Game notes: New Orleans Saints 20, Atlanta Falcons 17 | 2024 NFL Week 10

Alvin Kamara surpasses Mark Ingram to become franchise all-time leading rusher

Nov 10, 2024 at 08:00 PM

• The Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 on Sunday, improving their record to 3-7 and their all-time regular season record against the Falcons to 56-55. The win also extended the Saints' current home win streak against Atlanta to three games.

• Interim head coach Darren Rizzi got a win in his Saints head coaching debut, making him the fifth Saints head coach to win his debut, joining J.D. Roberts (1970), Ernie Hefferle (1975), Sean Payton (2006) and Dennis Allen (2022). Both Roberts' and Hefferle's wins were also as interim head coaches.

• The Saints victory against the Falcons gave the franchise their 425th victory (regular season and postseason combined).

• Running back Alvin Kamara continued to be a reliable force in the Saints backfield with 17 carries for 55 yards while adding a club-best five receptions for 54 yards receiving. He became the Saints' all-time leading rusher on a seven-yard rush in the first quarter, surpassing his former teammate Mark Ingram II. Kamara now has 6,544 career rushing yards.

• Kamara has 24 career games with at least 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards, surpassing Tiki Barber (23 games) and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (23) for the third-most such games in NFL history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk (41) and Christian McCaffrey (30) have more.

• Kamara has 1,136 scrimmage yards this season and is the third player since 2000 with at least 1,100 scrimmage yards in each of his first eight seasons, joining Matt Forte and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson.

• With his five receptions, he surpassed former Saint Darren Sproles and Matt Forte in the NFL record books and took sole possession of ninth place in all-time running back career receptions (556).

• With his 54 receiving yards on Sunday, Kamara surpassed Earnest Byner and moved into 16th in the NFL record books for receiving yards by a running back.

• Kamara had 109 total yards from scrimmage, his 56th game with 100+ yards from scrimmage, the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2017.

• Kamara played in his 111th career regular season game and moved into a tie for 37th on the club's all-time list for games played with guard/tackle Andrus Peat.

• Quarterback Derek Carr was efficient for New Orleans. He finished 16 of 25 (64.0 percent) for 269 yards with two touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a 126.9 passer rating. The offensive line kept Carr's jersey clean, not surrendering a sack.

• Carr now has 5,681 career completions, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton (Class of 1986) to move into sole possession of 20th all-time in NFL history.

• With 227 passing yards, Carr also surpassed Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana (Class of 2000) to move into 23rd all-time for career passing yards (40,594).

• With Carr's two touchdown passes, he now has 253 career touchdown passes, surpassing Drew Bledsoe to take sole possession of 26th all-time.

• Carr's two touchdown strikes were to wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who finished with three receptions for 109 yards (36.3 average). He tied a career-high for scoring grabs and also had a game-high 67-yard catch. Carr and Valdes-Scantling connected on 40-yard and two-yard touchdowns, marking the first game where a Saints receiver had multiple touchdown receiving game since A.T. Perry did so in the 2023 regular season finale against the Falcons.

• Wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr., and tight ends Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson were all efficient with two grabs each. Austin and Hill had 36 yards apiece and Johnson had 22.

• Hill played in his 103rd career game, moving into a tie for 53rd on the club's all-time games played list with defensive lineman Elex Price and safety Malcolm Jenkins.

• The only takeaway was a fourth-quarter interception by safety Tyrann Mathieu. Mathieu now has 36 career interceptions, the most by an active player, surpassing a tie with Vikings safety Harrison Smith. Mathieu also tied his career-high with three pass breakups, his most as a Saint.

• Linebacker Demario Davis led the defensive effort with 10 total tackles (two solo) and one pass breakup. Davis now has 1,401 career tackles, surpassing the 1,400-tackle mark and now has 40 career pass breakups.

• Davis played in his 107th game as a Saint and moved into a tie for 44th all-time in Saints record books for games played with safety Gene Atkins and linebacker Pat Swilling.

• Defensive back Ugo Amadi recorded nine solo tackles, a career high in solo stops and is tied for a career high in total stops, and also added three stops for a loss, a career-high.

• Defensive end Payton Turner recorded his second career forced fumble on his sack. His first career forced fumble and his first also came against the Falcons in Week Four.

• Defensive tackle John Ridgeway III blocked a field goal by Atlanta kicker Younghoe Koo, the first blocked field goal by a Saint since Turner did so in the 2022 season opener against Atlanta.

• Defensive end Cameron Jordan recorded his first sack of the season against the Falcons, and with it, he moved into a tie with Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Reggie White (Class of 2006) in sixth in NFL record books for sacks against one opponent with 24 (White – NYG, Jordan – ATL).

• Jordan also played in his 219th career game Sunday and moved a tie for 20th in games played among NFL defensive linemen with Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle (Class of 2010) and
stalwart defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina.

• Defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd and Valdes-Scantling both made their 100th career appearances. Shepherd finished with two tackles (one solo).

• Llinebacker Pete Werner played in his 50th career game against the Falcons and finished with five tackles and one pass defense.

• Defensive back J.T. Gray and linebacker D'Marco Jackson tied for the team lead with two special teams tackles apiece.

• Punter Matthew Hayball punted five times for 224 yards (44.8 gross avg. and 43.2 net), including four downed inside the 20-yard line.

• Kicker Blake Grupe drilled two field goals, one from 38 yards and another from 26. He also made both of his PAT attempts. Grupe has made 14 straight field goals at home, the longest stretch of his career.

• New Orleans returns to action Sunday, Nov. 17 against the Cleveland Browns in the Caesars Superdome. Kickoff is scheduled for noon and the game is regionally televised on FOX (WVUE-8 locally).

Photos: Game Action | Saints vs Falcons | 2024 NFL Week 10