Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune November 09, 2008 10:19PM

Chris Granger / The Times-Picayune

For the second year in a row, Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie suffered a devastating knee injury that likely will end his season.

He fractured his right kneecap while making a diving tackle during the third quarter of Sunday’s 34-20 loss at Atlanta. He will visit Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., this week for the official prognosis, but season-ending surgery is the most likely option.

“It’s a physical game, and you can never take (your health) for granted,” said McKenzie, 32, who plans on rehabbing and returning again.

He admitted to having those negative thoughts about going under the knife again and going through another long rehab process, but he said he didn’t feel sorry for himself.

“It’s not a ‘Why me?’” McKenzie said. “You know, I’m happy, I’m blessed, I play in the NFL. You know, I love the team that I play with, I love my teammates. So I really just plan on .¤.¤. it’s a lot of motivation for me to just get back out there.

“The most positive thing, I’m happy I’m alive. It’s only a broken knee. It could be worse.”

McKenzie made a great tackle on the play. He dived to bring down receiver Michael Jenkins short of the first-down marker on third down, forcing Atlanta to settle for a field goal. But his kneecap hit the hard turf surface, and he instantly felt the bone break.

McKenzie tore the anterior cruciate ligament in the same knee last December, and he worked his way back into the lineup this year, making his regular-season debut in Week 3. He has one interception and 25 tackles in seven games.

The two injuries could be related. The recovery from the ACL tear may have weakened the knee structurally. In 1997, when receiver Jerry Rice returned early from an ACL tear after three months out of the lineup, he broke his kneecap in his first game back.

The good news for McKenzie is that Rice came back at full strength the next season and had another Pro Bowl year.

“It’s hard,” Saints Coach Sean Payton said. “I mean, it’s real disappointing. His rehab process, and what it takes to rehab from a major knee injury is very long and tedious. So I was disappointed for him. And I know the rest of his teammates feel the same way.

“I just saw him in the locker room, and he’s in some pain right now. He’s a pretty tough-minded guy, but it’s certainly a blow to our defense. And we’ve just got to get him healthy and get him fixed.”

If McKenzie is out for the season, he will become the 10th member of the Saints’ injured reserve list. Fellow starting cornerback Tracy Porter suffered a season-ending wrist injury in Week 5 against Minnesota.

It’s not clear who will replace McKenzie in the starting lineup alongside veteran Randall Gay. Aaron Glenn and Usama Young both will play increased roles, with Jason David sliding back onto the active roster.

McKenzie is due $4.45¤million next year in the final year of his contract.

McKenzie was one of several Saints who left Sunday’s game with injuries. Fullback Mike Karney strained a medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Right tackle Jon Stinchcomb strained his right calf. Tight end Jeremy Shockey sprained an ankle, and tailback Aaron Stecker strained a hamstring. The extent of all those injuries is unknown. Glenn hobbled off the field late in the fourth quarter, but he wasn’t listed on the postgame injury report.

KICKERS STEP UP: Among the Saints’ few bright spots Sunday were the solid performances by new kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Glenn Pakulak. Hartley drilled both of his field-goal attempts, from 24 and 44 yards, when the game still was competitive, and his kickoffs were good, though he failed to convert two onside kick attempts. Pakulak averaged 48.3 yards on three punts, with a long of 56 yards.

“Of course, it’s always good to get your first kick in the NFL and make it,” said the rookie Hartley, who said he felt confident during pregame warmups, when he made all his kicks, and throughout the game. “It was unfortunate, though, that it really didn’t come down to (the field goals).”

LINEUP CHANGES: Two other players made their 2008 debuts with the Saints on Sunday — defensive tackle Hollis Thomas and receiver/kickoff returner Courtney Roby. Thomas played a handful of snaps in his first game back from a torn triceps injury, though he finished with no tackles. Roby, a free agent who was signed last month, returned five kickoffs for 127 yards, with a long return of 41 yards in the third quarter.

Receiver David Patten returned after missing the past four games with a groin injury. He replaced receiver Robert Meachem, who was inactive, and caught two passes for 35 yards.

Also inactive for the Saints on Sunday: tailback Reggie Bush, center Jonathan Goodwin, offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, defensive tackles Antwan Lake and Remi Ayodele, David and quarterback Joey Harrington.

