Hilliard Hangs On, Saints Win

Dalton Hilliard got what he wanted, a chance to make up for two fumbles earlier in game.

Hilliard, who gained 97 yards in 16 carries, scored on a 4-yard run with 8:52 remaining Sunday to help the New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons, 29-21.

“It was a more inspired run than usual,” Hilliard said. “I couldn’t wait to get back in the game and make up for my mistakes.”

Hilliard capped a 70-yard drive with his scoring run as the Saints (1-1) came back from a 14-3 deficit early in the second quarter.

The touchdown run prompted some emotion from normally stoic Coach Jim Mora.

“He grabbed me and gave me a bear hug,” Hilliard said. “That’s really rare. It got us excited. It’s like a college atmosphere.”

The Falcons had four turnovers for the second straight week.

New Orleans used two Atlanta turnovers to produce a touchdown and a field goal and also got another field goal following a 3-yard punt by Atlanta’s Rick Donnelly.

“It’s tough to take a loss when you play that hard,” Atlanta Coach Marion Campbell said. “Again, the turnover factor got to us.”

The Saints took the lead for good 19 seconds before the end of the third period when Reuben Mayes scored from the 17 on a sweep around the right side to end a 70-yard drive.

The Falcons (0-2) took the early fight to the Saints behind the passing of Chris Miller, who ended a 90-yard drive by hitting Ken Whisenhunt on a 12-yard scoring pass in the opening quarter.

Atlanta turned a New Orleans fumble into a 43-yard touchdown drive early in the second quarter, Miller’s throwing 34-yard scoring pass to rookie Alex Higdon on a fourth-and-1 play.

The Saints scored a touchdown to make it 14-12 with 10 seconds left in the half on Bobby Hebert’s 14-yard pass to Eric Martin following an exchange of fumbles on a play that eventually gave the Saints possession at the Atlanta 18.

Morten Andersen accounted for the other New Orleans scoring with field goals of 41, 29 and 28 yards, but he had a club-record string of 73 extra points in a row snapped after the Hebert-to-Martin score when the ball hit the left upright and fell away.

Atlanta’s other touchdown came on a 1-yard run by John Settle. Settle, who had 102 yards in 10 carries, sprinted 62 yards to the Saints’ 13 on the first play following Hilliard’s clinching touchdown.

A 14-yard sack of Miller by Rickey Jackson helped halt the threat, and Greg Davis was wide right on a 41-yard field goal try with 7:07 left.

Andersen’s first field goal staked the Saints to a 3-0 lead just under 6 minutes into the game, ending a 32-yard drive that was set up when Pat Swilling forced and recovered Gerald Riggs’ fumble at the New Orleans 45.

Andersen’s 28-yard field goal midway through the third quarter gave the Saints their first lead, 15-14. But Hilliard fumbled 3 minutes later and Bobby Butler returned it 28 yards to the Saints’ 25. Settle’s 1-yard scoring run gave Atlanta a 21-15 lead and set the stage for the two New Orleans scores in the final 15:19.