By Jeff Duncan, The Times-Picayune
November 15, 2009, 3:23PM
A last-gasp pass into the end zone by St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger was incomplete and the New Orleans Saints hold on for 28-23 win on the road to stay unbeaten.
The Saints, already hurting on defense with safety Darren Sharper and cornerback Jabari Greer out with injuries in the secondary and Sedrick Ellis out on the defensive line, saw the other starting cornerback Tracy Porter go down with an injury in the game. The Rams used that to drive to a touchdown to make it 28-23 late in the game and again to get into position to pull it out in the end.
This is one of those wins the good teams are able to pull off, when they don’t play their best and when they’ve got some guys out with injuries. All the matters in the NFL is wins, how you look getting it doesn’t matter.
The Saints are 9-0 on the season and extend their lead in the NFC South to four games with Carolina’s 28-19 win against Atlanta and they will go for 10 straight wins when they travel to Tampa Bay next Sunday at noon.
Here are the in-game updates:
FOURTH QUARTER
2;50: Marc Bulget hit Donnie Avery for a 19 yard touchdown pass and the Rams closed the gap to 28-23. It appears the guys on the field for the Saints defense are getting tired.
12:15: A perfect pass from Brees to Meachem for a 27-yard TD pass. It’s 28-1 New Orleans. The Saints went 77 yards in seven plays for the score. The coverage by the Rams defensive backs was excellent but Brees just placed the ball perfectly over their head to Meachem for the score.
THIRD QUARTER
0:00: The Saints defense forces a three-and-out by the Rams and gets the ball back to the offense. New Orleans will have a first-and-10 at the own 41 when the fourth quarter starts.
3:33: Marques Colston just committed the third Saints turnover of the game. This was one was a critical one as he was going into the end zone for a touchdown when a Rams player knocked the ball loose with his helmet. The loose ball bounced out of the end zone for a touchback. The Rams take over first-and-10 at the 20. Tough break for the Saints.
7:08: Josh Brown’s 32-yard field goal trims the Saints’ lead to 21-17. The Saints are down to one regular starter in the secondary because of injuries. Consequently, the Rams are converting a lot of third downs. They are 5 of 8 for the game despite not having much outside of Steven Jackson.
14:49: Courtney Roby returns the second-half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to put New Orleans back on top. It’s the first kickoff return for a TD by a Saint since Michael Lewis returned one 96 yards for a score against Atlanta in 2004.
HALFTIME
The New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams are tied at 14-all at halftime in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
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