STRONG BREES
Saints QB star of OT win in Atlanta
ATLANTA — On the day he became the NFL’s career leader in completed passes, Drew Brees’ biggest plays were as a runner.
A 1-yard keeper by the New Orleans quarterback capped an 80-yard touchdown drive to open overtime, lifting the Saints to a 43-37 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
That came after his 7-yard score late in the fourth quarter set up overtime for the NFC South rivals. After the Saints won the coin toss, Brees engineered a drive that allowed them to hold the ball for more than seven minutes.
He jumped over the pile after his apparent 3-yard touchdown pass to running back Alvin Kamara was overturned. A review determined Kamara’s knee was down before he crossed the goal line, but Brees made sure the Saints (2-1) got the win.
“This was a wild one,” said Brees, who passed for 396 yards and three touchdowns.
Kamara, who played for the University of Tennessee, had 15 catches for 124 yards and ran for 66 yards.
Brees’ biggest play before the winner might have been his improbable touchdown run with 1:15 remaining that forced overtime. He ran to his left, then spun to avoid tackle attempts by Brian Poole and Robert Alford.
“At some point, I felt they were coming to take my head off and I could probably spin out of it,” Brees said, adding he now has video evidence to show the youth flag football team he coaches that “spin moves work. Spin moves are good.”
With his 14th completion of the game, the 39-year-old Brees broke the record of 6,300 career completions set by Hall of Famer Brett Favre. Brees set the mark with a 17-yard pass to Michael Thomas in the second quarter.
“I’m just very grateful,” Brees said. “I hope there’s a lot more coming. I just think about all the people who have had a hand in that. A lot of hands have caught a lot of passes. … They are all a part of this.”
Atlanta’s Matt Ryan threw five touchdown passes for the first time in his NFL career, and former University of Alabama standout Calvin Ridley became the first Falcons rookie with three touchdown catches in a game. That wasn’t enough for the Falcons (1-2) against Brees and the high-scoring Saints, who gained 534 yards.
Ryan bemoaned a lost opportunity when the Falcons were forced to punt when stopped at their 44 with 25 seconds remaining in regulation time.
“We had chances to finish the game today, and we didn’t do that,” Ryan said. “That’s disappointing.”
Saints coach Sean Payton called the defensive stop “a huge part of the win.”
Ryan passed for 374 yards, including 146 to Ridley, who had seven receptions, including for touchdowns covering 18, 75 and 9 yards. Julio Jones had five catches for 96 yards. The Falcons were held to 48 rushing yards on 22 carries, with Tevin Coleman gaining 33 yards on 15 carries, including one for 15 yards.
Ryan’s five touchdown passes tied the team record set by Wade Wilson in a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Dec. 13, 1992. Ryan’s fifth, to Mohamed Sanu midway through the fourth quarter, came after Saints defensive tackle David Onyemata was called for unnecessary roughness on Matt Bryant’s 29-yard field goal, bringing the Falcons’ offense back on the field.
Ridley beat P.J. Williams on his first two scoring catches before the Saints made a defensive switch, moving Ken Crawley into coverage on the Falcons receiver. Crawley was called for pass interference on a deep incompletion to Ridley early in the third quarter that gave Atlanta a first down at the New Orleans 5. On second down from the 9, Ridley’s third touchdown catch gave the Falcons a 21-16 lead.
Brees completed his first four passes, including a 19-yard scoring pass to Ted Ginn Jr. on the Saints’ opening drive.
Thomas had 10 catches for 129 yards. His 38 catches are the most by an NFL player in his team’s first three games to start a season. His 28 through two games were a record as well.
Atlanta’s injury-depleted defense took some more hits against the Saints. Falcons safety Ricardo Allen left early in overtime with a left calf injury — he was helped to the sideline, then driven on a cart to the locker room — reserve cornerback Justin Bethel injured a knee in the third quarter and rookie linebacker Foyesade Oluokun left in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury.