This Sunday in Cleveland, the Saints will be looking to log their first victory and get their season on track.
In the process, quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Marques Colston could find themselves on equal footing with one of the most prolific quarterback/wide receiver duos in NFL history: the Colts' Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne.
Manning and Wayne now hold the NFL record of 24 games in which the quarterback and receiver combined for at least 300 passing yards and 100 receiving yards.
Last Sunday in Atlanta, Brees passed for 330 yards. Colston accounted for 110 of those yards, marking the 23rd time Brees and Colston have joined forces for a 300-yard/100-yard performance.
Teammates All-Time Most Games with 300-plus Passing Yards and 100-Plus Receiving Yards:
Quarterback: Receiver: Games:
Peyton Manning Reggie Wayne 24
Drew Brees Marques Colston 23
Peyton Manning Marvin Harrison 22
Steve Young Jerry Rice 21
How likely is it to happen?
The forecast calls for near perfect weather: only a 10% chance of rain, a high of 66 degrees and winds at 7 mph. One can expect another banner day for the Drew Brees aerial attack that is now the Saints hallmark. Brees leads the league all-time in most passing yards per start, averaging 275.2 yards per game.
Colston is looking for redemption after a costly fumble during overtime last week versus the Falcons. The quiet big man has had 26 100-yard games in the regular season and 3 more such performances in the playoffs.
Historically, Brees turns to Colston just under 20% of the time:
Since 2006, Drew Brees has thrown 5032 passes, targeting Colston on 934 of those passes or 18.6% of the time.
Since 2010, Drew Brees has thrown 2677 passes, targeting Colston 486 times, or 18.2 percent%.
Last week, Brees threw 8 of his 42 passes to Colston, or 19%.
The Cleveland Browns Defense:
The Browns defense will of course play a role in the outcome. Cleveland has fortified their 3-4 base defense with veteran inside linebacker Karlos Dansby and their secondary with safety Donte Whitner.
"People ask me, 'Why would you choose to get a little bit older at those positions?'" Browns head coach Mike Pettine said. "We felt it was very much worth it. We want to change the culture of the locker room, and a coach's message can only go so far. I think that's important when you can get a guy in there that has been in another place, has been successful, has won, and knows how to prepare, knows how to take care of his body, and on top of it all is a really good player. That's really where we see Karlos and Whit as well - guys that have filled that role for us tremendously. That's two key parts, hopefully, to our turnaround."
Whitner will likely dedicate much of his attention to Saints tight end Jimmy Graham. The other starting members of the Browns' secondary: free safety Tashaun Gipson and corners Joe Haden and Justin Gilbert, who is the Browns' first round draft pick.
Coming into the season, expectations were high for Gilbert, an All-American out of Oklahoma State. He struggled in Week 1 keeping up with Steelers receiver Markus Wheaton, but Brees says the Saints take Gilbert seriously.
"You don't get drafted eighth unless you are really talented and he has plenty of that," Brees said. "He has size. He has length. He has speed. He has ball skills. He's only going to get better with time. Here is the thing, you turn on the film and they are pretty salty in that secondary. They are talented. It is a lot of just bump and run type of coverage, no matter if it is a single high structure, if it is a two safety structure, you kind of know the type of game they want to play and they are very good at it. You try to do some things to create matchups. Obviously you are going to put your guys in a position to succeed with those matchups and the scheme and that kind of thing. Listen, they can all play, we just have to pick and choose our spots."
