The Kansas City Chiefs (3-2) are looking to pick up consecutive victories for the first time all season as they host the New Orleans Saints (2-3) Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
These two teams haven't met since Week 3 of the 2012 season, when the Chiefs took a 27-24 overtime win back to Kansas City behind a 33-carry, 233-yard performance from running back Jamaal Charles, who added six receptions for 55 yards in that victory as well.
That game was one of the bright spots in an otherwise tough season for the Chiefs, and it soon led to the hiring of head coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey that next offseason.
The Chiefs head into Sunday's game against the Saints coming off a 26-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders last Sunday afternoon, while the Saints are looking for their third straight win after beating the San Diego Chargers (35-34) and Carolina Panthers (41-38) the past two weeks.
Here are 10 stats to know about Sunday's game: 1. The all-time series is tied
The Chiefs and Saints will meet for the 11th time on Sunday with each team having won five of the previous contests.
It's worth noting that in all of those games combined, the point differential is just plus-7 in favor of the Chiefs.
With the Saints having won their two games this year by a total of just 4 points, and on the flip side having two of their losses by a total of just 4 points as well, the game on Sunday should be a good one. 2. It's been a while since the Chiefs lost at Arrowhead Stadium
On Sunday, it will have been 379 days since the Chiefs last loss a game in the friendly confines of Arrowhead Stadium.
That's a pretty nice testament to Chiefs Kingdom—the loudest fans in the NFL.
3. The Saints offense is one of the best in the NFL
The Saints rank No. 2 in the NFL in averaging 31 points per game.
Led by quarterback Drew Brees, who is competing 67 percent of his passes with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions, the Saints offense has scored at least 32 points in four of their five games this season. 4. Spencer Ware ranks among the best in the NFL
After five games, running back Spencer Ware has combined for 646 yards from scrimmage, which ranks No. 6 in the NFL.
Ware has carried the ball 78 times for 415 yards, and he's also caught 13 passes for 231 yards. This gives him a 7.1 yards per touch average, which ties him with Atlanta's Tevin Coleman for the best mark among all NFL running backs.
5. Marcus Peters leads the league in interceptions
With five interceptions in the first five games of the 2016 season, the second-year cornerback and the NFL's reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Marcus Peters, currently leads the league in the statistical category that's made him a household name just 21 games into his NFL career.
They keep testing him and he keeps making them pay for doing so. 6. Jamaal Charles still finds the sweet nectar of the end zone more than anyone else
Since the beginning of the 2013 season, there's not a player in the NFL who has scored more touchdowns than Jamaal Charles, who has found pay dirt 39 times over the 37 games he's played during that time, which is also significantly fewer games than those near him at the top of those record books.
Most Touchdowns from Scrimmage since 2013 | |||
Rank |
Player |
Games |
TDs |
1 |
Jamaal Charles |
37 |
39 |
2t |
Antonio Brown |
54 |
36 |
2t |
Brandon Marshall |
51 |
36 |
2t |
DeMarco Murray |
51 |
36 |
5t |
Marshawn Lynch |
39 |
34 |
5t |
Demaryius Thomas |
54 |
34 |
Last week against the Raiders, Charles scored on a 4-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter to give the Chiefs an early lead, which they'd never relinquish.
7. Rookie returner ranking among NFL's best
Rookie fifth-round pick Tyreek Hill currently ranks fourth in the NFL (and first in the AFC) by averaging 16.4 yards per punt return.
Last week against the Raiders, Hill had a 50-yard return that set up a key field goal early in the second half, which grabbed the momentum and helped lead the Chiefs to their NFL-best seventh straight divisional victory. 8. Dee Ford close to surpassing career-high for sacks in a season
After his two-sack performance last week against the Raiders, linebacker Dee Ford is just one sack shy of setting a personal best for sacks in a season in his career.
Through the first five games of the season, Ford has a team-leading 3.5 sacks, which is just a half-sack shy of tying his output from all of last season.
9. Chiefs defense getting the job done
The Chiefs defense ranks third in the NFL by allowing opposing teams to have a quarterback rating of just 57.87 when they send extra guys on a blitz.
The Chiefs defense also ranks third in the NFL by allowing teams to score touchdowns just 41.2 percent of the time they enter the red zone. The NFL average is 56.9 percent. Since 2013, the Chiefs have allowed the fewest rushing touchdowns (23) in the NFL.
Finally, the Chiefs defense also ranks third in the NFL by allowing just 55 plays of at least 10 yards so far this season. The NFL average is 76.
10. Sunday marks head coach Andy Reid's 300th career game
There are only 13 coaches in NFL history who can claim to have achieved the feat of coaching in 300 career games, and only two other current coaches, New England's Bill Belichick and Los Angeles' Jeff Fisher, are in that illustrious group.
In his win last week over the Raiders, Reid moved past his former mentor, Mike Holmgren, for 14th on the NFL's all-time wins list with 175.
It's also worth noting that Reid is 5-1 against NFC teams at home since he arrived in Kansas City back in 2013.