Posted by Kevin Spain, The Times-Picayune October 12, 2008 2:39PM
Drew Brees threw for 320 yards against the Oakland Raiders Sunday.
This was the kind of game the New Orleans Saints figured to have often this season. The running of Deuce McAllister and Reggie Bush, the expert game management and passing of Drew Brees, games like Sunday’s 34-3 rout of the Oakland Raiders was supposed to be common place.
Instead the win against the Raiders was the first time the Saints have put together a complete game. And, while you can shrug it off to say “it was the Raiders” the Saints looked confident and under control on offense better than at any other point in the season.
“I thought we played hard,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I really want to credit Bobby (McCray), he had some big sacks. Jason David had a big intception that set us up for another score.
“Mark Campbell big play on the goalline. I was encouraged with the way Deuce played. Thought we were consistent running the ball. I felt real good about that.”
McCray had two sacks and a forced fumble. David had an interception that he returned 18 yards and McAllister ran for 65 yards on 13 carries.
Lance Moore had a big game with 97 yards receiving.
For his part, Brees was superb, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. He noticed early the Raiders game plan for pass coverage and exploited it, throwing mostly to running backs and tight ends and moving the chains.
The best drive of the day, in fact of the season so far, was arguably their best drive since the the one that ate up the fourth quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2006 regular season. They got the ball with 14:44 left in the quarter and when they were done, they had gone 86 yards on 18 plays that ran 10:59 off the clock.
“I felt like we were very efficient all game,” Brees said. “We spread it around a lot, even in the run game, we had four guys to carry it. Nine guys catching it, we were able to spread it around. We were effiecient, got into third and short and able to convert. Very happy with that today.”
They picked up where they left to start the second half, as Brees methodically picked apart the Oakland defense and finished it off with a 8-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Stecker to give New Orleans a 17-3 lead with 7:42 left in the third quarter. It was another good drive for the Saints, 11 plays, 55 yards 5:46 in time of possession.
“We stuck to the script and didn’t turn the ball over,” running back Reggie Bush said. “That was the key to the game.”
Defensively, the Saints were able to get some pressure on Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell and forced him into several bad throws, one interception and a fumble. Russell was 13-of-30 for 159 yards.
The Saints, now 3-3, are one game out in the NFC South division after the Carolina Panthers lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and travel to Charlotte to play the Panthers next week.
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