Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Brees hard-driving
Saints go on march to regain control, erase 2-TD deficit
NEW ORLEANS — When the Saints finally found their rhythm, they marched one step closer to the Super Bowl.
Using a dominant ballcontrol offense and a few gambles that paid off, the Saints got two touchdown passes from Drew Brees and two interceptions from Marcus Lattimore in a 2014 victory over the defending champion Eagles.
Brees took the Saints on scoring drives of 92, 79 and 67 yards after falling behind 14-0. Lattimore clinched it when Nick Foles’ pass from the Saints 27 deflected off usually sure-handed receiver Alshon Jeffery with about two minutes remaining. A couple of dozen Saints players surged off the sideline toward the end zone in celebration while Jeffery fell face-first to the turf.
“We were real calm and poised, and we knew we were going to get things done,” Brees said.
The Saints will host the NFC title game next week against the Rams. Wil Lutz added two field goals for the Saints, who last got this far in 2009, when they won the Super Bowl.
The Eagles will not repeat as NFL champion; no team has done so since the 2004 Patriots.
This was really two games in one. Philly scored on its first two drives as the Saints could do virtually nothing right.
“Listen, they got off to a fast start, they’re a great team,” Brees said. “Nick Foles has done a phenomenal job for them.”
After that opening period, it was all Saints, yet the resilient Eagles kept it close enough that when Lutz missed a 52-yard field goal with 2:58 remaining, they were only one score behind.
Foles, the hero of last year’s Super Bowl run, got the Eagles in position for yet another late winning score — just like last week against the Bears and last February against the Patriots for the championship.
Then, Jeffery couldn’t handle a second-down pass, and it was over.
“That’s a great championship team,” Saints coach Sean Payton said of the Eagles. “We remained confident.”
Brees had 2-yard touchdown passes to rookie Keith Kirkwood and AllPro wideout Michael Thomas, who had 12 receptions for a franchise playoff-record 171 yards.
Thomas’ touchdown capped an 18-play, 92-yard drive in which the Saints actually covered more than 100 yards because of penalties. It lasted 111⁄2 minutes.
“What you saw from him today is what I see every day in practice,” Brees said of Thomas. “He’s a big-time player who wants to be the guy to make plays.”
The Eagles had the ball for more than nine minutes in the first quarter, after which the Eagles had the ball about 13 minutes and never scored.
The Saints gambled on their first play — and lost. Brees was a bit short on a deep pass to Ted Ginn Jr., and it was picked off by Cre’Von LeBlanc, one of several Eagles backups being used in the secondary because injuries during the regular season.
“I just think we had to find our rhythm,” Brees said. “I tried to take a shot on the first play. Unfortunately, that didn’t work.”