Starkville Daily News

Saints run over defense of Bills

- By JOHN WAWROW Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara are so in sync, the New Orleans Saints running back duo is now finishing sentences for one another.

"Listen, it's fun whenever we're scoring at will," Ingram said, before sounding like Oprah on a giveaway episode following a 4710 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

"Drew (Brees) got a touchdown. AK (Kamara) got a touchdown. Trey (Edmunds) got a touchdown. Man, that's what we work for, so everybody eats."

That's when Kamara interjecte­d by noting to Ingram, "You don't want to say you got three touchdowns," before the two broke into a fit of laughter.

Ingram had 131 yards rushing and scored three times, and the Saints won their seventh straight in producing one of the most prolific running performanc­es in franchise history. The six touchdowns rushing set a franchise record, and New Orleans' 298 yards rushing were the third highest in team history.

"We came out and wanted to impose our will," said Kamara, who scored once and added 106 yards rushing. "We were in the locker room and said, 'We've got to put pressure on them to break their neck.'"

Ingram set a career high by scoring twice from 3 yards and another from 1 yard. Kamara scored on a 5-yard run, while Brees scrambled in from 7 yards. Edmunds capped the run of rushing touchdowns with a 41-yard scamper.

The Saints never punted by scoring on eight of their nine possession­s, not including two meannothin­g drives to close both halves in a game they finished with 482 yards and 32 first downs.

The Saints (7-2) became the second team in the Super Bowl era to win seven straight after starting the season 0-2, joining the 1993 Cowboys, who went on to beat Buffalo in winning the Super Bowl.

The Bills (5-4) so completely unraveled on defense, linebacker Preston Brown didn't know what hit them.

"That felt like the longest game of my life," Brown told The Associated Press. "Every time they ran the ball: 8 yards. Every time they passed the ball: 15, 20 yards. Nothing worked today."

It marked the second straight game the Bills defense has caved after allowing 194 yards rushing in a 34-21 loss to the New York Jets on Nov. 2.

"It's two straight times where you get embarrasse­d," Brown said. "And it has to change or we'll be five and what, 5-11, if we don't make a change."

Buffalo fell to 4-1 at home and squandered an opportunit­y to win six of its first nine games for the first time since 1999.

 ?? (Photo by Adrian Kraus, AP) ?? New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) celebrates with teammate Max Unger, right, and Michael Hoomanawan­ui after scoring his third touchdown of Sunday's game.
(Photo by Adrian Kraus, AP) New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) celebrates with teammate Max Unger, right, and Michael Hoomanawan­ui after scoring his third touchdown of Sunday's game.
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