Brady torches Saints in 36-20 Patriots victory

 If Tom Brady and the Patriots were suffering from a Super Bowl hangover, it looks as though a trip to New Orleans pulled the defending champions out of it.

The 40-year-old Brady hasn't often looked better in his long, illustrious career, providing an audible contingent of traveling Patriots fans ample reason to spend the rest of their Sunday celebrating in the French Quarter.

"Hopefully they're all on Bourbon Street," said Brady, whose name was chanted by fans as the game wound down, and again when he walked across the field to the team bus. "It was a good road game to come to."

Bouncing back with a vengeance from a season-opening loss , Brady threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter for the first time in his career, eclipsed 300 yards passing in the first half for only the second time, and New England scored 30 first-half points en route to a 36-20 victory over the winless Saints.

"Being 0-1 with a 10-day break felt like a year," Brady said, alluding to a Thursday night loss to Kansas City in Week 1. "All the veterans had a chance to say the things they wanted to say to their different (position) groups. ... I'm glad we executed. There were a lot of tight plays and we made them."

Saints coach Sean Payton bemoaned another poor outing by his defense, which also gave up a slew of quick strike plays to Minnesota in Week 1 .

"We've got the right type of locker room, but we're going to have to respond quickly," Payton said. "We'll find out a little bit about what we're made of."

Brady's maiden Super Bowl triumph in the Superdome back in February 2002 is bound to be one of his fondest memories, but the 18-year veteran looked like a superior QB in his latest visit. He finished 30 of 39 for 447 yards. He committed no turnovers - at least not any that counted. Saints defenders twice caught Brady's passes, but both plays were wiped out by New Orleans penalties. Brady joined Warren Moon as the only QBs 40 or older in NFL history to pass for at least 400 yards and 3 TDs in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Rob Gronkowski had a 53-yard catch and run to highlight his six-catch, 116-yard performance , but left the game in the second half with a groin injury .

In Brady and the Saints' Drew Brees, the game featured the NFL's top two active quarterbacks in terms of career yards and touchdowns. Their 922 TD passes and 128,251 yards passing combined coming in represented the most in NFL history by starting QBs the same game.

But in this matchup, Brees couldn't keep up.

He was 27 of 45 for 356 yards and two TDs. The Saints' desperation to stay close was encapsulated by a failed attempt to convert a fourth down - despite being in field goal range on the Patriots 25-yard line - with 2:27 left in the first half and New England up by 13.

Brady responded by quickly marching the Patriots to the Saints 10 to set up Stephen Gostkowski's field goal, making it 30-13 at halftime.

When asked to explain what's wrong with New Orleans, it seemed Brees wasn't sure where to begin.

"Unfortunately, it's just been a little bit everything right now," he said.

FAST START

The Patriots' first three drives ended with a 19-yard TD pass to Rex Burkhead, Gronkowski's long TD and a 13-yard scoring pass to Chris Hogan.

New Orleans briefly rallied with Brees' 5-yard TD pass to Brandon Coleman and Wil Lutz's field goal on consecutive drives, pulling as close as 20-13. But New England responded with Mike Gillislee's short scoring run on a drive highlighted by downfield passes to Gronkowski, Hogan and former Saint Brandin Cooks.

"Our team responded well to this week of practice," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "We made some plays early in the game. We were able to play from ahead, and that was a good thing. A lot of different people contributed."

SEPTEMBERS TO FORGET

The Saints are now 1-11 in September since 2014, having begun 0-2 in four straight campaigns. The Saints have finished 7-9 the past three seasons.

"It puts you in a little bit of a hole, but we can't cry over spilled milk here," Brees said. "We've got to find a way to get a win."

INJURIES

Patriots: In addition to Gronkowski's groin injury, Burkhead had a rib injury in the second half. Hogan appeared to trying to treat soreness in his right leg in the second half. DB Eric Rowe was treated for a groin injury.

