C3
THE ASTORIAN • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2019
FOOTBALL PREVIEW
NO. 16 OREGON
DUCKS (2-1)
SEATTLE
SEAHAWKS (2-0)
Aug. 31: No. 16. Auburn 27
Oregon 21,
Sept. 8: Seattle 21,
Cincinnati 20
Sept. 7: Oregon 77, Nevada 6
Sept. 15: Seattle28,
Pittsburgh 26
Sept. 14: Oregon 35,
Montana 3
Sunday vs. New Orleans,
1:25 p.m. (CBS)
Saturday at Stanford,
4 p.m. (ESPN)
Sept. 29 at Arizona,
1:05 p.m. (FOX)
Oct. 5 vs. No. 23 California,
TBA
Oct. 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams,
5:20 p.m. (FOX/NFLN/
Amazon)
Oct. 11 vs. Colorado, 7 p.m.
Oct. 19 at No. 22
Washington, TBA
WOUNDED SAINTS FACE
Oct. 26 vs. No. 19
Washington State, TBA
UNBEATEN
SEAHAWKS
Nov. 2 at vs. No. 24
Southern Cal, TBA
Nov. 16 vs. Arizona, TBA
Nov. 23 at No. 24Arizona
State, TBA
Nov. 30 vs. Oregon State,
TBA
Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson scrambles past Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cameron
Heyward during the second half in Pittsburgh Sept. 15. The Seahawks won 28-26.
In 13 seasons in charge, New Orleans coach
Payton has always had one constant by his side
Sept. 7: Hawaii 31,
Oregon State 28
Sept 14: Oregon State 45,
Cal Poly 7
Sep. 28 vs. Stanford,
4 p.m. (PAC12)
Oct. 5 at UCLA, TBA
Oct. 12 vs. No. 10 Utah, TBA
Oct. 19 at California, TBA
Nov. 2 at Arizona, TBA
Nov. 8 vs. No. 23
Washington, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)
Nov. 16 vs. No. 24
Arizona State, TBA
Nov. 23 at No. 19
Washington State, TBA
Nov. 30 at No.16 Oregon,
TBA
AP TOP 25
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
No. 1 Clemson vs. Charlotte,
4:30 p.m.
No. 2 Alabama vs. Southern
Miss., Noon
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 7 Notre
Dame, 5 p.m.
No. 4 LSU at Vanderbilt, 10 a.m.
No. 6 Ohio State vs. Miami
(Ohio), 12:30 p.m.
No. 8 Auburn at No. 17 Texas
A&M, 12:30 p.m.
No. 9 Florida vs. Tennessee,
Noon
No. 11 Michigan at No. 13
Wisconsin, Noon
No. 12 Texas vs. Oklahoma
State, 4:30 p.m.
No. 15 UCF at Pittsburgh,
12:30 p.m.
No. 16 Oregon at Stanford,
4 p.m.
No. 19 Washington State vs.
UCLA, 7:30 p.m.
By TIM BOOTH
Associated Press
No. 23 California at Mississippi,
Noon
No. 24 Arizona State vs.
Colorado, 7 p.m.
No. 25 TCU vs. SMU, 12:30 p.m.
FAR WEST
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY
E. Washington (1-2)
at Idaho (1-2), 12 p.m.
Monmouth (NJ) (2-1)
at Montana (2-1), 12 p.m.
Norfolk State (1-2)
at Montana State (2-1), 12 p.m.
South Dakota (0-3) at N. Colorado
(0-3), 1 p.m.
New Mexico State (0-3)
at New Mexico (1-1), 1:30 p.m.
Harvard (0-0)
at San Diego (0-2), 2 p.m.
Eastern Oregon (0-0)
at Portland State (1-2), 2:05 p.m.
Sacramento State (2-1)
at Fresno State (0-2), 7 p.m.
Toledo (1-1) at Colorado State (1-2),
7:15 p.m.
