With: Metcalf’s Help, Andersen Gets His Kicks

You can bet the Atlanta Falcons are glad they acquired wide receiver-running back Eric Metcalf in a trade with Cleveland during the off-season and signed kicker Morten Andersen as a free agent from New Orleans during training camp.

Metcalf and Andersen were the stars of the Falcons’ 27-24 overtime victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

Metcalf, who had 11 catches for 155 yards, saved his best for last, making a finger-tip catch of a Jeff George pass for a 38-yard gain to the three to set up Andersen’s game-winning 21-yard field goal with 4:02 left in overtime. It was Andersen’s fourth field goal of the game.

Metcalf, who makes $2 million a year, came to the Falcons in March because the Browns needed salary-cap relief after signing Falcon free-agent receiver Andre Rison. The Falcons and Browns swapped first-round picks, the Falcons giving up their 10th pick in exchange for the Browns’ 26th.

“This was the whole team--offense, defense and special teams,” said Metcalf, who also returned five punts for 64 yards.

Andersen, who signed with the Falcons after a salary dispute with the Saints, said of his game-winning field goal, “It was a big one. It was against the team I planned on getting old with.”

Craig (Ironhead) Heyward, another former Saint who is now in his second season with Atlanta after one year with Chicago, rushed for 102 yards in 25 carries and had a key 13-yard gain during the game-winning drive, which covered 91 yards in 11 plays. Metcalf accounted for 57 of the yards.

Before Sunday, the Saints had beaten the Falcons 13 of their last 17 meetings and Andersen, who spent 13 seasons with the Saints, had made the winning kick in eight of those.

Sunday’s game-winner was the 22nd of his career and his second for the Falcons.

The Saints are now 0-3. The last time they opened 0-3 was 1980, when they finished 1-15.

Atlanta (2-1) set up the overtime when Heyward pounded in for a touchdown on an eight-yard run in the fourth quarter and George passed to Terance Mathis in the end zone for the two-point conversion to tie it at 24-24 with 6:11 left in regulation.

George, who was sacked seven times, including once when he had to be helped from the field in the fourth quarter, completed 27 of 39 passes for 386 yards and two touchdowns.

Jim Everett shook off a first-half pounding that sent him staggering to the sidelines and completed 29 of 43 for 370 yards and three touchdowns. He was sacked three times.

Everett twisted his left knee when Pierce Holt sacked him for a 10-yard loss with 1:48 remaining in the first half and left the field with New Orleans trailing, 13-10.

Andersen made it 16-10, kicking his third field goal of the game, a 46-yarder on Atlanta’s first possession of the third quarter.

Everett put together a 72-yard drive, ending in a nine-yard touchdown pass to Michael Haynes to make it 17-16 at the end of the quarter. Two plays into the fourth quarter, Everett passed to Wesley Walls for a 28-yard touchdown, making it 24-16.