Bucs stop Brees to beat Saints
New Orleans put the game in Drew Brees’ hands, and Tampa Bay took it right away.
The relentless Buccaneers defense pressured the NFL’s leading passer all afternoon, then intercepted him twice in the closing minutes Sunday to stay atop the NFC South with a 23-20 victory over the Saints at Tampa, Fla.
“You know you’re going to get opportunities,” Bucs cornerback Ronde Barber said after Brees threw on nine of New Orleans’ first 11 plays and finished with 47 attempts on a rainy day that might have discouraged some other quarterbacks.
Brees, on pace to break Dan Marino’s single-season yardage record, threw for 296 yards and two touchdowns but also was picked off three times — once in the end zone on a pass that Barber tipped to Cato June — and sacked once.
The victory was the fourth straight for Tampa Bay. The Bucs (9-3) are 6-1 since Jeff Garcia regained the starting quarterback job, which he lost after a poor performance in a season-opening loss against the Saints (6-6).
Dolphins 16, Rams 12: Miami kept St. Louis out of the end zone, even with Steven Jackson back in the lineup. The host Rams ended a string of blowout losses the previous four games behind Jackson, who had 94 yards on 21 carries, but were undone by mistakes in the second half against a franchise that’s quickly become competitive after going 1-15 last season.
Giants 23, Redskins 7: Eli Manning had his first 300-yard game of the season, Clinton Portis was held to 22 yards rushing, and New York put aside the Plaxico Burress mess with another dominating performance over the Redskins at Landover, Md. The Giants (11-1) have won seven straight, including six in a row against teams with winning records.
49ers 10, Bills 3: For a 49ers team that didn’t have much to play for, linebacker Patrick Willis and a suddenly sturdy San Francisco defense certainly did their job as spoilers. Willis had 14 tackles and a forced fumble in a win over Buffalo at Orchard Park, N.Y., that all but ended the Bills’ dwindling playoff hopes. The 49ers’ win also prevented the Arizona Cardinals from clinching the NFC West.
Ravens 34, Bengals 3: Mark Clayton threw a touchdown pass on a reverse, then made a spectacular one-handed catch for a 70-yard score, helping Baltimore keep pace in the AFC North with a victory over the Bengals at Cincinnati. The Ravens (8-4) have won six of their past seven games with a renowned defense and an offense coming into its own behind rookie quarterback Joe Flacco.
Colts 10, Browns 6: The Indianapolis defense found the end zone on a day Peyton Manning couldn’t. Defensive end Robert Mathis scooped up Derek Anderson’s fumble and rumbled 39 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Colts stayed in the thick of the AFC playoff chase by winning their fifth straight, an ugly decision over the snake-bitten Browns at Cleveland.
Falcons 22, Chargers 16: Matt Ryan, the rookie from Boston College, threw two touchdown passes and Michael Turner, LaDainian Tomlinson’s former understudy, ran for 120 yards against his former team to lead the Falcons to a win over the Chargers at San Diego.
Chiefs 20, Raiders 13: Tyler Thigpen put together one effective drive for Kansas City to beat the Raiders in a matchup between two of the NFL’s worst teams at Oakland, Calif. The Chiefs (2-10) scored the only touchdown in the first three quarters on Maurice Leggett’s 67-yard fumble return on a botched fake field goal attempt by Oakland (3-9).
Vikings 34, Bears 14: With a gutty goal-line stand and one big heave by Gus Frerotte, the Minnesota Vikings grabbed control of the NFC North and sent Kyle Orton and Chicago home with a humbling defeat at Minneapolis. Seconds after the Bears were stopped four times at the 1, Bernard Berrian pulled in a 99-yard touchdown pass from Frerotte.