- Democrats ready counteroffensive for House hearing on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg CBS News
- Dem councilman will testify Bragg is to blame for NYC ‘lawlessness’ at House Judiciary hearing Fox News
- Jordan brands Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump as ‘interference’ in election The Hill
- Speak Out reader opinion: Rep. Jim Jordan faces lawsuit from New York district attorney Chicago Tribune
- Analysis | Bragg’s Manhattan vs. Jordan’s Mansfield: Which one has more crime? The Washington Post
- View Full Coverage on Google News
Tag Archives: Alvin
Elephant in Kenya interrupts reporter Alvin Kaunda in viral video
Clips of the moment started to circulate online over the weekend and have since racked up millions of views — skyrocketing Kaunda and the curious young elephant to viral fame. The brief interaction between reporter and subject delighted viewers and left many in awe of Kaunda’s ability to maintain his composure for as long as he did. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a nonprofit that runs the orphanage, identified the elephant as Kindani, a 4-year-old female who was rescued in April 2018.
“Baby elephant disrupting a TV reporter is the best part of today,” tweeted one Twitter user, who shared a video of the exchange that has been watched more than 11.8 million times as of Wednesday.
For Kaunda, it all started as just another day on the job.
The Kenya Broadcasting Corp. reporter was on assignment at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage, according to Kenyans.co.ke. Kenya has been battling its worst drought in four decades, and local officials say the extreme weather is killing 20 times as many elephants as poaching. A recent report released by the country’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife revealed that more than a thousand animals have died as a result of the drought, including wildebeests, zebras, elephants and buffaloes.
Kaunda told a local Kenyan radio station that he knew he wanted to set up a shot at the orphanage where he would be speaking in front of the elephants. But he was struggling to get through his report and had already attempted 10 takes — all of which were unsuccessful.
“I’d kept my distance, but I was so focused and didn’t even realize they were getting close,” he said.
At the start of what would become the viral moment, Kaunda, clad in a T-shirt and a red and navy jacket, can be seen standing among several reddish-brown elephants gripping a microphone bearing the KBC logo in his hand. In the background, Kindani has her trunk draped over the back of one of the other elephants.
“Here we go,” says a faint voice off camera.
With a quick inhale, Kaunda focuses his gaze into the camera and begins.
“It is said charity begins at home,” Kaunda says, his expression serious, “and for these young orphaned elephants, this charitable foundation is what they call home.”
He briefly looks away from the camera when one of the elephants appears to nudge the side of his body with its head, but he doesn’t falter. Instead, he places a gentle hand on top of the elephant’s head and forges on, seemingly determined to get a usable take.
Kindani, though, now directly behind him, appears to have other plans.
“And with the rising drought cases, it is up to us to be guardians of our own natural world,” Kaunda says, ignoring the probing elephant trunk doing a close examination of his ear. It moves on to the top of his head before inching down toward the center of his face, forcing Kaunda to close his eyes as he valiantly continues talking.
But when Kindani’s trunk starts groping around his nose and mouth, the reporter gives up. Letting out a high-pitched giggle, he squirms, drawing laughter from off camera while the elephant swiftly pulls back her trunk.
On social media, the interaction, which lasted less than a minute, was soon captivating people around the world.
“Most of us would have lost our professionalism far sooner!” the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust tweeted. “An important piece pertaining to the drought, but our orphans just saw a visitor to investigate!”
Kindani “knows exactly what she’s plotting to do,” the organization added in another tweet, responding to a Twitter user who pointed out the elephant’s eyes just moments before she approached Kaunda. “The side eye is often a precursor to cheeky behaviour.”
Pitted against the willful elephant, many viewers were impressed by Kaunda’s resolve.
“I’m amazed at how long this reporter was able to keep his composure,” one person tweeted. “I would’ve started laughing at the first touch.”
Another Twitter user applauded the journalist for his “amazing professional control.”
“The reporter stayed the course until it was no longer possible to do so,” the person wrote. “I’m glad he laughed at the end, did my heart good.”
