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Saints-Vikings game
10/06/08 - 10:46 PM
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The New Orleans Saints committed so many
blunders, not even Reggie Bush’s record-tying two punt returns for
touchdowns could make up for them in a 30-27 loss to the Minnesota
Vikings on Monday night.
Gus Frerotte passed for 222 yards and a game-tying touchdown to
Bernard Berrian with 7:10 to play, and Ryan Longwell’s 30-yard
field goal with 13 seconds left gave the Vikings the comeback win.
Longwell’s game-winning kick was set up by a pass interference
call on a long throw to Berrian, who was run into before the ball
came down despite being double-covered. That was only the latest
gaffe by New Orleans.
Martin Gramatica, who had a field goal blocked and returned 59
yards for a touchdown in the first quarter, missed a 46-yarder that
could have given the Saints (2-3) a lead with two minutes to go.
Soon after, Minnesota (2-3) was celebrating Longwell’s winning
kick.
New Orleans committed four turnovers, dropped several passes and
were called for 11 penalties for 102 yards.
With the Saints trailing 20-10 late in the third quarter, Bush
had his first touchdown return for 71 yards, slipping a tackle
early and accelerating past a bone-jarring block at midfield by
Jo-Lonn Dunbar.
Bush nearly broke another punt return, but tripped and fell at
the Minnesota 49. Still, New Orleans only needed one first down to
set up Gramatica’s 53-yard field goal to tie it.
The Vikings kicked to Bush again and paid for it. Bush caught
the kick on the run and burst between the only defenders who really
had a shot at him before cutting outside into the open field for a
64-yard score.
Bush was 12th player in NFL history to return two punts for TDs
in a game. The last do it was Eddie Drummond of Detroit against
Jacksonville on Nov. 14, 2004.
Frerotte, who repeatedly delivered clutch throws under heavy
pressure and absorbed several hard hits, connected with Berrian for
36 yards to the New Orleans 27, then found him again for a 33-yard
score to tie it at 27.
Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield scored after recovering
Gramatica’s blocked kick in the first quarter and set up
Minnesota’s second TD with a forced fumble on a sack of Drew Brees
that he recovered at the New Orleans 5-yard line.
Minnesota cashed in when Chester Taylor threw a halfback pass to
Visanthe Shiancoe, which gave Minnesota a 17-10 lead in the second
quarter.
Longwell hit a 33-yard field goal late in the first half.
The Vikings defense proved too much to overcome for a Saints
offense that already was hurting itself.
Brees was 26-of-46 for 330 yards but was intercepted twice, once
on a tipped pass deep in Vikings territory and once on a
desperation heave in the final seconds.
His lone touchdown pass went for 17 yards to Devery Henderson on
the Saints’ first series of the game.

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