Saints by the Numbers: No touchdowns, no problem

NEW ORLEANS – In the first 13 years since Sean Payton and Drew Brees arrived in the Crescent City, only twice had the Saints failed to score a touchdown in a game.

It’s now happened twice in three weeks – and in Sunday night’s 12-10 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans was able to win despite failing to reach the end zone for the first time in two decades and only the fourth time in franchise history.

Before Sunday, the Saints were 3-54 all-time when failing to score a touchdown. The three wins:

• Nov. 9, 1986, a 6-0 home win over the Los Angeles Rams
• Sept. 18, 1994, a 9-7 road win over Tampa Bay
• Oct. 25, 1998, a 9-3 home win over Tampa Bay

Since Brees and Payton rolled into town, the only times before this season the Saints failed to score a touchdown were in 2015 at Houston and 2016 at Tampa Bay. Sunday’s game marked the first time since Dec. 29, 2002, the Saints failed to score a touchdown in the Dome.

Fourth-Quarter Rally: The Saints rallied in the fourth quarter to win on Sunday after trailing 10-9 heading into the final 15 minutes.

Since the start of the 2018 season, New Orleans is 7-4 when trailing after three quarters. Not only has no other team in the NFL matched that win total (the second-highest is Indianapolis with four), but no other team is above .500 in that scenario.

Shutting Down Zeke: Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott finished with 35 yards on 18 rushes, an average of 1.9 yards per carry.

Coming into Sunday, Elliott had played 46 regular-season and playoff games in the NFL. Only twice did he fail to gain 40 yards – in 2017 at Denver (8 yards) and last year at Washington (33 yards). The Denver game was the only other time Elliott has failed to average at least 2.0 yards per carry.

A Three-Peat Just Missed: The Saints finished with nine penalties for 80 yards, leaving them – fortunately – one flag shy of a third straight game with double-digit penalties.

That kind of flag streak has only happened once before with Payton as coach, in Weeks 12-14 of the 2015 season against Houston, Carolina and Tampa Bay.

Shy of 300 Again: For the third consecutive game, the Saints failed to gain 300 total yards, finishing with 266.

It’s the first time since the final three games of the 2002 season that New Orleans has gone three consecutive games without reaching the 300-yard plateau.

Chalk it up to evolving or an improved defense, but the Saints have learned how to win without moving the ball up and down the field. They are 5-3 since the start of the 2018 season when failing to gain 300 yards. From 2006-2017, the Saints were 2-17 when gaining less than 300 yards.

But Defense Keeps It Under 300: For the first time in 2019, New Orleans held its opponent below 300 yards. That has been a winning trend the last three years.

Since the start of the 2017 season, the Saints are 14-0 when keeping their opponent below 300 yards. The last team to defeat New Orleans without gaining at least 300 yards was Tampa Bay in 2016.

Research assistance provided by the website database Pro Football Reference.