TAMPA, Fla. — The New Orleans Saints got some unexpected help in reviving a sputtering rushing attack around Drew Brees.
Brees threw for 263 yards and three touchdowns Sunday, leading the Saints to a 31-6 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New Orleans rebounded from a mistake-filled road loss that dumped them into third place in the NFC South, scoring on their first three possessions and getting an unexpected lift from rookie running back Chris Ivory.
Ivory rushed for 158 yards on 15 carries, stepping up in the absence of the injured Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas.
The Saints (4-2) amassed 475 yards of total offense and weren’t forced to punt until early in the fourth quarter.
Tampa Bay (3-2) was held scoreless until Josh Freeman led a long fourth-quarter touchdown drive aided by a pair of personal foul penalties for a late hit on the second-year quarterback.
The Saints finished with 212 yards rushing. Julius Jones gained 32 yards on nine attempts in his New Orleans debut, and Ladell Betts had 20 yards on six carries.
New Orleans committed four turnovers, including three interceptions, in a 30-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals last week.
Brees completed eight of his first nine attempts against the Bucs, including TD throws of 41 yards to Lance Moore and 42 yards to Robert Meachem. Those scores were the first two times the Saints touched the ball against a defense that had been one of the keys to a surprising start that had Tampa Bay ahead of New Orleans in the division.
The Saints began the day next to last in the NFL in rushing, averaging 75.6 yards per game. Ivory had not been much of a factor, gaining 119 yards through the first five weeks of the season. But the undrafted free agent out of Division II Tiffin set the tone with an 18-yard carry up the middle on his team’s first play.
Freeman completed 25 of 43 passes for 219 yards and one TD, a 2-yard throw to Michael Spurlock on fourth-and-goal with just over five minutes to go. A two point conversion attempt failed  — New Orleans recovered an onside kick and scored on Betts’ 1-yard touchdown.
Tampa Bay entered having won five of seven dating to a come-from-behind overtime win against the Super Bowl champions late last season. The stretch of success has highlighted the growth of Freeman and a young defense that’s gotten better since coach Raheem Morris began serving as defensive coordinator.
–
Contact the Daily Reveille’s sports staff at [email protected]