PAYTON’S OFF DAY: It seemed like none of Payton’s gambles worked out Sunday. He dialed up a deep play-action pass to receiver Devery Henderson on the first play from scrimmage, but it was well covered and resulted in an interception by safety Erik Coleman. … He decided to go for it on fourth-and-4 late in the second quarter rather than attempt a 46-yard field goal because he liked his play call, but Brees’ pass to Marques Colston was knocked away by cornerback Chris Houston. … He failed on yet another replay challenge in the third quarter when he challenged the spot on Michael Turner’s first-down run (his eighth rejection in 10 attempts this season). … And he called for back-to-back onside kick attempts in the fourth quarter, sensing he could fool the Falcons with some misdirection, but the second kick scooted out of bounds.

Posted by Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune November 09, 2008 10:16PM

ATLANTA - As Drew Brees frantically and futilely tried to pass the Saints back into contention against the Falcons on Sunday, Jeremy Shockey, the club’s high-profile offseason acquisition, found himself in a strange and decidedly low-profile place: on the sideline.

In the desperate fourth-quarter finish, Brees completed a remarkable 19 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns.
None of them was to Shockey.

Falcons defenders caught more passes from Brees (three) than Shockey did.

Instead, the two-time Pro Bowl tight end spent most of the wild final period parked in idle, alternating between standing with helmet in hand on the sideline or slumped alone on the bench with his helmet at his feet.

The Saints ran 36 plays in the fourth quarter — the equivalent of a normal half — and Shockey was on the field for three of them.

The official explanation was that Shockey had left the game with an injury, and indeed Shockey’s right ankle was swollen with fluid in the postgame locker room.

But that didn’t explain Shockey’s absence on the drive before the injury, which occurred on
the second drive of the fourth quarter. On the Saints’ first possession of the fourth quarter,
Billy Miller played almost every down at tight end.

“We rotated (Shockey) and Billy because of the nature of what we were doing route-wise,”
Saints Coach Sean Payton said.

If that was the case, the only rotation I saw was Miller rotating in and Shockey rotating to
the sideline.

Afterward, Shockey said anyone who thought he was out of the game for any reason other
than his injury “was wrong.” But clearly he was out of the game for some reason.

Perhaps it was fallout from his foibles on the Saints’ final offensive play of the third quarter.

Facing third-and-10 from the Saints’ 37-yard line and still within two touchdowns, Shockey failed to pick up a rushing Falcons defender, forcing Brees to unload a quick dump-off pass to him in the left flat to avoid a sack.

Not only did Shockey miss the block, he missed the ball, dropping it with a half-hearted
effort that spurred Brees to sprint toward him and emotionally voice his frustration. The
animated discussion continued on the Saints’ sideline.

“It was just a miscommunication on the protection from the play before, so we were just
talking through it,” Brees said. “It was not a big deal other than just trying to get on the
same page.”

Shockey fell on the sword, saying he misidentified the player Brees assigned him to
block at the line of scrimmage.

“I put that on me,” Shockey said. “It’s just one little play, but it should never happen. That
was really about the only miscommunication.”

Shockey said the heated sideline discussion with Brees was healthy.

“It’s very competitive,” he said. “Everyone wants to win; everyone wants to do well.
That’s how this league is. It’s a good thing that Drew wants to play well, and I want to do the same. No one was more disappointed in that play than myself.”

Whether Shockey was injured or just plain benched, it’s becoming clear that the Saints are
losing confidence in him.

Shockey and Brees engaged in a similar heated discussion after an incompletion in the sec´
ond half of the Chargers game two weeks ago.

Since returning from surgery to repair a sports hernia last month, Shockey has caught
eight passes for 72 yards in three games. That includes a two-catch, 16-yard effort against
the Falcons.

In six games, Shockey has caught 24 passes for a quiet 223 yards. He has yet to catch a
touchdown pass.

Clearly, this isn’t what either side envisioned when the trade went down two days before the start of training camp.

Indeed, this was the week we were supposed to see the “real” Shockey and Marques Colston, the players expected to be Brees’ top receiving threats this season.

Fresh off the bye week and a big win against San Diego, Colston and Shockey were expected to be back at full strength for the Falcons and ready to lead the Saints to a strong second-half finish.

Colston did his part, catching seven passes for 140 yards. He looked like the Colston of old.

