Harbaugh Goes Over the Line; Saints Win, 17-14

All of a sudden the New Orleans Saints are back in the NFC West race, thanks to another strong performance by Jim Everett and a mistake by Indianapolis’ Jim Harbaugh.

“Our team is playing good football right now,” Saint Coach Jim Mora said after New Orleans beat the Colts, 17-14, on Sunday. “We have made strides. When you’re 0-5 it’s bleak, but these guys have hung in there.”

New Orleans (4-6) won for the fourth time in five games and is only two games back in the NFC West. The Saints had opened with five consecutive losses, the worst start under Mora and the poorest since 1980, when they lost their first 14 games and finished 1-15.

There was some luck involved in Sunday’s victory.

Harbaugh, who sat out almost all of the first three quarters because of a pulled groin muscle but came on to rally the Colts, ruined what would have been a first and goal from the Saints’ one by throwing the ball after he was past the line of scrimmage.

And then Cary Blanchard’s try for a game-tying 41-yard field goal was wide left with 13 seconds left.

“It was nice to see the clock run out right then,” Everett said. “We’d worked really hard all game long, but a little luck never hurts.”

Harbaugh was surprisingly mobile, scrambling to throw a touchdown and then running nine yards to keep the Colts’ final drive going.

He helped move Indianapolis (5-5) to the Saints’ 19 with 1:11 remaining when cornerback Eric Allen was penalized for pass interference against Sean Dawkins.

Three plays later, Harbaugh escaped the pressure of Renaldo Turnbull and threw an 18-yard pass to Brian Stablein, who was tackled on the one. But Harbaugh stepped a little ahead of the line of scrimmage, and the penalty negated the completion and moved the ball back to the 23.

Blanchard, whose field-goal attempt was way wide to the left, was cut by the Saints prior to the season despite going 10 for 10 on tries of less than 50 yards.

Everett, who had gone three consecutive games without throwing a touchdown pass--matching the second longest dry spell of his 10-year career--threw for two Sunday and offset trouble with the Saints’ ground game.

Everett, who was 27 for 37 for 228 yards, spread the passes around among eight receivers, connecting with Quinn Early and Torrance Small for touchdowns.

Harbaugh, who completed five of seven passes for 97 yards, replaced Justin on the last play of the third quarter after Justin sprained his right knee. Three plays later, Harbaugh scrambled and hooked up with Roosevelt Potts on a 40-yard touchdown pass play to tie the score, 14-14, with 13:14 left.

Potts’ spike of the football after the score resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty on the kickoff. The Saints drove from their 41 to the two, from where Doug Brien kicked a 25-yard field goal for a 17-14 lead with 6:33 left to play.