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It certainly hasn't been their best half of football for the New Orleans Saints, who have had had a difficult time marching the ball down the field more most of the half, even without three penalties by Drew Brees (2 False Starts, 1 Delay of Game). Garrett Hartley missing two field goals certainly hasn't helped momentum nor morale, either, despite the excitement of multiple sacks and turnovers by the home team.
For most of the half, this has been a largely defensive game... with both quarterbacks constantly under pressure, and Saints fans being disappointed by a lack of production on offense after big stops or fumbles.
The New Orleans offense got a spark of life late in the half, however, with two touchdowns to close out the half. The first was a beautiful 69-yard long touchdown pass to Kenny Stills. A good defensive stand afterwards prevented Buffalo from answering, and a Drew Brees under pressure managed to drive the ball down the field with several screen passes. With a rare bit of luck falling in the Saints direction, an interception in the end zone was called back due to Brees having his facemask yanked moments earlier. The drive (and the half) was punctuated by a touchdown pass to Jimmy Graham... who had previously been serving more as a successful decoy to clear the field for other receivers, rather than making big plays himself.
The Saints currently lead the Buffalo Bills by a score of 21-10 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and will start the second half with the ball.
Team Stats
BUF | NO | ||
First Downs | 9 | 11 | |
Total Yards | 161 | 222 | |
Passing Yards | 86 | 190 | |
Rushing Yards | 75 | 32 | |
Penalties (Yds) | 3(25) | 5(30) | |
Turnovers | 2 | 0 | |
Punts (AVG) | 2(49) | 2(45) | |
Time of Pos. | 15:18 | 14:42 |
Top Performers
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS | ||||
Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
D. Brees | 16/20 | 206 | 3 | 0 |
Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
P. Thomas | 6 | 31 | 0 | 12 |
K. Robinson | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
L. Moore | 3 | 34 | 1 | 15T |
M. Colston | 3 | 18 | 0 | 6 |
D. Sproles | 3 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
BUFFALO BILLS | ||||
Passing | CP/AT | YDS | TD | INT |
T. Lewis | 10/17 | 108 | 1 | 0 |
Rushing | CAR | YDS | TD | LG |
F. Jackson | 9 | 40 | 0 | 15 |
T. Choice | 5 | 29 | 0 | 20 |
Receiving | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
S. Johnson | 4 | 42 | 1 | 17 |
S. Chandler | 3 | 42 | 0 | 22 |
T. Graham | 1 | 14 | 0 | 14 |