And Shockey? He was M.I.A. — at least when it counted.

“It’s frustrating, but what can you do?” Shockey said. “I can sit around and mope about it, or I can come back stronger than ever.”

Sounds good.

But before you can come back, you have to arrive.

Saints fans are still waiting to see the real Jeremy Shockey. And with each passing game and frustrating finish, they’re starting to wonder if they ever will.

Posted by Teddy Kider, The Times-Picayune November 09, 2008 10:27PM

ATLANTA - Technically, Sunday’s game ended with a touchdown by the Saints. But the outcome was complete with a little more than a minute remaining against the Atlanta Falcons, and the final meaningful play of the day was the same as the Saints’ first offensive play of the game: an interception for the Falcons.

The Saints (4-5) continued the same pattern they have followed for most of the season, falling one game worse than .500 for the fourth time this year. They never led in a 34-20 loss to the Falcons (6-3) at the Georgia Dome, and a crowd of 64,826 watched as New Orleans found some more frustration.

“We can only play the whole ‘we had a good week of preparation’ card so long,” Saints linebacker Scott Fujita said. “We can only play the whole ‘we got great character on the team’ card for so long. It’s time for people to start stepping up and make some plays. It’s freaking embarrassing.”

Members of the Saints did, in fact, mention both of those “cards” after the game. Coach Sean Payton said New Orleans had one of its “better weeks” of preparation before heading to Atlanta, and quarterback Drew Brees talked about “a good team with quality players and quality character people and good leaders.”

But the Saints all seemed to agree that the all-too-familiar pattern, which has kept them at the bottom of the NFC South standings, needs to stop.

“We haven’t been over .500 since ‘06, and I don’t count us starting off 1-0 this season as being over .500,” said Brees, who threw a season-high three interceptions. “I mean being over .500 with some significance.”

The Saints found themselves trailing 20-6 with 2:06 remaining in the third quarter, and from there, a game that New Orleans never really found its footing in only got worse.

The next drive for the Saints was a quick three-and-out with three incomplete passes, and the Falcons followed that up with another touchdown. Falcons running back Jerious Norwood turned a short pass into a 67-yard score, capping an 80-yard drive that took less than two minutes and gave Atlanta a 27-6 lead with a little less than a quarter remaining.

The Saints, who rushed for 105 yards on 17 carries, were forced to abandon much of their offensive game plan.

“We felt like we wanted to walk away from this game being the ones who had won the rushing battle,” Brees said. “So we came in with an emphasis on running the ball. Unfortunately, we got midway through the third quarter and all of a sudden had to play catch-up.”

Brees threw 58 times, and he completed 31 for 422 yards and two touchdowns. He also had the three interceptions, one on the first offensive play of the game and two in the fourth quarter, on consecutive drives.

The final interception came on first-and-goal from the Falcons’ 8-yard-line with 1:30 remaining. Falcons cornerback Chevis Jackson returned the ball 95 yards for a touchdown — the second-longest interception return for a touchdown in Atlanta history — and the Falcons had a 34-13 lead.

Brees was sacked once but faced pressure almost all day from the Falcons.

“I think they were able to get pressure with the four-man rush, and we weren’t able to do that,” Payton said. “That, I think, is important, obviously a key component of the game if you’re looking at it, when you’re talking about trying to throw the football and trying to convert third downs and trying to operate in the red zone. He was under a lot of duress, I thought.”

The Saints could not match that pressure in dealing with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan.

Ryan added to his impressive rookie season by completing 16 of 23 passes for 248 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Falcons running back Michael Turner added 96 yards on 27 carries, and Atlanta had a 17-6 lead by halftime.

New Orleans didn’t score its first touchdown until less than 10 minutes remained, and an eventful comeback attempt — Brees completed 19-of-34 passes for 294 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the fourth quarter — was insufficient.

“It’s painful, because we’ve been hovering around that .500 mark for way too long now, trying to make a push, coming into these divisional road games feeling pretty good about ourselves, thinking this is our shot to get over the hump,” Fujita said. “To go on the road twice now and just get hammered the way you did, in all phases of the game, it’s real disappointing.”

The Saints’ last trip — not counting their 37-32 win against the San Diego Chargers on Oct. 26 in London, which counted as a home game — was a 30-7 loss at Carolina on Oct. 19.