In the interview with the Kenyan radio station, Kaunda described the trunk as “ticklish,” saying, “[I] just tried to keep my cool.”
“It actually didn’t have any smell,” he said. “I’m sure if it had a foul smell it would have really distracted me. It wasn’t normal, but I liked the experience.”
Kaunda, who calls himself as a “wildlife enthusiast,” said he hopes to experience more of these encounters, adding that he has a goal of “getting close” to several species of animals. “So far only two are left; the lion and the leopard.”
Alvin Kamara: It “irks my soul” to see people criticize Michael Thomas
This week, Saints head coach Dennis Allen announced that receiver Michael Thomas is likely out for the year due to a toe injury that requires surgery.
Thomas had been out since Week Three after he missed much of the 2020 season and all of the 2021 season with an ankle injury.
The news prompted some to criticize Thomas for not being available due to injury. That’s something Saints running back Alvin Kamara took exception to, as he told reporters on Friday.
“For people to be talking shit, it irks my soul to see that,” Kamara said, via Luke Johnson of the New Orleans Advocate.
“Out of anyone in this locker room Mike is fighting to play,” Kamara added, via Erin Summers of the team’s website. “[H]e even wanted to play last week with the injury.”
Especially considering Thomas’ 2019 season — in which he caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards with nine touchdowns — the receiver’s injuries since have been unfortunate. Kamara is right to defend his teammate against the unfair injury criticism, though he should never feel compelled to do so in the first place.
Alvin will help scientists unlock deep ocean mysteries
A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
CNN
—
Renowned explorer Robert Ballard has scoured the deep sea for decades in search of its mysteries.
Fascinated by Jules Verne’s “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” as a child, the oceanographer is most associated with discovering the wreck of the RMS Titanic in 1985 — a find that was actually part of a secret US military mission. He and Alvin, a three-person submersible, returned to the site in 1986 to capture imagery revealing artifacts left behind by those who had perished.
Ballard helped develop Alvin in the 1960s at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Together, he and Alvin have dived into the deep to observe underwater mountain ranges and uncover thermal vents.
And now, 99% of the seafloor is within humanity’s reach, thanks to a familiar name: Alvin.
The ocean’s deepest zones are a vastly unexplored area, but after a serious upgrade Alvin is ready to take people directly to this remote place of wonder.
The submersible reached a record depth of 4 miles (6,453 meters) over the summer when crews visited the Puerto Rico Trench and Mid-Cayman Rise, where tectonic plates create mystifying underwater landscapes and strange marine animals float by.
Researchers collected samples from the ocean floor, including unknown creatures and the chemical belches of hydrothermal vents.
With direct access to the seafloor, scientists expect to find the fundamentals of life.
Astronomers have confirmed that the DART spacecraft successfully changed the motion of the asteroid Dimorphos when it intentionally slammed into the space rock last month, according to NASA.
The deflection test shortened Dimorphos’ orbit around its larger companion asteroid Didymos by 32 minutes — the first time humanity has ever shifted the motion of a celestial object.
Meanwhile, the James Webb Space Telescope spied what happens when two massive stars violently interact with each other. Every eight years, they release a dust plume, creating nested rings that resemble a giant spiderweb.
And astronomers detected an unusual element in the upper atmosphere of two hot exoplanets where liquid iron and gems rain down from the skies.
French soldiers who came across a broken slab of stone covered with inscriptions in 1799 had no idea it would unlock the secrets of ancient Egypt.
Carved on the dark, granite-like stone were indecipherable hieroglyphics, the simplified Egyptian demotic script and ancient Greek. At the time, scholars only understood ancient Greek.
It took Egyptologists two decades to decrypt the meaning of the scripts once they began working on it in 1802. By deciphering the Egyptian texts, they opened up a way to understand the past.
A new exhibit at The British Museum in London explores the race to decode the Rosetta stone and celebrates the 200th anniversary of the breakthrough.
