Final
Vikings thwart Bush, Saints
Oct 7, 2008 - 6:02 AM NEW ORLEANS (Ticker) -- Ryan Longwell kicked a 30-yard field goal with 13 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as the Minnesota Vikings overcame an impressive performance by Reggie Bush to record a 30-27 triumph over the New Orleans Saints on Monday.After his counterpart Martin Gramatica was unable to connect from 46 yards out with 2:04 remaining, the Vikings quickly made their way down the field.
Benefiting from a pass interference call, Minnesota positioned Longwell for his third field goal attempt of the night. After tying his season long with a 53-yard kick in addition to making a 33-yarder, the veteran kicker calmly nailed the game-winning kick for Minnesota (2-3).
Before Longwell's heroics, Bush seemed to have stamped his mark on this one by becoming the 12th player in NFL history to return two punts for touchdowns in the same game.
With the Saints trailing, 20-10, with 1:46 remaining in the third quarter, Bush reeled in a punt from his own 29-yard line, sidestepped a few would-be tacklers before racing down the right sideline for a 71-yard touchdown.
After Gramatica booted a 53-yard field goal to tie the game at 20-20, Bush duplicated his previous feat shortly thereafter.
The second overall pick of the 2006 draft, Bush reeled in the booming punt of Chris Kluwe, made a quick step to right before cutting upfield. Bush then split a pair of would-be tacklers and raced up the left sideline and into the end zone.
"Great blocking by my teammates," Bush said. "It was obviously a huge play at a time of need. It would have been even sweeter if we had won this game."
Bush now has three punt returns for touchdowns this season, and four in his career - which marks the most in Saints' history.
Heroics aside, Bush recognized that the end result was still a loss.
"It's tough to lose games like this," Bush said. "We had a terrible first half, we kinda felt like we were in quicksand, sinking and sinking. The three losses we have, we haven't been able to close things out."
Drew Brees completed 26-for-46 for 330 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for New Orleans (2-3), which failed to move into a three-way tie for second place in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons (3-2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2). The Carolina Panthers (4-1) are in first place in the division.
"It's probably one of the weirdest games I've ever been involved in," Brees said. "Just the ebb and flow, the way this thing kind of went back and forth. I'm trying to digest it all right now and in the end it's a loss. That's extremely disappointing, especially when once again we have a chance to win it at the end."
Bernard Berrian reeled in a 33-yard touchdown from quarterback Gus Frerotte to tie the game at 27-27 for Minnesota.
"I saw the ball go up and I said I'm going to score a touchdown no matter what," Berrian said.
It's that aggressiveness which was mirrored by the Vikings' defense and special teams.
In the first half alone, Minnesota produced four fumbles - two were recovered - an interception, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown to claim a 20-10 lead at the half. New Orleans was also penalized 11 times for 102 yards in the contest.
"This is as good a win as it gets," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "I don't know if I've ever been involved in one that went that way."
The Saints were clicking on all cylinders early as Brees found Devery Henderson with a 17-yard scoring strike just 4:47 into the first quarter to cap an eight-play, 47-yard drive.
New Orleans seemed poised to up the advantage nearly five minutes later, but a 46-yard field goal by Gramatica was blocked by defensive tackle Kevin Williams. Cornerback Antoine Winfield scooped up the ball at the Minnesota 41 and scampered 59 yards untouched to record the first blocked field goal for a touchdown in Vikings' regular-season history.
After the teams traded field goals, Winfield made his presence felt again by sacking and stripping the ball from Brees.
The turnover gave Minnesota the ball on the Saints' 5-yard line, and three plays later, running back Chester Taylor lofted a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe to give the Vikings a 17-10 advantage just 1:41 into the second quarter.
Last season's NFL Rookie of the Year, running back Adrian Peterson rushed 21 times for 32 yards.
- NFL
FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 10 10 0 10 30
NEW ORLEANS 10 0 7 10 27 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NOR - TD, DEVERY HENDERSON 17 YD PASS FROM
DREW BREES (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK),
3:51. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards in
3:51. Key plays: Thomas 56-yard
kick return to Minnesota 47; Brees
6-yard run
Oct 7 12:07 AM - NFL
FG MIN
RYAN LONGWELL 30 YD
MINNESOTA 30
NEW ORLEANS 27 0:13 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Vikings 30, Saints 27 4th - 0:13Oct 7 12:01 AM
TD MIN BERNARD BERRIAN 33 YD PASS FROM GUS FREROTTE (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 27, Saints 27 4th - 7:10Oct 6 11:40 PM
TD MIN BERNARD BERRIAN 33 YD PASS FROM GUS FREROTTE (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 27, Saints 27 4th - 7:10Oct 6 11:40 PM
TD MIN BERNARD BERRIAN 33 YD PASS FROM GUS FREROTTE (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 27, Saints 27 4th - 7:10Oct 6 11:40 PM- NFL
TD MIN
BERNARD BERRIAN 33 YD PASS FROM GUS FREROTTE
(RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
MINNESOTA 27
NEW ORLEANS 27 7:10 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Vikings 27, Saints 27 4th - 7:10Oct 6 11:40 PM - mark he did do it again! 2 punt td runbacks for reggie...
Vikings 20, Saints 27 4th - 11:36Oct 6 11:28 PM
TD NOR REGGIE BUSH 64 YD PUNT RETURN (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
Vikings 20, Saints 27 4th - 11:36Oct 6 11:28 PM
TD NOR REGGIE BUSH 64 YD PUNT RETURN (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
Vikings 20, Saints 27 4th - 11:36Oct 6 11:28 PM- NFL
TD NOR
REGGIE BUSH 64 YD PUNT RETURN
(MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
MINNESOTA 20
NEW ORLEANS 27 11:36 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Vikings 20, Saints 27 4th - 11:36Oct 6 11:28 PM - NFL
FG NOR
MARTIN GRAMATICA 53 YD
MINNESOTA 20
NEW ORLEANS 20 13:20 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Vikings 20, Saints 20 4th - 13:20Oct 6 11:20 PM - Kavonfl LOL mark you took words out my mouth!