With a game coming up at Kansas City on Sunday, the Saints are 0-4 in road games this season. They also seemed to be getting healthier heading into this weekend but now have to deal with a fresh batch of injuries, such as the fractured right kneecap that cornerback Mike McKenzie suffered Sunday.

“I think if we had played today’s game anywhere, I think the result would have been the same,” Payton said. “I don’t think we can point to this being on the road. I don’t think we can point our fingers at injuries. I don’t think we can point to any of those things. I think we got beat today by a team that played better than we did.”

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune November 07, 2008 9:35PM

Chuck Cook / The Times Picayune

Saints receiver Marques Colston says he is finally healthy and ready to contribute for the final eight games of the season.

Technically, receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jeremy Shockey have been back in the Saints’ lineup since mid-October. But starting with Sunday’s game at Atlanta, the Saints are hoping that they get the “real” Colston and Shockey back for the second half of the season.

Last week’s bye came at a great time for the injury-plagued offensive stars, both of whom are on the verge of making a full recovery.

“I’m to a point now where I feel like I’m pretty much back to where I want to be, ” said Colston, who missed five games after he tore a ligament in his left thumb in Week 1, then struggled to shake off the rust when he returned in Week 7. “I’m used to playing at a high level, and I feel like I’m able to do that again, and hopefully, I’ll just be able to help this team make a push for the playoffs.”

Colston said he had to adjust to wearing a thin plastic splint over his thumb, but he said he now feels “100 percent confident in catching again.”

Saints Coach Sean Payton said Colston’s role will be “expanded” after he was limited in each of the past two games. Colston had zero catches during a frustrating loss at Carolina. Then he caught two passes for 56 yards, including a 49-yarder, in the Week 8 victory over San Diego in London.

Shockey, who missed three games after having sports hernia surgery in late September, also was limited in the past two games because of a setback he suffered when he did the splits on his first play from scrimmage at Carolina.

He said he wouldn’t put himself at 100 percent just yet, but he hopes to get there by the end of the month.

“I just kind of take it one day at a time, and hopefully, it gets better every day, ” said Shockey, who has been battling the injury since the start of training camp, when it originally was diagnosed as a groin injury.

Shockey tried to play through the pain for the first three games before it became apparent that he needed surgery.

“I think (the fans) know they haven’t seen me, ” Shockey said when he was asked if Saints fans haven’t yet seen what he can bring to his new team since he arrive in a trade this summer from the New York Giants. “Obviously, this injury dates back to camp. All the doctors’ decisions, the doctors viewing X-rays, this, that and MRIs, that’s in the past. . . . It’s tough. The toughest part about this game is to stay healthy.

“To the Saints fans, to the organization, to my teammates, hopefully, they still trust and believe in what I can do. I know what I’m capable of, and I think the fans will definitely see it soon.”

That’s a scary thought for opposing defenses. The Saints have the NFL’s top-ranked passing offense this year, even without much contribution from two of their biggest threats. Neither Colston nor Shockey has caught a touchdown pass this year.

The Saints also will have a healthy David Patten at their disposal in the second half of the season after he battled a lingering groin injury in the first half. Patten will play a lesser role now that Lance Moore has emerged as a go-to guy, but he should be active in nickel packages on Sunday. He and receiver Robert Meachem could trade off from week to week, depending on the matchups.

INJURY REPORT: Tailback Reggie Bush (knee) and center Jonathan Goodwin (knee) were both officially ruled out of Sunday’s game on Friday, as expected. Everyone else on the Saints’ roster will be good to go.

Four Falcons players are listed as questionable — left tackle Todd Weiner (knee), center Todd McClure (back), defensive tackle Grady Jackson (knee) and cornerback Brent Grimes (knee).

HALL PASS: Although the Saints were mentioned as possible suitors for cornerback DeAngelo Hall in various reports this week after he was released by the Oakland Raiders, it doesn’t appear as though they showed any real interest before he signed with the Washington Redskins on Friday.

SPECIAL GUEST: The Saints invited a special guest to Friday’s practice, 5-year-old River Lacrouts of Metairie, who was born with spinal muscular atrophy.

Lacrouts got to break the huddle after practice before getting the chance to meet players and coaches, collect autographs and join them for lunch.