Utah State (1-1)
at San Diego State (3-0), 7:30 p.m.
Cent. Arkansas (3-0) at Hawaii (2-1),
8:59 p.m.
Oct. 27 at Atlanta,
10 a.m. (FOX)
Nov. 3 vs. Tampa Bay,
1:05 p.m. (FOX)
Nov. 11 at San Francisco,
5:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Nov. 17 BYE
Nov. 24 at Philadelphia,
5:20 p.m. (NBC)
Dec. 2 vs. Minnesota,
5:15 p.m. (ESPN)
Dec. 8 at Los Angeles Rams,
5:20 p.m. (NBC)
S
EATTLE — In his 13 seasons in
charge New Orleans coach Sean Pay-
ton has always had one constant by his
side.
Nearly every game. Nearly every
snap. It’s almost always been Drew Brees on the
other end of the receiver, listening to what Pay-
ton is saying, and for the most part tormenting
opponents.
And now Brees is gone for an undetermined
time after surgery to repair an injured ligament
near his right thumb. It’s a test Payton’s never
faced, being without Brees for an extended period.
It begins on Sunday when the Saints face fellow
NFC contender Seattle.
Brees’ injury comes in what was supposed to
be a redemptive season for the Saints, with Super
Bowl expectations that could put to rest the anguish
of missing the title game a year ago, victimized by
an offi ciating non-call. And for now, there is no
panic among the Saints.
“That’s the thing. Drew’s down, we all know
that. But we’ve still got the same coaching staff.
We’ve got the same guys calling plays, especially
like you said, Sean,” New Orleans running back
Alvin Kamara said. “I don’t feel like Sean’s down.
He’s ready for the challenge.”
Brees has failed to start just three games since
he and Payton arrived together in 2006. Not sur-
prisingly, the Saints are 0-3 in those games,
although two of those came in Week 17 with noth-
ing at stake for New Orleans. Which is why this
injury and this absence is so signifi cant. It will be
Teddy Bridgewater’s team — with some Taysom
Hill sprinkled in — for the next six games before
the Saints’ bye and likely any consideration of
Brees’ return.
“The job for us as coaches is to put a plan in
place that gives our players the best chance to
win,” Payton said. “I don’t know if any one person
has to change or step up but, by in large the group
I think does.”
One person not expecting any sort of drop off
is Seattle coach Pete Carroll, in part because of his
admiration for the job Payton has done.
“After a few years coaching, you look forward
to these kinds of matchups. It’s one that we’ve
been looking toward through the offseason,” Car-
roll said. “I have great respect for what he’s done.
He’s a fantastic coach and I like that he’s sculpted
and then re-sculpted his team a couple times over
the years and you can see the difference.”
TEDDY’S TEAM
SERIES RECORD —Seattle leads 8-7
THE OTHER QB
LAST MEETING — Saints beat
Seahawks 25-20, Oct. 30, 2016
OPENING LINE — Seahawks by 3
RECORD VS. SPREAD — New
Orleans 0-2; Seattle 1-1
SURGING FRONT
SAINTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (24),
RUSH (27), PASS (17).
The Saints’ pass rush has produced nine sacks
through two games, including three by reserve defen-
sive end Trey Hendrickson, who seems to have made
a big jump in his third season. He had two sacks as
a rookie and none last season when he was a healthy
scratch a number of games. For now, though, he has
one more sack than 2017 fi rst-team All-Pro Cam Jor-
dan and two more than 2018 fi rst-round draft choice
Marcus Davenport. New Orleans’ front has been pro-
ductive so far without help from 2016 fi rst-rounder
Sheldon Rankins, who is close to returning from an
Achilles tendon tear last January.
The Saints will be facing a Seattle offensive line
that has underperformed so far and gave up four
sacks last week to Pittsburgh.