For many, William Shatner will always be Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise. But when the actor ventured into space in 2021 on a Blue Origin suborbital flight, he had a far different experience than in any scene from “Star Trek.”
Shifting his gaze from Earth to the cosmos, he said, overturned all his preconceived notions of space. “All I saw was death,” he wrote in his new book, “Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder.”
Shatner described feeling intense grief as he briefly left his home planet behind. “It was life. Nurturing, sustaining, life. Mother Earth. … And I was leaving her.” No longer earthbound, his thoughts turned to how humans are destroying the planet.
Meanwhile, Artemis I is gearing up for a third launch attempt on a journey around the moon on November 14, with a 69-minute launch window that opens at 12:07 a.m. ET.
Images that capture buzzing bees, battling Alpine ibex and heavenly flamingos are some of the winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2022 competition.
The grand title award went to Karine Aigner for “The big buzz,” which shows a ball of male cactus bees fighting to mate with a sole female. The image, shot at “bee level,” depicts a disappearing species threatened by pesticides and habitat loss.
The world’s wildlife populations plummeted by an average of 69% between 1970 and 2018 due to Earth’s changing climate and human activity, according to a new report by the World Wide Fund for Nature. While the natural world is nearing a tipping point, immediate conservation efforts could slow and even reverse these losses.
These findings might blow your mind:
— Astronomers have discovered the Milky Way’s massive graveyard of ancient dead stars — and they also found where supernova explosions kicked some of them right out of the galaxy.
— Brain cells in a lab dish could play the video game Pong, and the neurons were able to move the paddle to hit the ball in a goal-oriented way, according to scientists.
— Paleontologists found mummified dinosaur skin, and it still bears the teeth marks of a predator that chomped on it 67 million years ago.
NFL Week 4 injuries: Saints’ Alvin Kamara, Jameis Winston, Pats’ Mac Jones, Chargers’ Keenan Allen ruled out
Injuries are at the forefront of the NFL conversation with Week 4 underway, mostly in light of Tua Tagovailoa’s brief hospitalization Thursday night after head and neck trauma forced him out of the Dolphins’ loss. Miami isn’t the only team with uncertainty under center going into the weekend, either. Some clubs are much healthier than others, and quite a few big names remain questionable to suit up on Sunday. Here, we’ve compiled all the final injury reports for Week 4 action.
All NFL odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook.
The Saints will be shorthanded in at least some capacity, with the biggest absence coming under center, where Winston is recovering slower than expected from lingering issues. Former Bengals veteran Andy Dalton, last seen with the Cowboys and Bears, will get his first start of 2022. Rookie Chris Olave and reserve Tre’Quan Smith could see even more targets with Thomas out and Landry banged up, while Kamara is expected to suit up but could be on a pitch count alongside Mark Ingram.
The Vikings are far healthier, with star running back Dalvin Cook (shoulder) disappearing from the report after making a full return to practice. Starting defenders Eric Kendricks (toe) and Harrison Smith (concussion) are also good to go.
Allen did not practice on Friday and was ruled out for the third straight game. With Jalen Guyton out for the year, expect significantly more reps for DeAndre Carter this week. Justin Herbert (ribs) was a full participant and J.C. Jackson (ankle) will play for the Chargers Sunday.
Dameon Pierce (hip) was a full participant for the Texans Friday. He’ll play Sunday after not being given an injury designation.
Jones was a surprise absence from practice on Thursday after being added to the injury report, but he was limited Friday. Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson revealed the he wants to make sure Jones is 100%, which is why the questionable designation was given. Griffin missed last week’s game with a hip injury and was limited in practice all week.
Former 49ers third-rounder Trey Sermon is set to debut as a No. 2/3 RB for the Eagles with Scott absent, behind Miles Sanders and Kenny Gainwell. With Maddox out after not participating in practice all week, expect Zech McPhearson to fill in as the slot cornerback.
Garrett, the Browns’ top edge rusher, is still recovering from injuries suffered in a car crash this week. With Clowney also iffy to play, the Browns’ pass rush will be shorthanded.
