The Saints got back to .500 (5-5) by beating the Chiefs 30-20 on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
"This is our time to make a run," said quarterback Drew Brees, who made his 100th career start. "We've said that for a while now."
"I thought the story of the game was when we had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns when got the ball in the red zone," was Chiefs coach Herman Edwards' take on the game. "Give them credit. They're a tough team to play against and you know they are going to score points. We tried to limit he things they could do and had some success, but they are tough to play." The loss left the Chiefs at 1-9.
Rookie kicker Garrett Hartley coolly converted a 35-yard field goal with just more than three minutes left to widen the Saints' lead to 30-20. The Saints received touchdown runs from Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas and a receiving score from Lance Moore.
"This was a a good win for us," said Brees. "We were able to put a drive together there at the end that maybe earlier in the season we struggled to do in key situations.”
"The goal now is to get ready to play a good Green Bay (5-5) team in the Superdome on Monday night. "It's good to finally get back home."
It was the Saints' first win on the road since last Dec. 12 in Atlanta. Monday night's game will be the Saints first game in the Superdome since Oct. 12.
The Saints churned out 363 yards of total offense as Brees completed 24-of-35 passes for 260 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Thomas ran for 86 yards on 16 carries while Moore set a career-high in receptions with 8 and receiving yards (102). Defensively the Saints were by cornerback Randall Gay (five passes defended) and safety Roman Harper (10 tackles). Linebacker Scott Fujita added 9 stops and newcomer defensive end Jeff Charleston had two sacks with defensive end Bobby McCray and Will Smith getting one each. The Saints' offensive line didn't allow a sack.
McAllister, the team's all-time leading rusher, moved into a tie for first place in the club's record books for most career touchdowns (53) with Dalton Hillard.
"The drive with more than three minutes to go sealed the deal," said Brees. "Only being up by a touchdown we knew we had to put a drive together to put it away."
Chiefs quarterback Tyler Thigpen connected with former LSU star Dwayne Bowe on two touchdowns.
Brees said his 47-yard touchdown pass to Moore "was a slant and go. Lance did a good job of selling it and the corner bit. The second play of he second half really set the tempo for what we were going to do,"
"I thought we tackled pretty well and kept the ball in front of us," said Saints coach Sean Payton. "I thought holding them to field goals was important, early on especially.
"It was an important win, and that's where we're at right now."
Saints returner Courtney Roby bolted 54 yards with a kickoff in the first quarter.
On Saturday, the Saints placed defensive tackle Brian Young (knee) on the reserve/injured list and signed tight end Buck Ortega from the practice squad. Young became the 11th player to end up on the injured reserve list.
Tigers in record comeback
Never before in LSU football history has a comeback of such magnitude been witnessed.
What look to be the lowest moment of the season turned into the highest as the Tigers came form behind from four touchdowns down to defeat Troy 40-31 on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, which was only two-thirds full at the end.
A miserable first-half performance by the Tigers (7-3) on both sides of the ball allowed Troy (6-4) to take 24-3 halftime lead. The Trojans then scored on their first drive of the third quarter and led 31-3. The Tigers scored37 points in the game's final 16:26 to stun Troy.
Quarterback Jarrett Lee overcame another interception for a touchdown to complete 18-of-26 passes doe 205 yards and a touchdown, For the game, he was 20-of-34 for 216 yards.
LSU backup Jordan Jefferson saw spot duty and completed 1-of-6 passes in the first half. Jefferson also ran for the Tigers' first touchdown on a fourth-and-goal from the 3 late in the third quarter, He had 7 runs for 17 yards.
"I think Jordan did a heckuva job," judged Tigers coach Les Miles. "We put him in in a tough spot. It was unfair for us to continue to go with hum, but he really performed well on the things we asked him to do. There's more playing time for him in the future, but Lee is out quarterback."
"Comebacks like this don't happen a lot," said Lee. "I've never been part of comeback this big.Not one time did we think we were going to lose the game."
"I blame me for the way we started the game," said Miles. "I felt like we didn't show confidence in Lee and we tried to hamstring him. We played into their strength. We told them we wee going to run and they loaded up the line, We ran the ball, and we went back and tried to get into the tempo of the play. Lee wasn't in rhythm and he couldn't make plays, so we fall way behind. We go in at halftime, and we tell the defense that they were our chance to win. Lee was the only opportunity we had to win the game, We tuned to him and said, 'OK let's do this.' He responds. He has a great second half.
