Brees Throws Three Second Half Picks In Tight 23-20
Soggy slugfest ended by Brees' uncharacteristic mistakes; defense stymies Garcia throughout day

posted November 30, 2008 - print me!
neworleansprofootball.com
courtesy neworleanssaints.com

QB Drew Brees

Tampa Bay’s Matt Bryant kicked a 37-yard field goal with two minutes remaining to give the Bucs a 23-20 lead and the Bucs preserved the victory with an interception by CB Phillip Buchanon under two minutes.

The Bucs had scored two touchdowns to begin the second half on a 10-yard touchdown run by Cadillac Williams and a 39-yard touchdown pass from Jeff Garcia to Antonio Bryant that accounted for 14 straight Bucs points.

New Orleans tied the game at 20-20 late in the fourth quarter on a Garrett Hartley 43-yard field goal, but the Bucs’ defense second of two second half interceptions thwarted the Saints’ victory bid. New Orleans fell to 6-6 while the Bucs improved to 9-3 and will remain in first place in the NFC South with Carolina.

“It was a hard fought game and a very tough one to lose,” said head Coach Sean Payton after the game. “I give Tampa Bay a lot of credit for making some plays at the end. I was proud of how we fought back from 20-10 to tie the game. We had opportunities late in the game and just couldn’t get back on top. It’s frustrating.”

“The results of this game hurt, make no mistake about it,” Payton said. “There are no other words to describe the feeling.”

“We had a perfect chance today to keep our winning streak going and didn’t take advantage of it,” said Brees. “It’s extremely disappointing. I feel terrible. We had opportunities.”

Payton cited the two turnovers the Saints committed in the fourth quarter as the deciding factor in the game. Brees, who completed 25-of-47 passes for 296 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions, battled valiantly through the adverse weather conditions and persistent pass rush to get the Saints back in the game.

Late in the first half and under intermittent heavy periods of rain Brees conducted a masterful two-minute drive offense late in the first half and connected with WR Lance Moore on a 13-yard touchdown pass with :33 left that had given the Saints a 10-6 lead. The touchdown reception by Moore marked the fifth game in a row that Moore has scored a touchdown, setting a team record for most consecutive games with a touchdown reception.

LB Jonathan Vilma had earlier forced a fumble from WR Michael Clayton that the Saints converted into a 47-yard field goal by rookie K Garrett Hartley that gave the Saints the initial 3-0 lead.

The Saints opening drive began at their own 19 and the Saints drove 58 yards in 11 plays but were stopped at the Bucs’ 33 on a fourth-and-one when WR Devery Henderson was stopped for a three yard loss on an end-around. On the drive QB Drew Brees completed seven-of-nine passes for 59 yards, and hit six different receivers on the drive.

Tampa took over and after two short runs tried a short pass over the middle to Michael Clayton. Vilma stripped him of the ball and returned the football six yards to the Bucs’ 34. The Saints again were faced with a third-and-one that they couldn’t convert and were faced with a fourth-and-five and K Garrett Hartley boomed a 47-yard field goal through the uprights to give the Saints a 3-0 lead with 5:37 left in the first quarter.

Tampa started their second possession at their own 22 and converted their first third down when QB Jeff Garcia scrambled for a seven yard gain. RB Warrick Dunn then picked up nine yards on a counter play to the Bucs’ 44. Garcia then found WR Antonio Bryant for a gain of 12 yards. The anticipated thunderstorms arrived shortly after Garcia’s first down incompletion at the Saints’ 44 and Garcia was forced to call a timeout after the Saints’ defense made a pre-snap adjustment.

DE Will Smith shut off Dunn’s intended running lane that resulted in a two-yard loss on second down. DE Bobby McCray jumped offsides but the Bucs declined the penalty and went for it on fourth-and-one and Cadillac Williams picked up seven yards and a first down. Dunn picked up a yard before Garcia scrambled for six yards to the Saints’ 21 on the final play of the first quarter. Garcia’s third down pass intended for Bryant was overthrown and K Matt Bryant trotted out to attempt a 38-yard field goal attempt and despite a high snap, was able to tuck the ball inside the uprights to tie the game at 3-3. The Bucs’ opening scoring drive covered 54 yards in 13 plays in 5:47.