If Patterson can’t go for the Falcons, Arthur Smith’s squad is likely to turn to backups Tyler Allgeier and Avery Williams on the ground.
The Seahawks are relatively healthy heading into this one. Rookie Coby Bryant is set to start his third straight game in the slot with Coleman doubtful to play.
Jared Goff will be without some of his best weapons at home, with Jamaal Williams slated to handle RB1 duties and tight end T.J. Hockenson might also be in for additional looks in the passing game. If Reynolds can’t go, who plays wide receiver? Expect a heavy dose of Kalif Raymond and Quintez Cephus as the starting wideouts if the top three can’t go.
Bears at Giants (-3)
- Bears: RB David Montgomery (ankle/knee), CB Jaylon Johnson (quad), DB Dane Cruikshank (hamstring) OUT; TE Ryan Griffin (Achilles), OLB Matthew Adams (hamstring) DOUBTFUL; WR Velus Jones Jr. (hamstring), DE Robert Quinn (illness), LB Sterling Weatherford (ankle), K Cairo Santos (personal) QUESTIONABLE
- Giants: WR Kadarius Toney (hamstring), WR Wan’Dale Robinson (knee), DE Leonard Williams (knee), CB Nick McCloud (hamstring), CB Cordale Flott (calf) OUT
New York’s receiving corps will once again be without Toney, the 2021 first-rounder, who also sat out Week 3. Williams’ absence up front could also put more pressure on the Giants’ edge rushers, who failed to make much of an impact against the Cowboys last week.
The Bears will also be without a few of their top players; Khalil Herbert is set to start at running back with Montgomery sidelined, and Johnson’s absence leaves Chicago without its No. 1 cover man.
The Commanders are banged up on the offensive line, one that has given up the most sacks in the NFL this season. Leno has been dealing with this shoulder injury and has been limited Friday. If he can’t go, Cornelius Lucas will start at left tackle. Nick Martin will start at center with Schweitzer out. He’s Washington’s third starting center in four games. Right tackle Sam Cosmi (knee) will play.
Michael Gallup (knee) is back for the Cowboys and will will make his season debut after not being given an injury designation. Dak Prescott (ankle) isn’t throwing yet, so he’s out and Cooper Rush will start. Dalton Schultz has an uncertain status whether he’ll play after being limited Friday.
Hooker failed to clear the league’s concussion protocol in time, so he’ll miss Sunday’s game. The Titans are thin in the secondary with all their injuries, leading to McCreary in the slot and Kristian Fulton at outside cornerback. Treylon Burks will suit up at wide receiver after missing practice with an illness earlier in the week.
Up against Derrick Henry and Co., the Colts defense could be without a couple of key starters if Buckner doesn’t suit up; the star interior defender did not practice leading up to the game. Leonard, meanwhile, could make his 2022 debut at linebacker after missing the first three games while recovering from back surgery, though coach Frank Reich has made it clear he won’t be at 100 percent either way.
The biggest news here is the omission of Zach Wilson from the Jets’ report, as the QB is fully cleared from the knee surgery that kept him sidelined for the first three games. He’ll make his 2022 debut, replacing backup Joe Flacco. Quincy Williams didn’t practice all week, so he’s out for Sunday.
The Steelers got good news as Minkah Fitzpatrick cleared concussion protocols, so he’ll play Sunday. Pittsburgh is relatively healthy heading into this one.
After missing Week 3, Davis told reporters he will return to the field despite the questionable tag, serving as Josh Allen’s WR2 opposite Stefon Diggs. That doesn’t mean Buffalo will be unscathed going in, with Morse and Oliver both iffy in the trenches. Less than two weeks from his scary head injury against the Titans, Jackson also said he’s planning to play in the Bills secondary despite entering as a game-time decision.
If Stanley could play for the Ravens Sunday, it would be huge. The injuries at left tackle are mounting and Stanley did practice in full throughout the week. He’ll make a decision based on information he gathers from the coaching and medical staff. Fourth-round rookie Daniel Faalele would start at left tackle if Stanley and Mekari can’t go.
The Cardinals, still without DeAndre Hopkins due to suspension, could be calling upon the bottom of their receiver depth chart in this one. With Green out and both Brown and Moore banged up, reserve Greg Dortch could see another high volume of targets from Kyler Murray, along with tight end Zach Ertz. Running back James Conner (knee) is good to go as well.
Baker Mayfield will have a banged-up supporting cast, at best, with McCaffrey “hopeful” to play despite practicing in limited fashion just once this week. Shenault, who emerged in Week 3, is a game-time decision.
Jones cleared the concussion protocol, so he’s eligible to play Sunday. If Jones sits, Mike Purcell will start at nose tackle. Meinerz had a setback in practice, which ruled him out for Sunday. The Broncos also play Thursday night, so it may have been wise to give him a few extra days.
No Renfrow again for the Raiders, so Mack Hollins is expected to take over a sthe No. 2 wide receiver for another week. Ya-Sin was limited in practice and his status is expected to be determined after Saturday’s walkthrough. Denzel Perryman was limited with an ankle injury all week, but he’ll play.
Despite Jones’ presence at practice Friday, the second-year QB has been ruled out and veteran backup Brian Hoyer will start. Jones’ high-ankle sprain has been classified as “severe” in multiple reports, and the second-year starter did not show much mobility during his limited return to the field. As for the questionable players, Bill Belichick listed them all as limited in practice all week.
David Bakhtiari (knee) and A.J. Dillon (knee) both were not given an injury designation. They’ll play for the Packers Sunday. Ditto for Elgton Jenkins (knee) and Allen Lazard (ankle).
The Chiefs ruled Butker out again on Saturday. Valdes-Scantling was limited in Friday’s practice, but so was Mecole Hardman who was not given an injury designation. Skyy Moore could be in line for increased snaps this week.
For the Buccaneers, Tom Brady could be down plenty of his top targets again. Head coach Todd Bowles said Godwin will be a game-time decision on Sunday, and he will make sure his receiving corps is healthy and 100% before having them all (Godwin, Evans, and Gage) out there. With Perriman doubtful, the Buccaneers’ top-three receivers could be Evans, Cole Beasley, and Scotty Miller. Jones is expected to be on a pitch count if he’s cleared to play.
- Rams: C Brian Allen (knee), CB Decobie Durant (hamstring), G David Edwards (illness), CB David Long (groin) OUT
- 49ers: LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), RB Tyrion Davis-Price (ankle), TE Tyler Kroft (knee), DB Tarvarius Moore (hamstring), T Trent Williams (ankle) OUT; WR Danny Gray (hip) DOUBTFUL; DL Arik Armstead (foot), TE Ross Dwelley (rib), DT Javon Kinlaw (knee) QUESTIONABLE
San Francisco’s offensive line takes a huge hit for the next few weeks with Williams on the sideline. It’s already a much thinner unit than it has been over the last several seasons, and now it loses its anchor. The group up front has powered much of San Francisco’s regular-season success against the Rams, so it’ll be interesting to see how Kyle Shanahan and Co. deal without Williams. Armstead and/or Kinlaw not being able to suit up would be impactful as well, given that the Rams’ biggest weakness is often to interior pressure against Matthew Stafford, and they will be without two starters in Allen and Edwards. Los Angeles’ secondary also takes a hit with both long and Durant out, which could affect how Raheem Morris’ defense deals with Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
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Saints’ Alvin Kamara needs morning to test ribs; 49ers’ Kittle a game-time decision
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara is dealing with a rib cartilage issue and will determine if he is able to play against the Buccaneers depending on how the morning goes, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported. There is a chance Kamara suits up, but it will be tough.
Rapoport added that quarterback Jameis Winston (back) and running back Mark Ingram (ankle) are both expected to play.
Kamara’s rib issue limited him in practice on Wednesday and held him out entirely on Thursday and Friday.
