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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Darrion Gray

Saints have spent more time leading this year than the NFL’s only unbeaten team

If you needed any further proof that the NFL is a game of moments, look at the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes and the defending Super Bowl champions have spent less time this year leading the opposition than the Saints. By that stat you’d assume, at the least, the Saints are having a season on par with the Chiefs. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

The Saints currently sit at 3-7 and had a top-5five pick in the NFL draft a week ago. The Chiefs are the NFL’s only undefeated team. These teams are on drastically different paths.

This stat highlights one thing. In clutch moments, the Chiefs rise to the occasion while the Saints falter. Part of the reason the Saints have led for so long this season is they were in the lead for nearly the entire first two games. However late collapses also led to long periods of leaving without ending with a victory.

Kansas City, however, knows how to get victories. They’ve played in close games, but they know how to make timely plays to win. That’s why they have led for 23 less minutes than the Saints but have six more wins.

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