Courtney Roby returned the ensuing kickoff 24 yards to the Saints’ 34 yard-line. Brees, wearing gloves for the first time, couldn’t connect with Shockey over the middle of the field and then suffered another incompletion on a second down pass attempt. Jamal Brown was flagged for a false start infraction and Brees and Moore couldn’t connect on a third-and-15 attempt. P Glenn Pakulak hammered a 48 yard punt that wasn’t returned and the Bucs began at their own 23 with 14:13 left in the second quarter.

Williams burst over the right side of the line for a four-yard gain before being brought down by Scott Fujita. Bryant then took an end around for a 13-yard gain to the 40 before Vilma shoved him out of bounds. McCray then flushed Garcia out of the pocked and forced an off-balance throw that feel incomplete. CB Jason David broke up a pass intended for Ike Hilliard in the flat, nearly intercepting the pass. S Roman Harper then knocked away a pass intended for Bryant on third down and forced the Bucs to punt.

A 33-yard punt by Josh Bidwell was downed without a return and the Saints took over at their own 27.

The Saints’ offense tried to get the running game going and managed three yards on a handoff to Thomas. Brees then found an open Colston over the middle for a gain of 10 yards and a first down. Tampa dropped Reggie Bush for a six yard loss on an inside run but Brees and Bush picked up nine yards on a second down pass that saw Bush slip a tackle and pick up additional yardage. New Orleans called their first timeout of the first half with 10:20 left on the clock to discuss their options on a third-and-five from the 45. Two flag were thrown after Brees hit Shockey for a first down completion. The Saints were flagged for a pass interference call on Shockey that resulted in a 10-yard penalty; Brees hit Bush who tried to reverse the field and pick up the first down but was stopped after a five-yard gain. Pakulak hit a wobbly 40-yard punt into the wind that was returned 14 yards to the Bucs’ 34.

The Saints’ defense stopped the Bucs on three down, courtesy of a Vilma pass defensed on third down on a pass intended for Bryant. Tampa punted and the ball rolled out of bounds at the Saints’ 11. Brees’s first pass to Shockey was incomplete and a Bucs defender broke up a second-down “shot” play to Devery Henderson at the last instant near midfield. Pakulak hit a 70 yard punt that was returned 42 yards by Clifton Smith to the Saints’ 39 before Harper corralled him.

A short gain by Dunn was followed by a six-yard sack by Scott Shanle, his first sack of the season and his first sack since the 2006 season. A third down pass from Garcia to TE Jerramy Stevens picked up nine yards and the Bucs went for it on fourth down and picked up 20 yards to the Saints’ 12. Dunn then picked up six yards behind left guard and Garcia again attempted to scramble but was stopped by Fujita for no gain. Both the Saints and the Bucs traded timeouts with the ball at the six yard-line and the Bucs facing a third-and-four. The Saints forced Garcia to move around in the pocket and his off-balance throw to Clayton was incomplete. Bryant hit a 23-yard field goal that made the score 6-3 in favor of the Bucs.

Courtney Roby returned the kickoff 15 yards to the Saints’ 28 and then Brees hit Shockey for a 14-yard gain to the 42 as the clock hit the two-minute warning. Two plays later Brees connected down the middle of the field for a 21-yard completion to Colston and then Bush picked up eight yards on a carry. On a third-and-two Brees rolled to his and fired back across his body to a wide-open Lance Moore for his 8th touchdown of the season and the Saints led 10-6 after Hartley’s extra point.

The Saints out-gained the Bucs 159 yards to 123 in the first half, with the Saints limiting Tampa to 33 yards of passing offense. Conversely New Orleans did almost all of its damage through the air, as all but four yards came through the aerial variety for the Black-and-Gold.

Tampa Bay’s Clifton Smith returned the opening kickoff 34 yards but the Bucs were awarded 15 more yards when Saints CB Leigh Torrence was flagged for a facemask infraction. Dunn picked up nine yards and then one yards for the first down to the Saints’ 36. Garcia then hit Clayton on a short out for a gain of four yards before Josh Bullocks and Jason David stopped him. Vilma and Fujita then stopped Williams for no gain but a fluky play on third down resulted in a first down as Garcia’s pass went through the hands of Clayton and bounced to Bryant. Garcia then scrambled for 11 yards and a first down 10 and on the next play Williams scampered around the end for a 10-yard touchdown run. Bryant added the extra point and Tampa Bay led 13-10 with 10:14 left in the third stanza.

Beginning their initial drive of the second half the Saints started with the ball at their own 25. Two consecutive incompletions and a third down sack by DE Gaines Adams and DE Greg White doomed the Saints drive and a Tampa took over at the Saints’ 43.

