Brees bests Favre, carries Saints to overtime win over Falcons
Drew Brees’ 1-yard run capped an 80-yard touchdown drive to open overtime that lifted the New Orleans Saints to a 43-37 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta.
Brees’ score came after his apparent 3-yard TD pass to Alvin Kamara was overturned on a review that determined Kamara’s knee was down before the goal line. Brees scored on a keeper on the following play, giving the Saints (2-1) the win on the day the 39-year-old quarterback set the NFL record for career completions.
Brees passed for 396 yards and three touchdowns and ran for two scores. With his 14th completed pass, Brees broke the record of 6,300 career completions set by Hall of Famer Brett Favre. Kamara had 15 catches for 124 yards and ran for 66 yards.
Brees’ biggest play before the winner might have been his improbable 7-yard scoring run with 1:15 remaining that forced overtime. He ran to his left and then spun to avoid tackle attempts by Brian Poole and Robert Alford.
Atlanta’s Matt Ryan had his first career game with five scoring passes, including three to rookie Calvin Ridley. That wasn’t enough for the Falcons (1-2) against Brees and the high-scoring Saints, who gained 534 yards. New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees dives over the pile for a game-winning touchdown in overtime of Sunday’s game in Atlanta.
Ryan passed for 374 yards, including 146 to Ridley, who became the first Falcons rookie with three scoring catches.
BILLS 27, VIKINGS 6: Josh Allen played with the poise of a well-seasoned quarterback for Buffalo, accounting for three touchdowns in his first road start in the NFL, in an upset of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The Vikings’ Kirk Cousins had three turnovers, including a lost
fumble on a third-down sack inside Minnesota’s 20-yard line, on each of the first two possessions. Buffalo (1-2) turned those recoveries into 10 points and was on cruise control by midway through the second quarter. The Vikings (1-1-1) were 16½-point favorites when the game began, allowing the Bills to become only the sixth such underdog to win in the NFL’s last 81 point spreads that large. EAGLES 20, COLTS 16: Carson
Wentz threw a touchdown pass on his first drive in nine months, then Wendell Smallwood ran in from the 4 for the go-ahead score in Philadelphia. Adam Vinatieri tied Morten Andersen’s career record of 565 field goals by connecting on all three tries, but the Colts (1-2) couldn’t take advantage of two turnovers by Wentz inside the 20 in the second half. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (2-1) needed two defensive stops against Andrew Luck in the final 90 seconds to secure the win. REDSKINS 31, PACKERS 17: Adrian Peterson ran for 120 yards and a pair of 2-yard scores, Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes — all in the first half — and Washington (2-1) held on over a gimpy Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay (1-1-1) in Landover, Maryland, who again had complaints about a roughing-the-passer penalty on Clay Matthews. On a rainy afternoon, the Redskins moved out to leads of 14-0 and, at halftime, 28-10, by putting together TD drives of 74, 75, 79 and 98 yards. In the third, Packers linebacker Matthews was flagged for roughing Smith. Matthews immediately put his arms up and slapped himself in the helmet as the flag was thrown. Packers coach Mike McCarthy threw down a playcalling sheet and argued with two officials about the call, even chasing one along the sideline as he backpedaled away. LIONS 26, PATRIOTS 10: Matt Patricia beat mentor Bill Belichick, seemingly making all the right moves to help Detroit beat New England in Detroit. The Lions (1-2) were in control from the start, creating holes for rookie running back Kerryon Johnson and giving Matthew Stafford time to pass. Johnson had 101 yards rushing on 16 carries, becoming the first player to reach the mark for the Lions since Reggie Bush ran for 117 yards against Green Bay on Nov. 28, 2013.