The five-time Pro Bowler had a quiet Week 1 in the team’s 27-26 comeback victory over the Falcons, turning nine carries into 39 rushing yards and contributing only seven more receiving yards on three receptions.
Whether or not Kamara can go will loom large over New Orleans as it looks to earn its fifth consecutive regular-season victory over Bucs quarterback Tom Brady.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Chris Lammons facing battery charge in connection with incident involving Alvin Kamara
The attorney for Chris Lammons said the Kansas City Chiefs cornerback appeared in court in Las Vegas on Thursday after being charged with battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and conspiracy to commit battery.
The charges stem from a Feb. 6 incident in Las Vegas in which three others have been charged, including star New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara.
Lammons was not asked to enter a plea, according to his attorney, Ross Goodman. He posted $5,000 bail after turning himself in to authorities. He will appear in court again on March 8.
Kamara faces a charge of battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. Video surveillance shows him punching a man approximately eight times before others in Kamara’s group proceeded to stomp on him several more times on the ground in a Las Vegas casino over Pro Bowl weekend, according to the police report released earlier this month. He was later released after posting bail.
The man, who was knocked unconscious, sustained an orbital fracture to his right eye, among other injuries, according to the police report.
Lammons, 26, has appeared in 14 games over the last two seasons for the Chiefs, mainly playing on special teams.
He began his NFL career in 2019, playing in 12 games as a backup for the Miami Dolphins. He had one interception that season.
Alvin Kamara, Pro Bowl running back, arrested on battery charge in Las Vegas
Alvin Kamara, the star NFL running back, was arrested Sunday– shortly after playing in the Pro Bowl– for his alleged involvement in a brutal beating the previous night that took place inside a Las Vegas club.
Kamara was transported to the Clark County Detention Center where the 26-year-old was booked for battery resulting in substantial bodily harm, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said. Police said the alleged victim identified Kamara as the suspect.
Alvin Kamara walks the sidelines during the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium on February 06, 2022 in Las Vegas. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Few details were released about the alleged incident. City police said they were dispatched to a hospital on Saturday night and received a report about a battery inside a nightclub.
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Alvin Kamara stands on the field before the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl. The AFC defeated the NFC 41-35. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
( Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Reports said Kamara was arrested after playing in the Pro Bowl where he had four catches for 23 yards. He plays for the New Orleans Saints. This was his fifth Pro Bowl in as many seasons. He signed a five-year, $75 million contract in 2020, according to Sports Illustrated.
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His bail was set at $5,000 and he has a court hearing on Monday, the Associated Press reported.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Seahawks vs. Saints score: Alvin Kamara explodes for 179 total yards as New Orleans escapes Seattle with win
The New Orleans Saints moved to 4-2 on the season after defeating the Seattle Seahawks on the road 13-10. After Jameis Winston was able to lead the Saints’ offense on a 42-yard drive that resulted in the go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter, Geno Smith and the Seahawks were unable to march down the field to — at the very least — force overtime. On that final drive of the game for Seattle, the Saints were able to sack Smith twice to truly ice the contest and pull away with the win.
Out of the gate, it looked like Smith and the Seahawks were going to pull off the prime-time win as the veteran quarterback connected with receiver DK Metcalf for an 84-yard touchdown to begin the scoring for the evening. However, Seattle’s offense went silent for the remainder of the first half while the Saints were able to claw into the lead. Just before these teams went into the locker room at halftime, the New Orleans was able to pull off a two-minute drill that traveled 85 yards don’t the field and resulted in an Alvin Kamara touchdown reception to take a 10-7 lead. At that point, Seattle seemed to be on its heels.
Alvin Kamara was the star of Monday night as the Saints star back had 30 touches for 179 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. He primarily did his damage in the passing game, catching 10 of his 11 targets for 128 yards and that score. Winston finished 19 of 35 passing for 222 yards and a touchdown. On the other side, Smith completed 12 of his 22 throws for 167 yards and a touchdown. As a team, Seattle rushed 28 times for just 90 yards (3.2 yards per carry).
