Here's the latest confounding result for the maddeningly inconsistent New Orleans Saints: Their most impressive rushing performance of the season came without either of their star running backs.

With the discovery of Reggie Bush's torn knee ligament last week and with Deuce McAllister having gone out for the season back in Week 3, the Saints lined up in Atlanta on Monday night with a running back tandem of veteran third-stringer Aaron Stecker and undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas.

Combined with Devery Henderson's 15-yard gain on an end-around, New Orleans rushed for 145 total yards, better than in any of their previous 12 games.

"We have guys that stepped up and played real well last night," Payton said Tuesday after he reviewed game film. "You're going to lose some players. ... You know you're going to have to rely on some other players during their time off. That's just the reality of our game. Hopefully you can still have consistency within your attack, either on defense or offense and in your kicking game."

The Saints aren't saying whether they think they'll get Bush back at all this season. Payton said he expected to have some sort of update on Wednesday afternoon.

Bush has a torn left posterior cruciate ligament, which does not require surgery but likely would require at least a month to heal enough for him to play again.

The Saints have only three games left in the regular season, but at 6-7 still remain only a game behind Minnesota for the final wild-card playoff spot in the NFC.

Should the Saints place Bush on injured reserve it would mean they believe his injury is serious enough that he could not help even if New Orleans made the playoffs.

{sidebar id=9}Here's the latest confounding result for the maddeningly inconsistent New Orleans Saints: Their most impressive rushing performance of the season came without either of their star running backs.

With the discovery of Reggie Bush's torn knee ligament last week and with Deuce McAllister having gone out for the season back in Week 3, the Saints lined up in Atlanta on Monday night with a running back tandem of veteran third-stringer Aaron Stecker and undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas.

Combined with Devery Henderson's 15-yard gain on an end-around, New Orleans rushed for 145 total yards, better than in any of their previous 12 games.

"We have guys that stepped up and played real well last night," Payton said Tuesday after he reviewed game film. "You're going to lose some players. ... You know you're going to have to rely on some other players during their time off. That's just the reality of our game. Hopefully you can still have consistency within your attack, either on defense or offense and in your kicking game."

The Saints aren't saying whether they think they'll get Bush back at all this season. Payton said he expected to have some sort of update on Wednesday afternoon.

Bush has a torn left posterior cruciate ligament, which does not require surgery but likely would require at least a month to heal enough for him to play again.

The Saints have only three games left in the regular season, but at 6-7 still remain only a game behind Minnesota for the final wild-card playoff spot in the NFC.

Should the Saints place Bush on injured reserve it would mean they believe his injury is serious enough that he could not help even if New Orleans made the playoffs.

 

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No Reggie? No Deuce? No sweat for Drew Brees, whose decisions and accuracy are turning role players into menacing threats at a crucial juncture in the season for the New Orleans Saints.

{sidebar id=9}No Reggie? No Deuce? No sweat for Drew Brees, whose decisions and accuracy are turning role players into menacing threats at a crucial juncture in the season for the New Orleans Saints.

Brees connected on 86.7 percent of his throws for 315 yards and two touchdowns, keeping the Saints' playoff hopes alive in a 31-24 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.

"We're really getting the best out of ourselves right now," said Brees, who completed 26 of 30 passes to three receivers, a tight end and three running backs. "This is the time to come together."

 

With a loss severely hurting playoff hopes for either team, the game was a high-anxiety affair. Played indoors, it was no less sloppy than some of the weather-affected contests far to the north.

Fumbles by each team set up opponents' scores. Roman Harper's interception of Kurt Warner's tipped pass set up another Saints touchdown.

The victory guaranteed New Orleans (7-7) would remain no worse than one game out of the wild-card race behind Minnesota (7-6), which plays Monday night against Chicago. Arizona (6-8), meanwhile, has little hope of a postseason berth after its second loss in a row.

"It was just too many mistakes for us today," Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "I really believe that we are on the right track. We're getting players in the right situations (but) we're not making those plays. ... Maybe we could use a little more confidence."

New Orleans is increasingly confident after winning two straight without Deuce McAllister, who went out for the season in Week 3, or Reggie Bush, who missed his second game of the season with a partially torn left knee ligament.

 

 

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