"I give credit to fighting hard. I think Troy came in just t the right timing for us. They knew we were going to handcuff our quarterbacks. They played the run hard and scored and put real pressure on us.It speaks for the character of this football team. At halftime, they could have said, 'No coach. We're going to play defense, but somebody else is going to have to win this one. But they didn't. They played their tails off. I'm proud of them. That wasn't the recipe for victory we prescribed, but victory is sweet, and I promise you our team is enjoying it."
"LSU is as well-personelled position-by-position as anybody in the country," said Troy coach Larry Blakeney. "They are young at quarterback and that's probably the reason they aren't at the top of the Western Division in the SEC."
Brando LaFell had career bests in catches (12) and yards (126). "Brandon is a tremendous competitor, and this game really showed who he is," said Miles.
Charles Scott became in the eighth Tigers running back to post a 1,000-yard season. His 90 yards gave him 1,071 this season.
Colt David became the SEC's career leader in PATs with his third-quarter kick. He also missed a PAT try. David, already the top scorer in Tigers history, entered the game tied with Tennessee's Jeff Hall, who had 188 from 1995-98, David now has 192. His 52-yard field goal was a career best and fourth best in Tigers history.
LSU plays Ole Miss next Saturday.
Rockets bottle up Paul
The Rockets swarmed Chris Paul whenever he tried to drive the lane and Houston beat the Hornets 91-82 on Saturday night in Houston.
Paul went 2-of-10 from the field. made eight free throws, had 12 assists, but the Bees shot only 41 per cent and were out rebounded 41-35. Paul said his team played lethargically and just went through the motions.
'We expect a lot out of ourselves, and we have to reach down inside and bring more energy every night," said Paul. "Every time we step on the court, we have to fight and play hungry and not just go through the motions."
"Our offense was stagnant," said Hornets forward David West. "We didn't have any continuity or ball movement".We have to make teams defend us."
West scored 18 and grabbed 10 rebounds. Tyson Chandler added 15 and Devin Brown hit 13. Paul went 0-for-5 in the first half.
"Chris a phenomenal point guard who likes to probe a lot," said the Rockets' Tracy McGrady. :Our guys did a great job not getting caught up in picks, staying with him and either making him take tough shots or kicking it to guys who were covered, We didn't give many wide-open shots."
Paul has at least one steal in 94 straight games, the NBA's longest active streak.
Yao Ming scored 21 points to lead he Rockets and McGrady added 18 and 9 rebounds.
SOME HITHER, OTHERS YON: Terrell Owens appeared on David Letterman's show the other night to read the "Top 10 list: TO's Advice for Kids." Some of the advice included: 10. It's not whether you win or lose, it's how crazy smooth you look playing the game. 9. Get into a line of work that includes cheerleaders. 8. Look good. 5. On or off the field, play it safe and wear a cup. 3. Listen to me -- do not cry during a news conference. 2, There ain't a damn thing to do in Green Bay. 1. Show up to practice every day, unless you're renegotiating...The top two current leaders in NFL passer ratings once were discarded to make room for Eli Manning with the Giants. Kurt Warner is first at 106,4, and was benched so Manning could play his rookie season. Philip Rivers is second at 106,3, and was traded for Manning as part of a draft-day deal. Manning is currently 15th in passer rating at 88.8...
Jacob Hester was known during his four seasons at LSU for his ability to protect the ball. In 364 collegiate carries, he fumbled once. But the ball squired out of his hands against the Patriots the other day on his second NFL carry, He was visibly upset afterward. The Charger brought in Michael Pittman to replace Hester on the depth chart. "You know what's funny?" said Hester. "I fumbled on my second carry at LSU."...Glenn Dorsey, former LSU All-America defensive tackle, is starting for the Chiefs. He grew up being a Saints fan and called losing to them was frustrating. Said Dorsey, "There were some things we could have done differently. We were hanging in there and making some plays, but it comes down to a couple of plays that we should have made that ended up determining the outcome of the game."...The Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony is opening a barber shop. Too bad he doesn't play for the Clippers..Saints defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs is a target for Saints fans of callers to local radio sports talk shows. The fans are calling for his dismissal. Internet message boards debate the merits of his possible replacements. Some of the fans have started a Web site firegarygibbs.com...
MORNING LINE: Saints 2 1/2 over Packers, LSU 5 1/2 over Ole Miss, Tulsa 27 1/2 over Tulane, Oklahoma 7 over Texas Tech, Vandy 2 1/2 over Tennessee, Arkansas vs. Miss. State Pick, La. Tech 7 over N.M. State, Fla. Int. 5 over La.-Monroe, Troy 7 over La.-Lafayette
New Orleans
