New Orleans Saints Pull One Out the Hat Against Tampa Bay
I'll take an ugly win over a pretty loss any day!
The New Orleans Saints (2-0) did just that on Sunday afternoon/evening as they defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-2) 16-14 on a last second field goal by Garrett Hartley.
In a game that was delayed by a weather delay for over an hour, it sure had the feeling of a good day for the Saints early on as they marched down the field on their first drive only to have to settle for a field goal.
But the Bucs' defense had different ideas as they held the high-powered Saints offense in check for much of the game. Drew Brees was sacked four times, knocked around a bunch and threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown.
Still, after a late field goal attempt went wide left by Bucs kicker Rian Lindell, Brees and the Black & Gold had the ball in their possession down by just one point with just over a minute to go.
No timeouts, no problem. Brees connected on passes to Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles and then the big 31-yard strike to Marques Colston to get the Saints down to the 10-yard line.
And as time expired, Garrett Hartley connected on the 27-yard game-winning field goal.
The Saints now head back home to host the Arizona Cardinals (1-1) this Sunday at noon at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. You can hear the action here on 97.3 The Dawg starting with the pregame at 10am.