Saints Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

At this point, no one knows if the Saints are going to win their final four games and complete the regular season with a 16-0 record.

But everyone should know this by now, especially after Sunday’s electrifying overtime victory against the Redskins in FedEx Field: You can never count the Saints out.

The Saints (12-0) came back from a second-half double-digit deficit for the third time this season—with two of them coming on the road—to force an overtime period before Garrett Hartley’s(notes) 18-yard field goal produced a 33-30 win.

With the victory, the Saints clinched the NFC South title while becoming one of only eight teams in NFL history to start 12-0. It was anything but easy, however, as the Redskins held a 30-20 lead with just under seven minutes remaining before wilting.

Like earlier games with the Dolphins, when they trailed 24-10 at halftime, and the Panthers, who led 17-6 at the break, the Saints found a way to win after Shaun Suisham(notes) botched a 23-yard field-goal try that would have given the ‘Skins a 33-23 lead with 1:52 remaining.

“I knew he was going to miss it. I knew he was going to miss it because the Saints were going to win this game,” running back Mike Bell(notes) said after the comeback victory. “The Saints were going to find a way to win this game.”

Suisham’s miss was one thing; the Saints still had to score a touchdown to tie it, which they did on Drew Brees’(notes) perfect 53-yard strike to wide receiver Robert Meachem(notes). Then, Hartley won it in overtime after the defense forced a turnover in Washington territory.

“We preach all year: ‘Keep fighting to win … keep fighting to win,’” Saints weak-side linebacker Scott Shanle(notes) said. “Obviously, we needed some luck for (Suisham) to miss a field goal, but we held them to a field-goal (try).”

NOTES, QUOTES

—Kicker Garrett Hartley, who was inactive for the previous seven games after serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, handled field goals and extra-point duties Sunday against the Redskins.

Hartley booted four field goals, including the game-winning 18-yarder in overtime, to secure a 33-30 victory and put an end to the Redskins’ upset bid.

Hartley, a second-year pro who was 13-for-13 in 2008 after being signed at midseason, also connected from 34, 27 and 28 yards, with his only miss coming from 58 yards out on the final play of regulation.

Veteran John Carney(notes) was inactive for the first time this season after misfiring on a 37-yard field-goal attempt against the Patriots the previous week. Carney, who is 13-for-17 this season, also clipped the left upright on a 30-yard attempt, but that one fell through.

• With their gutsy comeback win against the Redskins in overtime, the Saints clinched only the fourth division title in the 43-year history of the franchise.

The only other times the Saints won the division were in 1991, 2000 and 2006; the last was Sean Payton’s first season with the team. Payton became the first coach in club history to claim more than one division title. Jim Mora (1991) and Jim Haslett (2000) won the others.

• The Saints also tied the franchise record for victories in a season, matching the mark held by the Mora-led 1987 club that won its final nine regular-season games to wind up 12-3.

However, they did not win the NFC West title that season, as they finished second in the division behind the 49ers.

• Quarterback Drew Brees, the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week, put in a bid to win the award again with a monster game against the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense.

The Redskins had been averaging just more than 170 passing yards per game until Brees torched them for 419 yards while connecting on 35 of 49 pass attempts. It was Brees’ fifth 400-yard passing game since he joined the Saints in 2006.

• Even though Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell(notes) had been sacked 30 times this season, the Saints did not get to him on Sunday.

It was the first time the Saints haven’t recorded a sack since the season opener against the Lions.

• The Saints are now 8-9 all-time in overtime after beating the Redskins.

The victory came almost one year after the Saints’ last overtime game, a 27-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on Dec. 11, 2008, in Soldier Field.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Player Notes  

• SLB Scott Fujita(notes) did not play against the Redskins on Sunday after he underwent emergency surgery Friday night for a staph infection in the bursa sac in his left knee.

• SLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar(notes) started in place of Scott Fujita, but after being limited in practice last week with a wrist injury, he played only one series before leaving the game.

• RCB Tracy Porter(notes) missed his third consecutive game because of a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee. He could return in another week or two.

• RCB Randall Gay(notes) was inactive against the Redskins after re-injuring his right hamstring the previous week against New England.

• LCB Jabari Greer(notes) missed his fourth game in a row because of a left groin injury, but he could return Sunday against the Falcons.

• WR Lance Moore(notes) has been out for the last five games with hamstring and ankle injuries, and it’s unknown when he might return.

• LB Marvin Mitchell(notes) did not play against the Redskins because of a hamstring problem.

• RB Reggie Bush(notes) returned Sunday after missing two consecutive games with a bruised right knee.

Report Card Vs  . REDSKINS

Passing Offense:   A—Working against the NFL’s top-ranked pass defense, the Saints did a good job, as Drew Brees hit on 35 of 49 passes for 419 yards with two TDs and one interception. Brees unloaded TD passes of 53 and 40 yards to Robert Meachem and Marques Colston(notes), respectively, and also threw a 29-yarder to Meachem, who had career highs in catches (eight) and receiving yards (142). RB Pierre Thomas(notes) caught eight passes for 64 yards, and Devery Henderson(notes) had six receptions for 61 yards. Brees was sacked once, and he had a passer rating of 102.8.

Rushing Offense:   D—Even though the Redskins were supposed to be vulnerable against the run, allowing 127.9 yards per game going into the contest, they did a number on the league’s fifth-ranked rushing attack. The Saints finished with a season-low 55 yards with a 2.3 average on 24 carries and failed to reach the 100-yard mark for only the second time this season. Mike Bell was the team leader with 34 yards on 16 attempts, while Pierre Thomas netted 18 yards on just six carries. They did not score a rushing touchdown for the first time since the season opener.

Pass Defense:   D—Playing without their top three cornerbacks because of injuries, the Saints struggled as Jason Campbell had a career day. He was 30 of 42 for a career-high 367 yards with three scores, which was also the most of his five-year career. He was not sacked, but he threw one interception to Jonathan Vilma(notes) in posting a passer rating of 111.9. Devin Thomas(notes) caught seven balls for a career-best 100 yards and two TDs, while Fred Davis(notes) had five catches for 53 yards and the other TD. The Redskins had long passes of 44, 40 and 38 yards, and they also drew a 32-yard pass-interference penalty.

Rush Defense:   B—Overall, the Saints were just slightly better than average, as the Redskins finished with 88 yards on 25 carries and managed to pick up 3.5 yards per carry. Quinton Ganther(notes) had a team-high 46 yards on eight attempts with a long of 13 yards, while Rock Cartwright(notes) picked up 39 yards on 13 carries with a long of 16. The Saints came up big on two straight drives by the Redskins in the fourth quarter, holding Washington to two field-goal attempts after stopping them on third-and-1 at the Saints 3 and third-and-goal at the New Orleans 5—both on running plays.

Special Teams:   B—The return game was a wash for the Saints, but they did recover a fumble on a punt that inadvertently hit a Redskins player in the back. Garrett Hartley drilled four of five field-goal tries—including the 18-yard game-winner in overtime—with his only miss coming from 58 yards out. Thomas Morstead(notes) didn’t have a great day with a 33.3 average on three punts, but a 27-yarder did result in the turnover by the Redskins.

Coaching:   A—Sean Payton kept his team in the game when it faced a 10-point deficit with less than seven minutes left, dialing up Brees’ 53-yard scoring pass to Meachem to send the game to overtime. In overtime, Payton wisely called for a timeout to give the replay official in the booth time to ask for a review that resulted in the Redskins losing a fumble that set up the game-winning field goal by Hartley.