http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...-9-year-td-streak-snapped-loss-houston-texans
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Sunday, November 29, 2015
Saints' 155-game, 9-year touchdown streak snapped in loss to Texans
HOUSTON - After 10 years of making history together, Sean Payton and Drew Brees did something they've never done before on Sunday.
And it wasn't pretty.
The Saints failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Payton and Brees arrived in 2006 in a 24-6 loss to the Houston Texans.
That snapped a streak of 155 consecutive games, which was the second-longest in NFL history. The Saints finished 11 games shy of the record set by the Cleveland Browns from 1957-1969.
Worse yet, the Saints lost their third straight game and fell to 4-7 on the year, virtually eliminating any hope of sneaking back into playoff contention.
"Look, there's a number of losses that get you frustrated, so let's not look for the 'most frustrated ever' headline," Payton said. "It's disappointing to lose a game like that, and certainly it's disappointing to not score a touchdown. That's be a fair assessment of it."
Brees had his own streak snapped of 45 consecutive games with a TD pass, which was the fifth longest in NFL history.
Brees also ranks first on that list, with a string of 54 straight games from 2009-2012. Then comes Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas and Brees again.
"I can't say we didn't have our chances," said Brees, who pointed to New Orleans' three trips into the end zone - one of which resulted in an interception in the fourth quarter. Brees finished 25-of-44 passing for 228 yards, zero TDs and the one interception. He was sacked twice by Houston's sensational defensive end, J.J. Watt. And New Orleans finished with 268 total yards. The Saints started 1-of-9 on third downs before finishing 3-of-12. Their eight failed conversions during that stretch came on third-and-9, 14, 12, 23, 11, 10, 20 and 6.
"We talked about coming into this game we needed to be really good on first and second down so we were in third-and-manageable situations. Because you get in third-and-long against these guys, you're asking for trouble," Brees said. "And we did that, and you see what the results were.
"The frustrating part is I know how much better we are. And today we certainly didn't show that."
Watt beat Saints left tackle Terron Armstead, right tackle Zach Strief and rookie left guard Andrus Peat at different times (getting each of them for either a sack or an intentional grounding call).
The Saints' run game wasn't any better. Though they finished with 50 yards because of a couple nice runs by Mark Ingram, they gained minus-four yards on their first four carries. Their first four screen-pass attempts also got shut down.
The Saints also committed four offensive penalties in the first three quarters that backed them up.
"The story of the game was their defense and our inability offensively to really sustain a drive," Payton said. "It's a good defense. We knew that going in, and yet we got (missed assignments) on routes, guys busting some basic, basic things. We're on the ground in a couple zone schemes.
"I mean, there are some things I know when we watch on tape that we're going to be upset about."
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Sunday, November 29, 2015
Saints' 155-game, 9-year touchdown streak snapped in loss to Texans
HOUSTON - After 10 years of making history together, Sean Payton and Drew Brees did something they've never done before on Sunday.
And it wasn't pretty.
The Saints failed to score a touchdown for the first time since Payton and Brees arrived in 2006 in a 24-6 loss to the Houston Texans.
That snapped a streak of 155 consecutive games, which was the second-longest in NFL history. The Saints finished 11 games shy of the record set by the Cleveland Browns from 1957-1969.
Worse yet, the Saints lost their third straight game and fell to 4-7 on the year, virtually eliminating any hope of sneaking back into playoff contention.
"Look, there's a number of losses that get you frustrated, so let's not look for the 'most frustrated ever' headline," Payton said. "It's disappointing to lose a game like that, and certainly it's disappointing to not score a touchdown. That's be a fair assessment of it."
Brees had his own streak snapped of 45 consecutive games with a TD pass, which was the fifth longest in NFL history.
Brees also ranks first on that list, with a string of 54 straight games from 2009-2012. Then comes Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas and Brees again.
"I can't say we didn't have our chances," said Brees, who pointed to New Orleans' three trips into the end zone - one of which resulted in an interception in the fourth quarter. Brees finished 25-of-44 passing for 228 yards, zero TDs and the one interception. He was sacked twice by Houston's sensational defensive end, J.J. Watt. And New Orleans finished with 268 total yards. The Saints started 1-of-9 on third downs before finishing 3-of-12. Their eight failed conversions during that stretch came on third-and-9, 14, 12, 23, 11, 10, 20 and 6.
"We talked about coming into this game we needed to be really good on first and second down so we were in third-and-manageable situations. Because you get in third-and-long against these guys, you're asking for trouble," Brees said. "And we did that, and you see what the results were.
"The frustrating part is I know how much better we are. And today we certainly didn't show that."
Watt beat Saints left tackle Terron Armstead, right tackle Zach Strief and rookie left guard Andrus Peat at different times (getting each of them for either a sack or an intentional grounding call).
The Saints' run game wasn't any better. Though they finished with 50 yards because of a couple nice runs by Mark Ingram, they gained minus-four yards on their first four carries. Their first four screen-pass attempts also got shut down.
The Saints also committed four offensive penalties in the first three quarters that backed them up.
"The story of the game was their defense and our inability offensively to really sustain a drive," Payton said. "It's a good defense. We knew that going in, and yet we got (missed assignments) on routes, guys busting some basic, basic things. We're on the ground in a couple zone schemes.
"I mean, there are some things I know when we watch on tape that we're going to be upset about."
