, Jordan took responsibility for his actions:

The 31-year-old, who is coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl selections, has appeared in every game for the Saints since they drafted him with the 24th pick out of California in 2011. Prior to Sunday, he had recorded a pass breakup, 6.5 sacks, 44 tackles and 14 quarterback hits for the 10-3 Saints.

New Orleans is also missing safety Marcus Williams, who had two tackles and a defended pass before he exited with less than five minutes to play in the third quarter with a lower leg injury. Wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith had one 25-yard reception before leaving the game with an ankle injury.