SAN DIEGO — When the New Orleans Saints came to Qualcomm Stadium to stretch their legs after a long flight Saturday, Drew Brees walked to the spot in the west end zone where he suffered a career-changing injury on the last day of 2005, and said a prayer.
“It was a great time of reflecting, of just how far I’ve come and our team has come,” Brees said.
Some 24 hours later, Qualcomm was the spot of a great celebration for Brees and the Saints. They rallied with two touchdowns in the final 4 minutes, 50 seconds for a stunning 35-34 victory against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, who blew a 13-point lead by committing two crucial turnovers.
“This was as much a team game, a team win, as I could ever remember,” said Brees, who left the Chargers as a free agent in early 2006 and led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title four years later.
With the Chargers trying to protect a 34-21 lead, Melvin Gordon fumbled and Darryl Tapp recovered at the San Diego 13, setting up Brees’ 5-yard TD pass to Michael Thomas on fourth-and-2 to pull to 34-28 with 4:50 to go.
Travis Benjamin then fumbled after a reception and Nate Stupar recovered at the San Diego 31. Seven plays later, fullback John Kuhn scored his third TD of the game, on a 1-yard run. The PAT made it 35-34.
Rivers, who was Brees’ understudy for his first two NFL seasons, was intercepted by BW. Webb with 1:10 to go.
After the final gun, Brees ran over to the stands and traded high-fives with jubilant Saints fans. After showering and doing postgame interviews, he came back out on the field with several family members and friends.
It was the first time Brees played at Qualcomm Stadium since Dec. 31, 2005, when he injured his throwing shoulder in his final appearance as Chargers quarterback. He had surgery and was allowed to leave as a free agent, signing with New Orleans.
That gave the starting job to Rivers.
“That last game in San Diego, I thought my career might have been over,” Brees said. “As I walked off the field, I thought it might be the last game I would ever play.”
RAIDERS 28, RAVENS 27 Derek Carr threw four touchdown passes, the last to Michael Crabtree with 2:12 left to lead the visiting Raiders. After the Ravens rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to go ahead with 3 ½ minutes remaining, Carr directed a 66-yard drive that ended with a 23-yard strike to Crabtree in the back of the end zone. Carr went 25 for 35 for 199 yards. Three of his touchdown passes went to Crabtree, who finished with seven catches for 88 yards to help Oakland (3-1) to its third road victory. The Ravens (3-1) trailed 14-3 in the second quarter and 21-12 with 11:11 to go before coming back. BRONCOS 27, BUCS 7 Paxton Lynch made his NFL debut sooner than expected, stepping in for injured starter Trevor Siemian to help the Broncos remain unbeaten with a victory over the host Buccaneers. Siemian left the game with two minutes remaining in the first half with what the defending Super Bowl champions described as an injury to his left (non-throwing) shoulder. He remained in uniform and watched the second half from the sideline, wearing a baseball cap while Lynch — the 26th pick in this year’s draft— finished the Broncos’ ninth consecutive victory. The game was delayed with 7:22 to play because of severe weather. It’s the second consecutive week a game has been delayed in Tampa., Fla., in the fourth quarter.
JAGUARS 30, COLTS 27 Blake Bortles threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as Jacksonville held off a furious Indianapolis Colts rally for the Jaguars’ first victory of the season. The victory at a raucous Wembley Stadium in London elevated Jacksonville into a tie with Indianapolis at 1-3 in the AFC South. Andrew Luck led the Colts on three fourth-quarter touchdown drives to rattle the Jaguars’ nerves. But his fourth-and-1 pass at the Jacksonville 49 with 1:36 remaining fell from the hands of tight end Dwayne Allen to preserve the victory for under-fire Jaguars Coach Gus Bradley.
SEAHAWKS 27, JETS 17 Russell Wilson was sharp and efficient despite playing with a sprained knee, throwing three touchdown passes for the visiting Seahawks. Wilson injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee last week against San Francisco and wasn’t his usual mobile self in this one, but his arm was plenty good. He finished 23 of 32 for 309 yards while wearing a brace on his leg as the Seahawks (3-1) won at MetLife Stadium for the first time since beating the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl in 2014. Jimmy Graham, questionable with back spasms earlier in the week, had six catches for 113 yards, including an impressive 17-yard one-handed grab in the opening quarter, while giving the Jets (1-3) fits all game.
REDSKINS 31, BROWNS 20 Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, including two to tight end Jordan Reed, and the host Washington Redskins cashed in on several trips to the red zone. The Redskins (2-2) scored four red zone touchdowns against the Browns (0-4) after going 3 for 14 in their first three games. Cousins connected with Reed for 8- and 9-yard touchdowns, Chris Thompson for a 5-yard score, and running back Matt Jones scored from 1 yard as part of his 117-yard performance.
TEXANS 27, TITANS 20 Will Fuller had a tiebreaking 67-yard punt return for a touchdown. It was the first time host Houston (3-1) played without its star defensive end J.J. Watt since the 2010 season. Watt, out for the season after back surgery, had started 83 consecutive games since being drafted in 2011. Fuller also had 81 yards receiving and a touchdown.
BEARS 17, LIONS 14 Brian Hoyer threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, and the host Bears (1-3) got a victory after starting 0-3 for the second time in as many seasons under Coach John Fox. They also stopped a six-game home losing streak as well as a six-game slide against Detroit (1-3), though things got tight near the end. Chicago was leading 17-6 when Andre Roberts returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown. Golden Tate then caught a two-point conversion pass from Matthew Stafford to cut it to 17-14 with 1:52 left, but the Bears recovered the onside kick. Hoyer was on target in his second consecutive start with Jay Cutler nursing a sprained right thumb. He was 28 of 36 passes against a defense missing the injured Ezekiel Ansah and DeAndre Levy.
RAMS 17, CARDINALS 13 Tavon Austin returned a punt 47 yards to set up Case Keenum’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Brian Quick with 2:41 to play, and the visiting Rams improved to 3-1 for the first time in a decade with a victory over the Cardinals (1-3). Arizona’s Carson Palmer threw for 288 yards and a touchdown but left the game to be evaluated for a concussion after his head slammed to the turf on a sack by Aaron Donald with 5:40 to play. The play forced a Cardinals punt and Austin raced past would-be tacklers to the Arizona 34. A facemask penalty against Ifeanyi Momah moved the ball to the 19 and the Rams went ahead when Quick caught a pass under tight defense for the score.
STEELERS 43, CHIEFS 14 Ben Roethlisberger threw five touchdowns passes for the fifth time in his career and host Pittsburgh throttled Kansas City. A week after suffering the franchise’s worst loss in 27 years, the Steelers (3-1) responded by overwhelming the erratic Chiefs (2-2). Roethlisberger found Antonio Brown twice, and Markus Wheaton, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jesse James once for touchdowns as the Steelers emphatically rebounded from a 31-point meltdown in Philadelphia. Le’Veon Bell ran for 144 yards on 18 carries and caught five passes for 34 yards in his return from a threegame suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.
Sports on 10/03/2016