Fore a more in-depth look at how this game unfolded, check out our takeaways below.
Why the Saints won
Kamara carried the offense for the bulk of the night. Out of New Orleans’ 68 total plays on offense, he touched the ball nearly 50% of the time (30 touches). The Pro Bowl back also accounted for 58.8% of the Saints’ overall offensive production, finishing with 179 yards from scrimmage. That type of performance was needed as the New Orleans wide receiver unit couldn’t really get into a consistent rhythm for much of the game. The fact that the Seahawks had no answer for Kamara helped Sean Payton’s team earn an edge in time of possession, particularly early in the game.
The Saints also were able to absorb Seattle’s opening punch of the game in the form of a Metcalf 84-yard touchdown and bounced back well. On back-to-back drives just before halftime, New Orleans went on a 10-0 run to take the lead. Over that stretch, they held on to the ball for more than 12 minutes and travelled more than 80 yards on each of those two possessions.
While Kamara was dominating out of the New Orleans backfield, the Saints’ defense was smothering Seattle’s running game throughout the evening. The Seahawks clearly wanted to run the offense through the ground game, but they couldn’t get much of anything going, especially with starter Alex Collins, who the Saints limited to just 35 yards on 16 carries.
Why the Seahawks lost
It seemed like Pete Carroll didn’t want to put the game in Smith’s hands. The veteran quarterback gave early flashes that he could possibly pull out the win with his arm with that touchdown bomb to Metcalf, but the Seahawks continued to force-feed the running game to a maddening degree. After that touchdown to Metcalf, the star receiver went 38 offensive snaps before receiving another target, which came at the 11:51 mark in the fourth quarter. Getting the ball in his hands along with Tyler Lockett (two catches on three targets) should have been a much bigger priority, especially as the backfield kept running into a wall.
While Smith maybe should have been given a longer leash in the passing game, he also didn’t do his team many favors in this game either. There were a handful of times where Seattle was needlessly forced to burn timeouts as the play clock was ticking down to zero. That was due to Smith trying to adjust at the line of scrimmage and not noticing how much time was left to get the play off. Not having those timeouts did prove costly in their hopes of possibly moving down the field late to tie or take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Issues in the kicking game also put Seattle behind the eight ball as Jason Meyers missed two field goals in the loss, both coming in the second half.
Turning point
At around the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Seahawks were going to force the Saints into a three-and-out as linebacker Bobby Wagner was wrapping up Winston for a 5-yard sack. However, Marquise Blair committed a clear roughing the passer penalty that not only negated the sack but gave New Orleans a new set of downs. It also completely flipped the field as they were now into Seattle territory at the 41-yard line.
Penalties really plagued Seattle on that drive as they were also called for an encroachment penalty on a fourth-and-5 play later on in the possession where Seattle was liming up for a field goal. While they would eventually settle for a field goal, that penalty chewed off another minute of time on the clock and burned the two-minute warning.
That drive ultimately resulted in the game-winning kick by undrafted rookie Brian Johnson.
Play of the game
You won’t find a a more dramatic play from this game than Metcalf’s 84-yard touchdown to open up the scoring. Smith saw that the safety was playing the middle of the field, which meant Metcalf had a one-on-one with Marshon Lattimore. He was able to get a step on the Saints corner as he made a play on the ball, secured the catch and galloped the rest of the way for a touchdown. Unfortunately for Seattle, that was essentially all we saw from Metcalf for the rest of the game as he finished with just one other catch that came in the fourth quarter.
What’s next
From here, the Saints will head back to New Orleans and await the division-leading Buccaneers for their first of two matchups this season. Tampa Bay will be coming into that game winners of four straight, including a 38-3 rout vs. the Bears on Sunday. As for the Seahawks, they’ll be sticking around Seattle in Week 8 when they play host to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are fresh off a Week 7 bye.
