Dec 12, 2008 - 1:25 AM
0 shoutsBy Scot Marcotte PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer
CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bears parlayed a field goal on the last play of regulation and another one on the first drive in overtime into a 27-24 win over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday.
Kyle Orton led the Bears 60 yards in 13 plays before Robbie Gould kicked a 28-yard field goal to tie the game at 24-24 with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.
"At that point, your mind's focused on that drive, on those plays and try to get your team into the end zone," Orton said.
The Bears (8-6) won the coin toss in overtime and, aided by a 38-yard pass interference call on safety Roman Harper against Devin Hester, sent Gould out for a 35-yard field goal that won the game with 12:19 left in overtime.
"That's what you live for as a kicker, that's why you practice," Gould said.
Danieal Manning opened the game with an 83-yard kickoff return to put the Bears up by a touchdown.
"When I passed the kicker, I knew it was over," Manning said. "When I didn't see anybody in front or on the side of me, I knew nobody was going to catch me."
The Saints' first touchdown was set up by Orton's fumble when the Bears were pinned at their own 1. Linebacker Jonathan Vilma recovered, setting up Drew Brees' two-yard scoring pass to Pierre Thomas.
Manning continued his Hester-like magic with a 52-yard kickoff return to the Saints' 41 midway through the second quarter. That set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte. The rookie had suffered a toe injury early in the first quarter, but returned for the score.
"When you play 16 games, you're going to get some bruises," Orton said. "It shows his toughness to come back on the field."
Later in the second quarter, the Bears forced the Saints (7-7) to punt from their own 7-yard line, setting the offense up at the New Orleans 42. Orton engineered the scoring drive, scrambling the final six yards for the score with 49 seconds left in the half to make it 21-7.
The Saints made the most of the Bears' three turnovers, scoring on each one.
Late in the third quarter, safety Josh Bullocks picked off Orton's pass that deflected off Rashied Davis. Bullocks returned it 23 yards to the Bears' 45 yard line. Two plays later, Thomas scampered 42 yards for the score.
Orton threw another interception in the fourth quarter, this time to Scott Fujita, setting the Saints up at the Bears' 31. Brees hit Marques Colston for a 22-yard completion on third-and-15, and followed it with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Colston to put the Saints up 24-21 and set the stage for the Bears' rally.
"We lost the battle in the kicking game, and that was clear tonight," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "That cost not only the touchdown, but probably about 120 yards in field position differential. You're not going to win a lot of games playing that way."
From the Bleachers
-
NEW ORLEANS: 24
CHICAGO: 27
Final
Dec 11 11:40 PM -
NFL
FG CHI
ROBBIE GOULD 35 YD
NEW ORLEANS 24
CHICAGO 27 12:14 LEFT, 1ST OT
Dec 11 11:40 PM -
NEW ORLEANS: 24
CHICAGO: 24
End of Regulation
Dec 11 11:28 PM -
NFL
FG CHI
ROBBIE GOULD 28 YD
NEW ORLEANS 24
CHICAGO 24 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 11 11:28 PM -
Saints 24, Bears 24 End of Regulation
RUWTbot
Added 25 roots (Close Finish, Overtime)
Dec 11 11:28 PM -
NFL
TD NOR
MARQUES COLSTON 11 YD PASS FROM DREW BREES
(GARRETT HARTLEY KICK)
NEW ORLEANS 24
CHICAGO 21 3:05 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 11 11:13 PM -
NFL
FG NOR
GARRETT HARTLEY 30 YD
NEW ORLEANS 17
CHICAGO 21 9:07 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 11 10:50 PM -
NEW ORLEANS: 14
CHICAGO: 21
End of 3rd
Dec 11 10:40 PM -
NFL
TD NOR
PIERRE THOMAS 42 YD RUN
(GARRETT HARTLEY KICK)
NEW ORLEANS 14
CHICAGO 21 3:44 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Dec 11 10:29 PM -
NEW ORLEANS: 7
CHICAGO: 21
Halftime
Dec 11 9:48 PM -
NFL
TD CHI
KYLE ORTON 6 YD RUN
(ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
NEW ORLEANS 7
CHICAGO 21 0:49 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 11 9:45 PM -
NFL
TD CHI
MATT FORTE 1 YD RUN
(ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
NEW ORLEANS 7
CHICAGO 14 7:42 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 11 9:14 PM -
NFL
TD NOR
PIERRE THOMAS 2 YD PASS FROM DREW BREES
(GARRETT HARTLEY KICK)
NEW ORLEANS 7
CHICAGO 7 9:52 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 11 9:07 PM -
NEW ORLEANS: 0
CHICAGO: 7
End of 1st
Dec 11 8:53 PM -
NFL
TD CHI
DANIEAL MANNING 83 YD KICKOFF RETURN
(ROBBIE GOULD KICK)
NEW ORLEANS 0
CHICAGO 7 14:48 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Dec 11 8:16 PM
