Hungry Saints march past struggling Philly
Eagles QB Vick sacked seven times
NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are having fun again. They hope it’s a sign of things to come in the second half of the season.
Michael Vick kept picking himself up off the Superdome turf, the recipient of an awful beating.
The Philadelphia Eagles are down — and nearly out.
Brees threw two touchdown passes, extending his NFL record streak to 51 games, and Patrick Robinson returned an interception 99 yards for a score to lead the Saints past the reeling Eagles 28-13 Monday night.
New Orleans (3-5), which bounced back from a dismal 34-14 loss at Denver, also got a 22-yard touchdown run from Chris Ivory.
“There are defining moments throughout a season,’’ Brees said.
“Big plays, big wins, that kind of bring you together and let you see a vision of what you can be, what you can accomplish. Here we are the midway point. It’s gone by fast.
“This,’’ he added, “is the type of momentum we want going into the second half of the season.’’
The Eagles (3-5) lost their fourth straight, which is sure to keep the heaton Vickan dem battled coach Andy Reid. Vick threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson in the third quarter, but that was about the only highlight for the visiting team.
The elusive Vick was sacked seven times.
Even so, Philadelphia had its chances. Four times, the Eagles were staring at first-and-goal, but only managed two field goals by Alex Henery. In fact, they were outscored in those situations, with Robinson going the other way for a touchdown just when it looked like Philadelphia was on the verge of scoring.
Rubbing salt in the wound, Philadelphia squandered a chance to get back in the game with a brilliant trick play on a kickoff return. Riley Cooper laid flat in the end zone, unseen by the Saints, then popped up to take a cross-field lateral from Brandon Boykin.
Cooper streaked down the sideline for an apparent touchdown. Only one problem — Boykin’s lateral was actually a forward pass by about a yard, ruining the play with a penalty. Cooper stood with his hands on his hips, in disbelief, as the officials brought it back.
Philadelphia finished with 447 yards — the eighth straight team to put up more than 400 yards on the Saints. That was already the longest streak of 400-yard games given up by a defence since at least 1950, and maybe in the history of the NFL, putting New Orleans on pace to shatter the record for most yards allowed in a season.
But New Orleans came through where it mattered most, giving up a season low in points. Their previous best was a 31-24 victory over San Diego.
Brees kept his record touchdown streak going, hooking up with Marques Colston on a oneyard scoring pass and Jimmy Graham from six yards out.
The Saints quarterback finished 21-of-27 for 239 yards, a big improvement on his 22-of42 showing against the Broncos. Brees also got plenty of help from the running game, which came into the league ranked last in the league.
The embattled Saints defence kept the heat on Vick, and the brutal beating made it tough for No. 7 to establish any rhythm. He finished 22-of-41 for 272 yards and really couldn’t be blamed for Robinson’s interception, which went off the hands of tight end Brent Celek.
Cameron Jordan had three sacks, matching his total for the season, while Will Smith took down Vick twice — also matching his sack total through the first seven games.