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Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vow it’s ‘our responsibility to do better’ after uncharacteristic loss
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The New Orleans Saints’ offense set a new low for yardage in the Sean Payton era. And Jameis Winston posted the worst passer rating of his career while throwing his first two interceptions of the season.
But Payton and his players refused to place any blame for their dismal 26-7 loss to the Carolina Panthers on the fact that they were missing eight assistant coaches because of COVID-19 protocols — or missing nine starters because of injuries or suspensions — and have been displaced for three weeks in the wake of Hurricane Ida.
“Offensively, in particular, that’s as poor as we’ve been in a long time around here, and that starts with me,” Payton said. “We’ve gotta do a better job going in. Our protection plan wasn’t good enough. But it had nothing to do with us being short-handed with coaches or us being away or the COVID [situation].
“All of those would be excuses. They played better than us today and deserved to win the football game.”
Running back Alvin Kamara concurred after the Saints were held to 128 total yards — a stunning flop just one week after they dominated the Green Bay Packers 38-3 in the season opener.
“It wasn’t about anybody not being here. I think it was our responsibility to still come out and play without coaches being there,” Kamara said after being held to 5 rushing yards on eight carries.
“There’s no handicap. We don’t get an extra second on the play clock because we don’t have coaches; we don’t get an extra down because there’s no coaches. It is what it is. There’s still a game to play. The whole coaching staff could’ve been gone — they wasn’t gonna cancel the game. You gotta keep going. “[Now] you’ve got some adversity and you’ve gotta find a way to react and respond. It’s on us. It’s our responsibility to do better.”
The Saints were without eight assistants Sunday after they had tested positive for COVID-19 throughout the week: receivers coach Curtis Johnson, tight ends coach Dan Roushar, running backs coach Joel Thomas, defensive line coaches Ryan Nielsen and Brian Young, offensive analyst Jim Chaney, offensive assistant Declan Doyle and special teams assistant Phil Galiano. Offensive line coach Brendan Nugent missed the week of practice before being cleared to return Saturday.
The Saints also lost a whopping total of five starters because of injuries between Week 1 and Week 2 (center Erik McCoy, cornerback Marshon Lattimore, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, defensive end Marcus Davenport and linebacker Kwon Alexander).
And they have been training in the Dallas/Fort Worth area for more than three weeks because of power outages in the New Orleans area and other issues caused by Hurricane Ida.
But the problem that plagued them most Sunday, according to Payton and the players, was their lack of communication and lack of an effective plan for Carolina’s relentless blitzing.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, the Panthers pressured Winston on 18 of his 28 dropbacks (64%), which was the third-highest pressure rate for any defense since ESPN began tracking pressure in 2009.
When pressured, Winston was 4-of-13 for 54 yards with two interceptions and four sacks.
“We didn’t handle the communication well enough, we didn’t handle the pressures well enough, and we didn’t coach it well enough,” Payton said. “We had seen it on tape, and obviously we got more of it and didn’t handle it well.
“So we clearly didn’t work on it well enough and effectively enough, and it kind of bit us in the butt today.”
Winston also blamed himself for not communicating well enough with the line — which is a work in progress considering former Saints quarterback Drew Brees used to handle the protections before injured center McCoy took over the lion’s share of protection calls this year.
Second-year Saints offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz (a college center) did a solid job filling in for McCoy last week after sliding over from right guard. But nothing went right for the Saints’ offense in Week 2.
Both of Winston’s interceptions were desperate heaves down the field late in the first half and late in the game, when the risks made some sense. But he didn’t use that as an excuse.
“Still gotta make good decisions,” said Winston, who completed just 11 of 22 passes for 111 yards and a passer rating of 26.9. “They came at inopportune times. I don’t want to have us in that position in the first place, but still have to take care of the football.”
The Saints will play at the New England Patriots in Week 3 before finally returning home to New Orleans to practice and host the New York Giants in Week 4.
“Just keep fighting,” Winston said of his postgame message. “We have to put this one behind us. We will get better. We will pick up our tempo. I will get better from a communication standpoint and get more efficient on first and second downs.”