CHANGING CONSIDERATIONS
How will the Saints use Hill? They’ve had the
luxury of exposing him to heavy contact on spe-
cial teams, as a tight end and as a change-of-pace,
read-option QB because they had Bridgewater as a
more conventional backup in the event of a Brees
injury. If Bridgewater starts, Hill likely would be the
primary backup, which could conceivably prompt
Payton to dial back Hill’s role as a utility player.
PERFECT AT HOME
Seattle is always really good at home: It has
been exceptional in the fi rst month of the season
under Carroll. Seattle is 15-0 in September home
games since Carroll took over in 2010. The Sea-
hawks are the only unbeaten team in September
during that time frame.
streaks in the FBS. Herbert also has
just one INT over his last 298 passes
in Pac-12 road games.
Stanford: RB Cameron Scarlett.
He has been a workhorse back with
51 carries for 224 yards the fi rst three
weeks. He also has 10 catches for 88
yards.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Oregon looks to win its Pac-12
opener for fi rst time since 2014, with
a game against nemesis Stanford. The
Cardinal are trying to avoid their fi rst
three-game losing streak since 2008
in Jim Harbaugh’s second season as
coach. Stanford is 5-0 after dropping
two in a row under coach David Shaw.
LAST WEEK — Saints lost to Rams,
27-9; Seahawks beat Steelers 28-26
AP PRO32 RANKING — Saints No.
10, Seahawks No. 6.
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE — OVERALL
(24), RUSH (14), PASS (23).
SEAHAWKS DEFENSE — OVERALL
(16), RUSH (4), PASS (26).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES —
Seahawks have won past three
meetings played in Seattle, two
coming in playoff s. ... Saints stayed
on West Coast and practiced in
Seattle following last week’s loss to
Rams. ... Saints without QB Drew
Brees following thumb surgery.
Teddy Bridgewater expected to start.
Coach Sean Payton says Taysom Hill
could play QB as well. ... Seahawks
2-0 for fi rst time since 2013 season. ...
Seahawks 15-0 in September home
games under Pete Carroll.
NFL STANDINGS
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
EAST
W L T Pct
New England 2 0 0 1.000
Buff alo
2 0 0 1.000
N.Y. Jets
0 2 0 .000
Miami
0 2 0 .000
PF
76
45
19
10
PA
3
30
40
102
SOUTH
W L T Pct PF
Houston
1 1 0 .500 41
Indianapolis 1 1 0 .500 43
Jacksonville 1 2 0 .333 58
Tennessee
1 2 0 .333 67
PA
42
47
60
52
NORTH
W L T
Pct PF PA
Baltimore 2 0 0 1.000 82 27
Cleveland 1 1 0 .500 36 46
Cincinnati 0 2 0 .000 37 62
Pittsburgh 0 2 0 .000 29 61
WEST
Kansas City
Oakland
L.A. Chargers
Denver
W
2
1
1
0
L
0
1
1
2
T Pct PF PA
0 1.000 68 36
0 .500 34 44
0 .500 40 37
0 .000 30 40
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
EAST
W L T Pct
Dallas
2 0 0 1.000
Philadelphia 1 1 0 .500
N.Y. Giants
0 2 0 .000
Washington 0 2 0 .000
PF
66
52
31
48
PA
38
51
63
63
SOUTH
W L T Pct PF
Tampa Bay
1 1 0 .500 37
Atlanta
1 1 0 .500 36
New Orleans 1 1 0 .500 39
Carolina
0 2 0 .000 41
PA
45
48
55
50
NORTH
W L T
Pct PF PA
Green Bay 2 0 0 1.000 31 19
Detroit
1 0 1 .750 40 37
Minnesota 1 1 0 .500 44 33
Chicago
1 1 0 .500 19 24
WEST
San Francisco
L.A. Rams
Seattle
Arizona
W
2
2
2
0
L
0
0
0
1
T Pct PF PA
0 1.000 72 34
0 1.000 57 36
0 1.000 49 46
1 .250 44 50
FACTS & FIGURES
KEY MATCHUP
PLAYERS TO WATCH
SAINTS-
SEAHAWKS
CAPSULE
SAINTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (10),
RUSH (17), PASS (13T).
