Saints strike quickly in overtime to beat Cowboys, 26-20

Drew Brees hit C.J. Spiller with a short pass that the running back turned into an 80-yard touchdown, the 400th of the quarterback’s career, on the second play of overtime and the New Orleans Saints won for the first time this season, 26-20 over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night.

“We had to really earn it on both sides of the ball, all the way around,” Brees said. “These types of wins really strengthen you, really bring you together, help build confidence.”

Brees, who sat out the previous week because of a bruised rotator cuff in his right shoulder, completed 33 of 41 throws for 359 yards and two touchdowns.

“It felt fine. Felt good enough, got the job done, so we’re all good,” Brees said of the shoulder.

Mark Ingram had 126 yards on a combination of runs and short passes, and Khiry Robinson had a one-yard touchdown run for New Orleans (1-3).

Joseph Randle scored for the Cowboys (2-2) on a one-yard run in the first half. The winning score enlivened a Superdome crowd stunned by Saints kicker Zach Hocker’s 30-yard miss in the final seconds of regulation.

Brandon Weeden, filling in while Tony Romo recovers from a broken clavicle, came through with a 91-yard touchdown drive to tie the score in the final minutes of regulation, only to lose his 10th consecutive start overall, tying him with Blaine Gabbert for the longest such streak among active quarterbacks.

The tying touchdown came on a 17-yard pass to Terrance Williams on fourth down with less than two minutes left.

New Orleans won the coin toss and took the ball first in overtime, and two plays later, the game was over on the first touchdown this season by Spiller, who was signed as a free agent during the off-season.

“I knew nobody was going to catch him,” Brees said.