The New Orleans Saints (0-2) will look to earn their first win of the 2012 regular season when they host the Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Sunday at noon.
The game will be regionally televised on CBS.
The Saints are coming off a hard-fought 35-27 loss to their NFC South rival, the Carolina Panthers, this past Sunday in Charlotte.
Quarterback Cam Newton threw for 253 yards and ran for a career-high 71 yards to lead the Panthers to their first win over the Saints since 2009.
"We're going to get it fixed," said Offensive Line/Running Game Coach Aaron Kromer, following the Panthers game. "When you look at this team in the locker room right now, they're hurt, they're down, but they're not out. No one in that locker room is quitting. They're a group that's resilient at a lot of things, and they're sticking with it; they're sticking with the plan, and I appreciate them for it."
Quarterback Drew Brees completed 31-of-49 passes (63 percent) for 325 yards and added one touchdown and two interceptions in the loss. The Saints captain also jumped over the line to score on a one-yard touchdown rush.
"There is always adversity," said Brees. "Unfortunately, it has come to us a little bit sooner than we expected with the 0-2 start. There is no doubt in my mind that we have the right type of guys in our locker room and coaches and scheme to overcome this."
The Chiefs also enter Sunday's game at 0-2 after falling to the Atlanta Falcons (2-0), 40-24, on September 9 and the Buffalo Bills (1-1), 35-17, last Sunday. Last Sunday, the Bills' victory over the Chiefs was highlighted by RB C.J. Spiller who had 123 yards rushing and two touchdowns while adding another 47 yards receiving along with a stout defense that notched five sacks and three turnovers.
Sunday's game marks only the tenth meeting between the Saints and Chiefs. The two have not squared off since 2008 and not in New Orleans since 2004. The Saints lead the all-series with a 5-4 advantage and have claimed three of the previous five contests. In 2008, the Saints earned a 30-20 victory at Arrowhead Stadium. Kicker Garrett Hartley connected on a 35-yard field goal with 3:25 left in the contest, giving the Saints a 10-point advantage.
On the next drive, defensive back Usama Young intercepted quarterback Tyler Thigpen's pass to seal the victory. Running back Pierre Thomas led the Saints offense with 88 rushing yards and a 1-yard touchdown with four receptions for 56 yards.
After only totaling 10 carries for 32 yards (3.2 avg.) against the Redskins, the Saints ran for 163 yards on 27 carries (6.0 avg.) in Carolina last Sunday. Thomas and running back Mark Ingram handled the rushing attack for the Saints in Charlotte as Thomas rushed nine times for 110 yards (12.2 avg.) and Ingram added 53 yards on 16 carries.
Thomas now has 2,628 career rushing yards, moving him past Mario Bates into eighth place on the club's all-time rushing list. Last Sunday's game was the fourth 100-yard rushing game of Thomas' career.
Tight end Jimmy Graham and running back Darren Sproles continue to be Brees' top two targets. Sproles leads the team in receptions with 18, including 13 against the Panthers for 163 yards and a touchdown.
Graham has totaled 13 receptions for 156 yards and two scores through the first two games. The Pro Bowl tight end has caught a touchdown in seven straight games, including two postseason games, the longest active streak in the NFL.
Linebacker Curtis Lofton leads the Saints in total tackles (19) through the first two games.
The Chiefs are in their first full season under Head Coach Romeo Crennel.
Crennel joined the Chiefs in January, 2010, as the club's defensive coordinator. On December 12, 2011, Crennel was named the interim head coach for Kansas City after the first 13 games of the season. In the final three games under Crennel, the Chiefs went 2-1 with a victory over the previously undefeated Green Bay Packers.
The Chiefs enter Sunday's contest as the AFC's best offense with a 407.5 total yards per game average (fifth best in the NFL.) Kansas City's offense is led by quarterback Matt Cassell and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Cassel passed for 301 yards against the Bills, pushing him over the 12,000 yard passing mark for his NFL career. He now has 12,258 career passing yards. Bowe hauled in eight catches for 102 yards with two touchdowns against the Bills.
At halftime of Sunday's contest, the two newest members of the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame, Owner/Chairman of the Board Tom Benson and running back Deuce McAllister, the club's all-time leader in rushing yardage, rushing touchdowns and total touchdowns, will be honored.
Following Sunday's contest, the Saints will travel to Lambeau Field on September 30 to battle the Green Bay Packers at 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