Line: Oregon by 10½.
Series record: Stanford leads
49-32-1.
Oregon: QB Justin Herbert. He
Dec. 29 vs. San Francisco,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
It’s worth mentioning how good Russell Wil-
son has been to start the season. He’s completing
78 percent of his passes, has fi ve touchdowns and
no interceptions, and last week had his ninth career
game of at least 300 yards and three touchdowns.
Oregon seeks to win 1st Pac-12 opener
since 2014 against nemesis Stanford
Oregon front seven vs. Stanford
offensive line. The Ducks have a
strong defense that hasn’t allowed a
TD in back-to-back games in the same
season since 1972. Freshman OLB
Mase Funa is making a big impact
with three sacks and fi ve tackles for
loss and goes against an injury-de-
pleted line missing star left tackle
Walker Little and probably guard
Dylan Powell.
Dec. 22 vs. Arizona,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
Bridgewater started Week 17 last year, but his
last meaningful starts came during the 2015 sea-
son before suffering a catastrophic knee injury that
sidelined him for the better part of two seasons
and derailed his career. Bridgewater was 17 of 30
for 165 yards after taking over for Brees last week
against the Rams.
“It’s nothing like being out there during the
games when it counts the most,” Bridgewater said.
“Not saying the preseason doesn’t count. I’d never
take the game for granted. But just to go out there
and compete at the high level is what that means.”
No. 21 Virginia vs. Old
Dominion, 4 p.m.
No. 22 Washington at BYU,
12:30 p.m.
Oct. 20 vs. Baltimore,
1:25 p.m. (FOX)
Dec. 15 at Carolina,
10 a.m. (FOX)
OREGON STATE
BEAVERS (1-2)
Aug. 30: Oklahoma State 52,
Oregon State 36
Oct. 13 at Cleveland,
10 a.m. (FOX)
Chris Pietsch/AP Photo
Oregon’s Justin Herbert looks down
fi eld against Montana on Sept. 14.
enters conference play with two
impressive streaks. He has throvwn at
least one TD pass in 31 straight games
and has gone 150 attempts without an
interception, both the longest active
Stanford has won three straight in
the series since 1995-97. A win would
give the Cardinal their longest streak
over Oregon since fi ve-gamer from
1973-77. ... Oregon has outscored
opponents 70-12 in the fi rst half this
season. ... The Ducks haven’t allowed
a TD on 27 consecutive drives and
haven’t allowed a fi rst-half TD all
season. ... Oregon leads the nation
with 13 players having scored TDs. ...
Ducks LB Troy Dye leads all Power
5 players with 334 career tackles and
has 18 games with at least 10. ... Stan-
ford is 51-8 at home this decade, the
best mark in the Pac-12. ... WR Con-
nor Wedington leads Stanford with
328 all-purpose yards.
— Associated Press
NFL SCHEDULE
Thursday’s Game
Jacksonville 20, Tennessee 7
Sunday’s Games
Miami at Dallas, 10 a.m.
Oakland at Minnesota, 10 a.m.
Cincinnati at Buff alo, 10 a.m.
Baltimore at Kansas City, 10 a.m.
Atlanta at Indianapolis, 10 a.m.
Detroit at Philadelphia, 10 a.m.
Denver at Green Bay, 10 a.m.
N.Y. Jets at New England, 10 a.m.
N.Y. Giants at Tampa Bay, 1:05 p.m.
Carolina at Arizona, 1:05 p.m.
Houston at L.A. Chargers, 1:25 p.m.
New Orleans at Seattle, 1:25 p.m.
Pittsburgh at San Francisco, 1:25 p.m.
L.A. Rams at Cleveland, 5:20 p.m.
Monday’s Games
Chicago at Washington, 5:15 p.m.