24-3 was the score with five seconds left before halftime. The New Orleans Saints had nine previous drives that saw three 3-and-Outs, two interceptions, a missed field goal from 49 yards out, and a made field goal from 46 yards against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
The Saints final drive going into halftime started at their 49 yard line after a forced fumble by safety Roman Harper was recovered by linebacker Scott Shanle with 1:38 minutes left. Quarterback Drew Brees would complete five of seven passes, the last was ruled a touchdown to receiver Marques Colston for 21 yards.
The booth called for a challenge on the play, which showed Colston with his knee down before the ball crossed the goal line. The Saints were to get the ball on the half yard line with five seconds remaining and no time outs.
The Saints sent out kicker John Carney for a field goal, until the Dolphins called a time out. This gave Brees enough time to convince head coach Sean Payton to give him the ball, as the cameras showed the two talking closely on the sidelines.
Brees would come back out with the offensive team and leap over the pile for a touchdown. Instead of a 24-6 deficit, the Saints were now only down 24-10. This outcome game the Saints more of a chance of coming back down 14 than 18 points.
The change was seen quickly, as the third play from the Dolphins in the second half was an interception thrown by quarterback Chad Henne and returned for a touchdown by safety Darren Sharper for a touchdown and made it a 24-17 game.
In fact, the Saints dominated the Dolphins in the second half, out scoring them 36 to 10, including a 22 fourth quarter as the Saints held the Dolphins scoreless.
On Sunday, the Saints had a number of firsts: not scoring on their opening possession, multiple interceptions thrown by Brees this season, most turnovers by Brees this season (4), multi-touchdowns running for Brees as a Saints, first time the Saints did not have the leading rusher in the game, first game tight end Jeremy Shockey lead all receivers in yards, most sacks allowed in a game (5), and most points allowed this season.
The biggest first was the best: the Saints had not trailed all season long until Sunday. This shows great signs that the team can play back into a game no matter what the case may be. On Sunday, it was a three touchdown deficit.
This was a statement win in every sense of the word. The Saints showed a complete resiliency coming out in the second half. The offense was lead by a battered Brees, who had cuts on his chin and face from the multiple hits taken during the game.
As for the defense, the Saints were lead by “The Captain” Jonathan Vilma with a season high 10 tackles, while the secondary intercepted two passes in the second half that were returned for touchdowns and forced a fumble. The defense also saw defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove lead the team with two sacks, while cornerback Tracey Porter get his first career touchdown and Sharper’s third touchdown of the season.
If people around the NFL and the water cooler are not talking about the New Orleans Saints before this game, they certainly are now.
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