What a baller hes having a great season thus far.
Vikings 20, Saints 17 4th - 14:55Oct 6 11:18 PM - NFL
MINNESOTA 20
NEW ORLEANS 17 0:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
NOR BALL ON MIN 49 YD LINE
1ST AND 10
Oct 6 11:17 PM
TD NOR REGGIE BUSH 71 YD PUNT RETURN (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
Vikings 20, Saints 17 3rd - 1:46Oct 6 11:07 PM
TD NOR REGGIE BUSH 71 YD PUNT RETURN (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
Vikings 20, Saints 17 3rd - 1:46Oct 6 11:07 PM- NFL
TD NOR
REGGIE BUSH 71 YD PUNT RETURN
(MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
MINNESOTA 20
NEW ORLEANS 17 1:46 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Vikings 20, Saints 17 3rd - 1:46Oct 6 11:07 PM - NFL
MINNESOTA 20
NEW ORLEANS 10 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
NOR BALL ON NOR 27 YD LINE
1ST AND 10
Oct 6 10:23 PM - NFL
FG MIN
RYAN LONGWELL 33 YD
MINNESOTA 20
NEW ORLEANS 10 0:04 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Vikings 20, Saints 10 2nd - 0:04Oct 6 10:20 PM
TD MIN VISANTHE SHIANCOE 4 YD PASS FROM CHESTER TAYLOR (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 17, Saints 10 2nd - 13:19Oct 6 9:31 PM
TD MIN VISANTHE SHIANCOE 4 YD PASS FROM CHESTER TAYLOR (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 17, Saints 10 2nd - 13:19Oct 6 9:31 PM
TD MIN VISANTHE SHIANCOE 4 YD PASS FROM CHESTER TAYLOR (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 17, Saints 10 2nd - 13:19Oct 6 9:31 PM- NFL
TD MIN
VISANTHE SHIANCOE 4 YD PASS FROM CHESTER TAYLOR
(RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
MINNESOTA 17
NEW ORLEANS 10 13:19 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Vikings 17, Saints 10 2nd - 13:19Oct 6 9:31 PM - NFL
END, 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
MINNESOTA 10 10
NEW ORLEANS 10 10 END, 1ST QTR
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: NOR - TD, DEVERY HENDERSON 17 YD PASS FROM
DREW BREES (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK),
3:51. Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards in
3:51. Key plays: Thomas 56-yard
kick return to Minnesota 47; Brees
6-y
Oct 6 9:24 PM - NFL
FG MIN
RYAN LONGWELL 53 YD
MINNESOTA 10
NEW ORLEANS 10 0:53 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Vikings 10, Saints 10 1st - 0:53Oct 6 9:22 PM - NFL
FG NOR
MARTIN GRAMATICA 35 YD
MINNESOTA 7
NEW ORLEANS 10 2:58 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Vikings 7, Saints 10 1st - 2:58Oct 6 9:14 PM
TD MIN ANTOINE WINFIELD 59 YD RETURN OF BLOCKED FIELD GOAL (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 7, Saints 7 1st - 6:20Oct 6 9:07 PM
TD MIN ANTOINE WINFIELD 59 YD RETURN OF BLOCKED FIELD GOAL (RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
Vikings 7, Saints 7 1st - 6:20Oct 6 9:07 PM- NFL
TD MIN
ANTOINE WINFIELD 59 YD RETURN OF BLOCKED FIELD GOAL
(RYAN LONGWELL KICK)
MINNESOTA 7
NEW ORLEANS 7 6:20 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Vikings 7, Saints 7 1st - 6:20Oct 6 9:07 PM
TD NOR DEVERY HENDERSON 17 YD PASS FROM DREW BREES (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
Vikings 0, Saints 7 1st - 11:09Oct 6 8:49 PM
TD NOR DEVERY HENDERSON 17 YD PASS FROM DREW BREES (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
Vikings 0, Saints 7 1st - 11:09Oct 6 8:49 PM
TD NOR DEVERY HENDERSON 17 YD PASS FROM DREW BREES (MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
Vikings 0, Saints 7 1st - 11:09Oct 6 8:49 PM- NFL
TD NOR
DEVERY HENDERSON 17 YD PASS FROM DREW BREES
(MARTIN GRAMATICA KICK)
MINNESOTA 0
NEW ORLEANS 7 11:09 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Vikings 0, Saints 7 1st - 11:09Oct 6 8:49 PM
Related News
- Our offense vs their defense: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Dec 26
- Gayle Benson’s generous donation to help fund a new Children’s Hospital in New Orleans Dec 26
- Fleur-de-Links, December 26: Playoff chances get slim for the Saints Dec 26
- NFC Playoff Picture: Vikings no longer in, but there is some hope Dec 26
- Ravens vs. 49ers: Monday Night Football open thread Dec 25
- Have yourself a Merry Christmas Mock Dec 25
- Giants vs. Eagles: Christmas Day open thread Dec 25
- NFL Opening Odds: Vikings open as slight favorites for home finale Dec 25
- Raiders vs. Chiefs: Christmas Day open thread Dec 25
- NFL Christmas Day Tripleheader Discussion Dec 25
- Report: Initial outlook on T.J. Hockenson’s knee injury “not good” Dec 25
- CSC Monday Night Football Week 16 preview and props Dec 25