Saints’ rally leaves Skins reeling
Brees leads comeback in regulation; Ingram gains 51 yards in OT
NEW ORLEANS — Alvin Kamara climbed into the Superdome stands, stood in the first row with his arms folded and soaked in the adulation.
Kamara’s celebration of his 18yard touchdown reception had an air of presumption, given the Saints still needed a two- point conversion to erase what had been a 15- point deficit when the Redskins scored with 5: 58 left in regulation. Then again, the Saints’ confidence was understandable; they haven’t lost in more than two months.
Kamara climbed back down in time to take a pitch into the end zone for the needed conversion, and the Saints won their eighth in a row when Wil Lutz’s 28- yard field goal capped a 34- 31 triumph in overtime.
“We just kind of hung in there. Guys believed,” Saints coach Sean Payton said.
Drew Brees passed for 385 yards, going 11- for- 11 for 164 yards and his only two touchdowns on New Orleans’ last two possessions of regulation. His first touchdown went to tight end Josh Hill from three yards out with 2: 53 to go and the last to Kamara with 1: 05 left.
“I tipmy hat to Brees. That’swhat he does. That’s what great quarterbacks do. But we’ve got to make plays,” said Redskins safety D. J. Swearinger, whose first- quarter interception was Brees’ first turnover in four games.
The unlikely comeback made New Orleans the first team since the 1970 AFL- NFL merger to win eight straight after starting 0- 2.
“We haven’t encountered a game like this in a while, and it was great to watch the team rally,” said Brees, whose team won its previous seven games more convincingly. “We have the confidence to win in a lot of ways.”
The Saints set up their last drive in regulation by stopping Samaje Perine on third- and- one at the twominute warning when a first down would’ve allowed Washington ( 4- 6) to run out the clock.
Washington moved into winning field- goal range in the last minute of regulation, only to be pushed back by a fluky grounding penalty that appeared to result from Kirk Cousins’ miscommunication with wide receiver Jamison Crowder, followed by a sack.
The Redskins received the ball first in overtime, but the Saints’ hobbled defense, which gave up more yards than in any game during its winning streak, forced a quick punt thanks in part to Cameron Jordan’s sack.
Mark Ingram capped a 134- yard rushing performance with gains of 20 and 31 yards on back- to- back carries to set up Lutz’s clinching kick.
Cousins passed for 322 yards and three touchdowns, finishing 22- for- 32 with no interceptions. Perine carried 23 times for 117 yards, including a one- yard TD.
New Orleans was without safety Kenny Vaccaro, then lost top cornerback Marshon Lattimore on Washington’s first possession when he twisted his left ankle. Leading tackler A. J. Klein ( ankle) also missed his first game.
Cousins said he understood why the pivotal grounding penalty was called when he threw to an empty spot Crowder had vacated, but he disagreed with the officials’ interpretation.
“If he had turned and looked at me, and the ball had been 10 feet over his head, I can just say the ball slipped out of my hand,” Cousins said. “That’s what I didn’t understand — how do you separate an inaccurate throw from no eligible in the area? I felt like an eligible was in the area, so I threw it in the area.”