After Beating Patriots, Saints Think Playoffs

Three big scoring plays gave the New Orleans Saints a victory that moved them closer to the playoffs in a season that began with five losses.

Jim Everett’s touchdown passes of 50 yards to Quinn Early and 69 yards to Lorenzo Neal, and Mario Bates’ 66-yard run boosted the Saints to a 31-17 victory Sunday over the New England Patriots.

It was the fifth victory in six games for New Orleans (6-7), while the Patriots fell to 5-8, virtually ending their postseason hopes.

When the Patriots needed a big play to get back in the game, Drew Bledsoe’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by Shane Pahukoa with 6:11 left.

The Saints scored two touchdowns in the first 11 minutes of the first quarter and two more in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the fourth.

For most of the time in between, the Patriots controlled New Orleans. They tied the game, 17-17, on Matt Bahr’s 39-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But on the Saints’ second play after the kickoff, Everett dumped the ball off to 240-pound fullback Neal on a blitz. Neal, a three-year veteran with only 10 catches before Sunday, caught the ball at the line of scrimmage at the 31 and ran down the right sideline, eluding speedier defensive backs.

That gave the Saints a 24-17 lead. The Patriots then held the ball for nearly six minutes, but Bahr missed a 43-yard field goal attempt.

On the next play, Bates swept around the right side, cut back toward the middle to avoid cornerback Ty Law and scored for a 31-17 margin. Bates gained 123 yards in 15 carries.

For the first time, the Patriots lost a game in which rookie Curtis Martin rushed for at least 100 yards. Martin, who started the day as the AFC’s second-leading rusher, had 112 yards and two touchdowns in 31 carries.

His nine-yard run in the first quarter followed Everett’s scoring pass to Early and tied the game, 7-7. Bates’ two-yard run 10:34 into the game put the Saints ahead.

The Patriots tied the game, 14-14, as Martin scored on a three-yard run with 2:59 left in the half. It was Martin’s 12th rushing touchdown of the year, tying Steve Grogan’s team record. He has scored in eight consecutive games.

The Patriots hadn’t given up a first-quarter touchdown in their previous seven games, and the Saints had scored only 37 points in that period all season.