NEW ORLEANS (AP) Drew Brees had been intercepted
Authentic Anthony Miller Jersey , knocked around and held without a touchdown pass for most of what nearly went down as one of his more forgettable
performances in a Saints uniform.
Then came a stint of virtual perfection that helped produced a memorable comeback.
Brees completed all 11 passes during New Orleans’ final two drives of regulation for 164 yards and two touchdowns. If not for that, the Saints (8-2)
could hardly expect to be celebrating their eighth straight victory .
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”We’re very much in the moment with this team, and season, and just finding different ways to win,” Brees said. ”We can say we made the plays we needed to
make at the right time.”
Hard to argue with that, particularly as it pertained to the Saints’ 38-year-old, record-setting QB. His late-game completions included downfield
strikes of 29, 25 and 24 yards to tight end Coby Fleener
Chiefs Robert Golden Jersey , 17 yards to Michael Thomas, 18 yards to Ted Ginn Jr.
”You understand you need chunks, so you can’t just dink and dunk,” Brees said. ”We had to score fast.”
Brees’ late brilliance left Washington to wonder how it let a victory slip away after being in control for most of the first 55 minutes.
”It stings everybody involved with the Washington Redskins, that’s for sure,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. ”We just have to bounce back.”
And quickly.
At 4-6, the Redskins will miss the playoffs unless they put together a winning streak of their own during their last six games, starting when they host
the New York Giants on Thanksgiving night.
Here are some other central story lines emerging from the Saints’ comeback against the Redskins:
DENTED DEFENSE
With three key starters injured
Cheap Harrison Phillips Jersey , the New Orleans defense was gouged, allowing 456 yards after not allowing more than 347 yards in of its previous
seven games.
New Orleans entered the game without veteran safety Kenny Vaccaro and middle linebacker A.J. Klein, its leading tackler. The Saints lost top cornerback
Marshon Lattimore on Washington’s first possession when he twisted his left.
The difference showed for a unit that had held five of its previous seven opponents to less than 300 yards – and three of them to 200 or fewer.
This coming Sunday, the Saints visit the Rams, whose offense has been among the league’s best this season.
COUSINS’ PRODUCTION
Kirk Cousins entered elite company in Redskins history. Cousins passed for 322 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. He now has nine career
games with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions, tying Pro
Football Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen and Joe Theismann for the most such games
in franchise history.
Attacking New Orleans’ hobbled secondary, Cousins completed several long passes, including a 40-yard TD to Ryan Grant
Cheap Isaiah Oliver Jersey , passes of 36 and 26 yards to tight end Vernon Davis, and a 32-yard completion to Josh Doctson.
SOME STREAK
The Saints’ eight-game winning streak is not only their first since 2011 – when they went 13-3 – but also the first by any team that started 0-2 since the
NFL-AFL merger in 1970. This victory was not like the others , however. New
Orleans had an average victory margin of 18.4 points in its previous seven
games, which all ended with Brees or backup Chase Daniel kneeling with the ball
to run out the final minutes. No game during the streak was closer than eight
points until the thriller against Washington.
”It is unusual for any team to go as long as we have gone with a scoring differential that did not put us defending or in a two-minute mode,” Saints
coach Sean Payton said. ”We were talking about it Friday and sure enough it came
up. Enough guys did enough good things. I am proud of how they hung in
there.”
LOSING THOMPSON
Chris Thompson has been one of Washington’s most productive and versatile players this season, with 39 catches for 510 yards and four TD receptions to go
with his 294 yards and two TDs rushing. He scored the Redskins’ first TD against
the Saints on a 16-yard catch, but broke his right fibula when he caught
awkwardly under Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins during Cousins’
third-quarter scramble.
”He was doing so great and possibly having a Pro Bowl t
ype season,” fellow running back Samaje Perine said. ”To have him go down like that
Authentic Paul Worrilow Jersey , it’s never good.”
BACKFIELD BONANZA
Although the Saints had to rely on Brees more than in previous victories this season, they still got significant contributions from their running back tandem
Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Ingram had 134 yards rushing, including a 36-yard
touchdown, and runs of 31 and 20 yards in overtime to set up Wil Lutz’s winning
28-yard field goal. Kamara had 116 yards from scrimmage, highlighting his 74
yards receiving with an 18-yard touchdown catch in the final minutes, followed
by his game-tying 2-point conversion on a run around the left end.
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