Posted by John DeShazier, The Times-Picayune November 04, 2008 9:03AM

Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune

Charles Grant has been placed on injured reserved and is out for the season.

The silver lining to Charles Grant being lost for the season - if ever there is a silver lining to a player being placed on injured reserve with eight games remaining in the regular season, and his 4-4 team in desperate need of his services - is that if/when he is suspended four games by the NFL for testing positive for a banned diuretic, he can serve his penalty while on injured reserve.

That’s not great, but it’s something.
Now that the Saints no longer can count on Grant playing defensive end for the rest of this season (the smart alecks among you alleging that he couldn’t be counted on before now, either), they’re able to make long-term plans to be without his services. That, to me, is a little better than sitting around and waiting for the hammer to fall, waiting for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to enforce the penalty that is all but certain to come and then needing to plug the hole that gets bigger the longer Grant and his fellow linemen jell.

Grant remains among the players appealing their pending suspensions, teammates Deuce McAllister and Will Smith being members of that group. They, obviously, are going to fight to the end. That’s their right and as I’ve said before, it’s next to impossible to convince any man to give up the fight when he believes he’s in the right.

Those three players, and others, believe they have a solid case against the company that produces StarCaps, the weight loss pill that contained the banned diuretic but does not list the banned product among the pill’s ingredients. Obviously, they believe the league should consider their extenuating circumstances and adjust a rule that is pretty straight-lined - players unequivocally are responsible for what they take, and will be suspended if they take a substance that falls on the league’s banned substance list.

Goodell and the league office will sort through and rule on the appeal. There’ll be no more meat to chew on that bone until Goodell makes a ruling.

All that’s left now is to attempt to gauge the damage that will be done by their pending absences. The holes will be huge because we’re talking about three significant contributors - both starting defensive ends and a running back who, depending on the gameplan and the team’s injury situation, had worked his way back into the rotation.

But with Grant, at least the disruption caused by his absence begins and ends at the same time. Plans can be made to offset his departure, he can serve his suspension while he’s injured and the Saints don’t have to sit around counting on his return.

The fact that the team can move on is the only good that comes from him being placed on injured reserve. It’s not much but for a team that has nine players on injured reserve and for whom Grant becomes the 14th starter to miss at least one game this season, you take whatever good you can from any situation it can be extracted from.

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune November 03, 2008 1:38PM

Michael DeMocker/The Times-Picayune

Charles Grant has been placed on injured reserved and is out for the season.

The Saints placed defensive end Charles Grant on injured reserve with a triceps injury, officially ending his 2008 season.

Grant suffered the injury against San Diego last week but finished the game. He will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by veteran Bobby McCray, but the Saints are very thin at the position behind starters Will Smith and McCray.

The Saints replaced Grant on the roster with defensive tackle Hollis Thomas, but they will probably add a new defensive end by Wednesday.
“Charles has played a key role for our team since we drafted him six years ago,” Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said in a statement. “This is obviously a loss for our defense, but injuries are a part of our league and it presents an opportunity for other players to step up and answer the call.”

Grant is tied with McCray for the team lead with three sacks this season, but it’s been a turbulent year for the seventh-year veteran. He was indicted for involuntary manslaughter for his alleged part in a February brawl outside of a Blakely, Ga., nightclub that led to the shooting death of a pregnant woman. That case is still pending.

He is also facing a four-game league suspension as one of four Saints players who tested positive for a banned diuretic this summer. Obviously that suspension won’t come into play until next season now. But since Smith is also facing a four-game suspension, the Saints will be scrambling at the defensive end position for the remainder of the year.

Grant was not immediately available for comment. The Saints practiced on Monday but kept the session closed to the media.

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune October 29, 2008 4:32PM

The Saints have signed kicker Garrett Hartley and punter Glenn Pakulak after auditioning several players at both positions at their practice facility on Wednesday.

“We were impressed with both Garrett and Glenn throughout the competitive sessions and we will continue to evaluate the positions closely throughout the remainder of the season,” General Manager Mickey Loomis said in a press release.

Agent Mark Mersel, who represents both players, also confirmed the signings.

Hartley, 22, is an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma. He signed with the Denver Broncos but was released before the start of training camp. It’s possible that the Saints will still consider veteran options such as Dave Rayner, Billy Cundiff or Aaron Elling after they take an extended look at the rookie over the next week.

