QBREES9

NFC South champion New Orleans Saints rally to defeat Washington Redskins in overtime
By Mike Triplett, The Times-Picayune
December 06, 2009, 10:39PM

LANDOVER, MD. - The word "destiny" was floating around quite a bit in the New Orleans Saints' locker room after their improbable 33-30 victory in overtime against the Washington Redskins on Sunday, and a few players admitted that sometimes "it's better to be lucky than good."


Coach Sean Payton wasn't about to credit any mystical forces after New Orleans rallied from 10 points down in the final seven minutes for its most dramatic victory of the season. In the process, the Saints clinched the NFC South title and pushed their record to 12-0.
"I don't think it works like that, " Payton said when asked if New Orleans could credit luck or divine intervention for its latest escape. "I don't believe in that; I believe you've got to make your own way each week.
"Look, when you do this long enough, you find yourself on the end of wins maybe sometimes that you feel fortunate to have, and you find yourself in losses that you feel like maybe shouldn't have happened. That's just how this game is, and you've just got to keep playing.
"This team didn't quit, and I'm proud of 'em. . . . It was an exciting win. It was unbelievable."
The Saints know better than most NFL franchises about living with the agony of such defeats. Last season, in particular, they made a monthly ritual of finding new and creative ways to cough up games in the final minutes -- one of them at the very same FedEx Field.
But whether it's divine intervention, a newfound confidence, a higher level of performance or some magical combination of all three, these aren't the same old Saints.
"To beat us, you have to play a full game, " New Orleans right tackle Jon Stinchcomb.
The Saints rallied from a 30-20 deficit in the final seven minutes of regulation, thanks to a 28-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley, a stunning 23-yard field-goal miss by Washington's Shaun Suisham and a vintage 53-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees to Robert Meachem.
An interception by Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma nearly led to a winning field goal in regulation, but Hartley missed a 58-yard attempt as time expired.

No matter. New Orleans cornerback Chris McAlister followed up with a forced fumble in overtime that led to Hartley's winning 18-yard field goal.
"I definitely believe in destiny, and I believe in karma, and what goes around comes around, " said Brees, who threw for 419 yards, two touchdowns and one interception against a feisty Redskins' defense. "Plenty of times we've been on the other side of this, where it's us missing the field goal, or it's us turning the ball over, or it's us not making the stop, or the ball just not bouncing our way.
"We've been on the other end of this plenty of times, and it's heartbreaking when that happens to you. But then again, it seems like maybe we paid our dues in past years and learned about that heartbreak and learned how to overcome that to the point where we never want to feel like that again.
"We love this feeling."
The Saints were determined to discover this new feeling after a disappointing 8-8 season in 2008. They made the word "Finish" their team mantra and focused on becoming a better team in all aspects in the fourth quarter.
But it wasn't until they were truly tested for the first time six weeks ago at Miami that they learned just how resilient they could be.
"From that point on, we've never had any doubt in our ability to come back from anything, " linebacker Scott Shanle said of New Orleans' rally from a 24-3 deficit against the Dolphins.
That confidence was tested Sunday, when the Redskins jumped to leads of 10-0 in the first quarter, 27-17 in the third quarter and 30-20 in the fourth. And it was nearly shattered when Washington marched inside the Saints' 5-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, needing just a chip-shot field goal to put the game out of reach.
But once Suisham pushed his kick wide right, in part because of a high snap, New Orleans was convinced it had just won the game. Suisham had never missed a kick from inside 30 yards in his career.
"You could see it in people's eyes, " Saints tailback Mike Bell said. "They were ready to go. We knew we were going to win once he missed that field goal."
Said Brees: "You know, you could see it on our sideline. When we were down 30-20, then went down and scored points, there was no doubt defensively we were getting the ball back. Then offensively when we get the ball back, there was no doubt we're going to score and take this thing to overtime. Then no doubt we're going to win in overtime."
The Saints needed five plays to score the tying touchdown.
Brees completed short passes to Pierre Thomas, Devery Henderson and Meachem and threw one incomplete pass intended for Marques Colston before Meachem used a double move to get open behind safety LaRon Landry for an easy 53-yard score with 1:19 remaining.
The Saints got the ball back four plays later on Vilma's interception, but Hartley's 58-yard field-goal attempt was a low line drive that never threatened the goal posts.
Washington (3-9) won the coin toss heading into overtime -- perhaps the most unlikely moment of the day, considering the way things were falling for the Saints. But on the Redskins' third play, McAlister stripped the ball away from fullback Mike Sellers after a 3-yard completion, and McAlister recovered the ball at Washington's 37.
Even that took a Payton intervention, though.
Sellers originally was ruled down by contact, and since coaches aren't allowed to challenge plays in overtime, Payton called a timeout to give the officials in the replay booth more time to look at the replay.
"I don't think that would have happened if we hadn't used the timeout, " said Payton, who poked fun at his own penchant for throwing the red challenge flag. "You know I'm not hesitant to throw a flag. I just didn't have one to throw at that point in the game. . . . Fortunately we got them to look at it upstairs."
Brees immediately followed with a 12-yard pass to Henderson that put the Saints within decent field-goal range. But New Orleans kept marching to the 1-yard line before Bell's diving touchdown attempt landed about an inch short of the goal line.
That play also was reviewed in the booth, but this one didn't go in the Saints' favor, so they trotted out Hartley for the easy field-goal attempt rather than risk a fumble.
"Having the opportunity to make that field goal in that situation is every kicker's dream, " said Hartley, who was playing in his first game this season after veteran John Carney's recent struggles.
Hartley had a busy day, making two early field goals from short distances after the Saints' offense repeatedly stalled in Redskins' territory. His only miss was the 58-yarder.
New Orleans struggling in all facets of the game early. The Saints were stuffed repeatedly on third-and-short and fourth-and-short, whether it was Bell, Thomas or Reggie Bush running the ball.
And the Redskins' usually sluggish offense decimated New Orleans' defense, mixing deep passes with power runs. Washington quarterback Jason Campbell threw for 367 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions until the final minute of regulation.
Saints cornerback Malcolm Jenkins, in particular, was repeatedly burned by deep balls, most of them caught by receiver Devin Thomas, who gained 100 yards and scored two touchdowns on seven receptions.
New Orleans always stayed within 10 points, though, burning the Redskins with a 40-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Colston to tie the score at 10, then getting their first big break just before halftime on a wacky play that resulted in a 44-yard touchdown by Meachem.
Brees threw an interception to safety Kareem Moore on the play, but after Moore returned the ball 14 yards, Meachem caught him from behind and snatched the ball out of his hands, then returned it 44 yards for the score to tie it at 17.
"That's a huge play, " Payton said. "It's a game-changer."
The Saints needed to sweat out an instant replay review on that play, too, because it looked like Moore might have failed to intercept the pass or might have been touched down by tight end Jeremy Shockey. But the ruling on the field was upheld.
When asked if he ever remembers watching a replay and hoping the officials would rule his pass an interception, Brees laughed.
"No, I'd say almost never, " Brees said. "That might be the only time ever."
The Saints could smile and laugh about the unlikely circumstances that led to their improbable win once it finally ended, and they proudly donned their championship caps.
Sure, they might have preferred a dominant effort like last Monday night's convincing 38-17 victory over the New England Patriots at the Superdome. But in many ways, this one was even more gratifying.
"To get to a Super Bowl, you're going to have games like these, " New Orleans safety Darren Sharper said. "It's not going to be easy, but all these games we go through like this are going to make us tested for the playoffs."

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