Saints 24, 49ers 6
NEW ORLEANS -- It took seven weeks for the New Orleans Saints to find a team they could beat. Surprisingly, it was longtime nemesis San Francisco.The Saints' 24-6 victory was their biggest ever against the 49ers and snapped a seven-game losing streak.
"I don't know what to do or how to act, it's been so long," Saints receiver Keith Poole said.
Billy Joe Tolliver, the goat so often this season, turned hero. The second-string quarterback rushed for two touchdowns and passed for a third.
Tolliver, who had thrown four touchdown passes and 10 interceptions going into the game, did not turn the ball over against the 49ers, electing to scramble rather than try to force passes. He was 12-of-15 for 242 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 36 yards.
His two rushing scores came in the first half, and he passed to Andre Hastings for an 11-yard score in the third quarter. Kicker Doug Brien added a 28-yard field goal in the fourth period.
"We won and that's why every man in here is in it," Tolliver said. "I've played poorly and won -- felt great. You play well and lose, and you still feel like a dog."
The victory snapped the longest losing streak of Ditka's coaching career and ended a decade of futility for the Saints against San Francisco, which had won the last seven games between the two teams, 11 of the last 12 and 14 of the last 16.
The 49ers have now lost five straight games. The last time that happened was in 1980, when they lost eight straight.
Saints rookie Ricky Williams was one yard shy of his third 100-yard game, carrying 30 times for 99 yards.
The Saints (2-7) had 365 yards in total offense, including 143 rushing. San Francisco's (3-6) once-feared offense was held to just 234 yards. The 49ers have not scored an offensive touchdown in 12 quarters and have not scored a touchdown at all in the last two games.
COWBOYS 27, PACKERS 13: Playing without Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin for the first time this decade, Dallas got two TD passes from Jason Garrett and an interception TD by George Teague.
Green Bay (4-5) has lost three straight and eight in a row at Dallas.
EAGLES 35, REDSKINS 28: Washington stumbled because it couldn't hang onto the ball, losing it six times at Philadelphia (3-7). Brad Johnson lost two fumbles and was intercepted three times, offsetting Stephen Davis' 128 yards rushing and two scores.
Eric Bienemy got the decisive touchdown on an 11-yard run with 3:17 left. Duce Staley rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown, and Allen Rossum had an 89-yard TD on a punt return and an 86-yard kickoff return.
COLTS 27, GIANTS 19: The league's top passing duo showed off at Giants Stadium. Peyton Manning hit Marvin Harrison on touchdown passes of 19 and 57 yards and Terrence Wilkins scored on a 39-yard punt return as the Colts won their fifth straight. That matches their longest streak since moving from Baltimore in 1984.
BILLS 23, DOLPHINS 3: Buffalo rarely has been so stingy and Miami rarely has been so unproductive. The Bills allowed the Dolphins only 101 yards -- Buffalo's third-best defensive performance in history, and Miami's second-worst offensive output ever.
Steve Christie kicked field goals of 31, 48 and 47 yards into the wind, and Antowain Smith rushed for a season-high 126 yards, the first back to rush for more than 100 yards against the Dolphins this season.
RAMS 35, PANTHERS 10 : After a two-game road slide, the Rams (7-2) got back on track as Kurt Warner threw for two TDs, giving him a league-high 26. The defense also made big plays, with Todd Lyght going 57 yards for a TD with an interception and Mike Jones returning a fumble 37 yards to score.
JAGUARS 6, RAVENS 3: The NFL's stingiest defense again was superb at Jacksonville, which improved its record to 8-1, best in the league.
Despite gaining only 132 yards, their worst offensive output since joining the league in 1995, the Jaguars had enough. They allowed Baltimore (3-6) only 242 yards and had four sacks, including one by Gary Walker when Ravens coach Brian Billick skipped a 52-yard field goal attempt on fourth-and-3.
TITANS 24, BENGALS 14 : Tennessee reversed its defensive effort in the opener, when it yielded 35 points to Cincinnati. The visiting Titans (7-2) recovered four fumbles and had seven sacks. Eddie George rushed for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
RAIDERS 28, CHARGERS 9: The bye week must have helped Rich Gannon.
Recovering from a broken bone in his left wrist, Gannon threw four touchdown passes, two each to Tyrone Wheatley and Rickey Dudley.
Host Oakland (5-4) held San Diego (4-5) with 225 total yards, and even got Charles Woodson, the 1999 top defensive rookie, onto the field at receiver. He had one catch for 19 yards.
BUCCANEERS 17, CHIEFS 10 : Another revived quarterback is Tampa Bay's Trent Dilfer. After getting benched for one game, only to see replacement Eric Zeier get hurt, Dilfer has led the Bucs (5-4) to two straight wins.
Dilfer threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns against visiting Kansas City (5-4), which couldn't do enough with six Tampa Bay turnovers. Safety Reggie Tongue forced three fumbles and recovered one.
CARDINALS 23, LIONS 19 Bobby Ross has some explaining to do. He went for a 2-point conversion with the visiting Lions (6-3) down 23-19. A pass was intercepted, and Detroit needed a touchdown instead of being in position to tie with a field goal in the final minutes.
Gus Frerotte threw three consecutive incompletes to clinch the win for Arizona (3-6).
VIKINGS 27, BEARS 24 (OT): Cris Carter and Randy Moss were unstoppable, but the Vikings (6-4) still needed some good fortune. Moss had 12 catches for 204 yards, and Carter had nine catches for 141 yards and three touchdowns.
Gary Anderson, who didn't miss a kick last season, botched a 20-yard field goal with 16 seconds left. But he got another chance and hit a 38-yarder in overtime for Minnesota's fourth straight victory.
The host Bears (4-6) blew their own chance to win when Chris Boniol missed a 41-yarder in OT.
BROWNS 16, STEELERS 15: In perhaps the biggest upset in the 49-year Cleveland-Pittsburgh rivalry that was renewed this year when the Browns returned to the NFL, Phil Dawson hit a 39-yard field goal as time expired.
Tim Couch connected on two TD passes for Cleveland (2-9).