Pakulak, 28, has bounced around the league for several years, though he’s never landed a regular-season gig. He was most recently with the Raiders this preseason, averaging 45 yards per punt.

by Doug Miller, NewOrleansSaints.com
Wednesday, October 29, 2008 - 11:00 AM
New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees was named as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for games played the eighth week of the 2008 season (October 26-27), the NFL announced today.

The veteran quarterback threw for 339 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions on 30-of-41 passing (73.2 percent) for a 121.9 passer rating as the Saints defeated the San Diego Chargers in front a crowd of 83,226 fans at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Brees, who leads the NFL in attempts, completions and yards, completed passes to eight different receivers, including touchdowns to wide receivers Devery Henderson (12 yards) and Lance Moore (30) and tight end Mark Campbell (one) in defeating his former club. This marks Brees’ sixth game of 2008 with more than 300 yards passing and his fifth with a passer rating over 100.

In his eighth season from Purdue, this is Brees’ eighth career Player of the Week Award and second this season (Week 6). Brees’ six Player of the Week Awards as a Saint moves him past linebacker Rickey Jackson for the most total awards in franchise history.

Posted by Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune October 28, 2008 7:01PM

Michael DeMocker / The Times-Picayune

Kicker Taylor Mehlhaff, a sixth-round draft choice, has been cut twice by the club this season.

The Saints released kicker Taylor Mehlhaff and punter Ben Graham on Tuesday, according to league sources. No replacements have been announced.

Both positions have obviously been a huge source of frustration for the Saints. Mehlhaff was the team’s second kicker this year and their fifth kicker since 2006. He appeared in just three games, making three of four field-goal attempts and 9 of 10 extra-point attempts. The missed extra point Sunday against the San Diego Chargers in London was clearly the last straw for the left-footed rookie.

Chuck Cook / The Times-Picayune

Ben Graham’s stay as the Saints punter lasted one game.

Graham appeared in just one game for the Saints on Sunday in London. He averaged 42 yards on three punts. He had replaced Steve Weatherford a week earlier.

Posted by The Times-Picayune October 26, 2008 3:15PM

The Associated Press

Drew Brees’ big game led the Saints to a win against San Diego.

Finally, things started clicking for the New Orleans Saints.

After watching their season seemingly slip away as the team continued to make mistakes, give up big plays on defense and just simply not getting the job done, New Orleans turned it around and beat the San Diego Chargers 37-30 in Wembley, England.

The Saints’ victory keeps hope alive for a team that has had injuries and could be faced with some players being suspended for a test for a banned substance.
Quarterback Drew Brees was brilliant, going 30-of-41 for 339 yards and three touchdowns to show up the team that gave up on him after a shoulder injury and replaced him with Philip Rivers.

Brees hit eight different receivers. Lance Moore had six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. Tight end Billy Miller had seven catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Deuce McAllister, the featured tailback in place of injured Reggie Bush, had 55 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. McAllister was solid, running through defenders and showing the kind of hard-nosed running he is known for.

San Diego’s LaDanian Thomlinson did have 105 yards rushing, but the Saints were able to keep him out of the end zone. Rivers was 25-of-40 for 341 yards and three touchdowns.

The game got close when Chargers came roaring back from a 17-pint deficit with 10 points in a 2:20-second span early in the fourth quarter to close the Saints’ lead to 37-30 with 7 minutes to play. The big play was an onside kick by the Chargers which they recovered after kicking a field goal. Five plays later, Philip Rivers hit Vincent Jackson for a beautiful diving 14-yard touchdown pass to trim the margin to a touchdown.

Seemingly only minutes before, the Saints had taken what appeared to be an insurmountable 37-20 lead on the second play of the fourth quarter on a 1-yard plunge by fullback Mike Karney.

While the Chargers committed 14 penalties for 134 yards, the Saints, have made few mistakes. They didn’t have a turnover or allowed a sack all game.

The Saints took a 23-17 at halftime and with Brees leading the way, were moving the ball at will. Brees completed 22 of 29 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

Like the Chargers in the fourth quarter, the Saints scored quickly, taking a 16-3 lead in the second quarter with a pair of touchdowns within a 2:10 span.

On one of the few miscues for the Saints, Taylor Mehlhaff missed the extra point on the Saints first touchdown.