It took the Bucs two plays to strike pay dirt, as Garcia lofted a pass downfield and found an open Bryant alone near the Saints’ 10 yard-line and waltzed into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown that gave the Bucs a 20-10 lead with 8:36 left in the third quarter following the extra point.

New Orleans mounted an impressive drive, driving 60 yards seven plays to the Tampa 20 via a 16-yard completion to Colston, two 13-yard completions (one to Colston and one to Henderson), as well as an eight-yard completion to Shockey. But Brees’s pass intended for Shockey in the end zone was tipped by Ronde Barber and intercepted by LB Cato June.

McCray then sacked Garcia for a one-yard loss and Dunn came back and picked up nine yards on a cutback carry. Kendrick Clancy then batted down a Garcia third down pass and Bidwell came on to punt from the Bucs’ 28. Reggie Bush tried to make something happen for the Saints but couldn’t out-run the Bucs’ coverage team and lost 12 yards.

The Saints’ offense continued to apply pressure to the Bucs’ defense and utilized the craft running of Pierre Thomas. The second-year runner from Illinois picked up nine yards, then one and first down. Brees play-faked to Thomas and rolled to his right and hit Henderson for a gain of 20 yards. Thomas picked up two yards and then a first down with an eight yard run to the Bucs’ 42 for the first down. Thomas began the fourth quarter with a four-yard gain and Brees hit Billy Miller for a gain of 10 yards. G Jahri Evans was flagged for a false start that pushed the Saints back five yards and Brees’s pass intended for Lance Moore was incomplete. Brees called a timeout with 13:16 remaining in the game, the Saints’ first timeout of the second half.

Tampa was flagged for their first penalty of the day when Barber was called for an illegal contact call. After a first down incompletion Brees hit Colston for an eight yards gain over the middle of the field. On a third-and-two, Brees dropped back and hit Thomas out of the backfield for a short completion Thomas did the rest, making two moves and finding the end zone to pull the Saints to within three points, 20-17, following the extra point.

On a third-and-four Vilma sacked and stripped Garcia and Bobby McCray nearly recovered the ball in the muddy, but a diving play by offensive tackle Jeremy Trueblood saw the Bucs recover and punt the ball away to the Saints with 10 minutes remaining.

New Orleans, trailing by three points, started at their own 27. The Saints couldn’t muster a first down however, as Barrett Ruud blanketed Colston on a third-and-five pass attempt and forced an incompletion. Tampa took over possession of the ball at their own 30 with 8:16 left in the game and the three point lead.

Scott Shanle dropped Dunn for a one-yard loss on first down and Randall Gay defended Hilliard down the sideline to force an incompletion on second down. Jason David made a diving pass breakup on a pass intended for Bryant and Bidwell shanked an 18-yard punt to the Bucs’ 48 with 7:16 left.

Brees hit Shockey for a 21 yard gain to the Bucs’ 27, but the Saints couldn’t manage another first down but tied the game, nonetheless, at 20-20 after Hartley’s 43 yard field goal with 5:34 left in the game.

The Saints defense stopped the Bucs after they neared midfield and forced the Bucs to punt with just under four minutes to go in the game. New Orleans took over at their own seven yard-line.

Pierre Thomas ran for one yard before Brees hit Miller over the middle for a nine-yard gain and a first down. On first and 10 from the 17 Brees dropped back to pass and his pass intended for Colston was intercepted by S Jermaine Phillips at the and returned 10 yards to the Saints’ 16. The Saints halted the Bucs on three straight downs, including McCray’s second sack of the game, but the Bucs still were in favorable field position and send their field goal unit onto the field to try the 37-yard field goal. Bryant converted the field goal and Tampa regained the lead, 23-20, with 1:55 left in the game.

Brees’s first down pass to Colston was incomplete and on second down Brees tried to connect with Moore but CB Phillip Buchanon drove on the ball and intercepted the pass at the 32 yard-line, ending the Saints’ comeback bid.

New Orleans returns home next week to face the Atlanta Falcons at noon in another NFC South match-up. Atlanta is playing at San Diego today.

The Saints out-gained the Bucs in the total yardage department, 332-254, but the Bucs’ ability to force the Saints into the three interceptions proved to be the difference in the contest. The Saints and Bucs split the season series, with each team protecting their home field advantage.

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