Saints: Rookie CB Marshon Lattimore left the game to be evaluated for a concussion. DE Trey Hendrickson left the game late in the first quarter with what the club described as a leg injury. DE Mitch Loewen needed help off the field after injuring his left leg in the fourth quarter.

UP NEXT

Patriots: return home to face the Houston Texans.

Saints: open NFC South divisional play at Carolina.

Bradford, Vikings cruise past Saints 29-19 in opener

 Sam Bradford set the NFL record for completion percentage for Minnesota last season, his accuracy aided by the volume of short passes under heavy pressure.

With protection from the rush, he showed Monday night he can throw the ball down the field with the best of them.

Bradford started his second year with Minnesota in style, passing for 346 yards and three touchdowns to help the Vikings beat New Orleans 29-19 and spoil Adrian Peterson's first game with the Saints.

"When I've got time to sit back there and kind of evaluate things, I've got all the confidence in the world that our guys outside are going to win," Bradford said.

Stefon Diggs had seven receptions for 93 yards, two for scores and all in the first half, and Adam Thielen racked up 157 yards on nine catches as Bradford carved up a Saints defense that looked again like one of the worst in the league despite a major renovation. Rookie Dalvin Cook rushed for 127 yards on 22 carries in the formal takeover from Peterson.

Peterson was limited to 18 yards on six carries, in a time share with Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara and an afterthought once the Saints fell behind. Drew Brees was quiet, too, with 291 yards on 27-for-37 passing padded by the late push to catch up.

"We didn't do anything different or try to out-trick them," Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr said. "You know, line up and play, do your job."

Coby Fleener caught the only touchdown toss, after the 2-minute warning. Will Lutz made four field goals, three under 25 yards.

"The bottom line," Brees said, "is you've got to score touchdowns."

Brees and Bradford are both in the final year of their contracts, with the same agent, Tom Condon, who is sure to cash in on both clients. Brees has by far the better resume, nine seasons further into his career, but Bradford stole the show on this prime-time stage.

Behind mostly clean pockets created by a remade offensive line, Bradford completed 27 of 32 passes without a turnover. With three rookies and three free agents in the starting lineup, the Saints tried hard to better a defense that has held Brees and company back since the Super Bowl title eight years ago. The first performance left a lot to be desired, with Diggs and Thielen consistently finding favorable matchups underneath and along the sideline.

"I just try to run a route, catch the pass, but Sam, you know, he's a slinger," Diggs said.

FLAGS FLY

The Saints had three unnecessary roughness calls in the first half. Two of the personal fouls extended a drive that ended with one of three field goals by Kai Forbath. The other 15-yarder was on safety Kenny Vaccaro for head-hunting Diggs during an acrobatic catch in the closing seconds of the first half. Diggs came right back with another highlight-reel grab to give the Vikings a 16-6 lead at the break after a 10-play, 95-yard drive.

Cameron Jordan and A.J. Klein each had their hands on a tipped pass in the end zone that fluttered off Cook's hands, missing a critical opportunity to thwart that drive and keep the deficit at four points.

DECENT DEBUT

Cook became the first Vikings rookie running back to start a season opener since Michael Bennett in 2001. Despite trouble hanging onto a couple of passes thrown his way, he helped salt away the game in the second half. Bradford and Cook were the primary beneficiaries of the work done by an offensive line with four new starters and plenty of old external skepticism after a lackluster 2016 performance.

"In the building, we felt great about those guys," Bradford said. "We've seen what we're capable of doing."

BACK AGAIN

Ten years and two days after Peterson made his NFL debut in purple with 103 yards rushing and a 60-yard touchdown reception on this same block of downtown Minneapolis, albeit in a different stadium, he returned in black, white and gold as a part-time player for the pass-first Saints.

The crowd was really fired up for the reunion with another former Vikings great. Former wide receiver Randy Moss, already on site as an analyst for ESPN, became the 22nd member of the team's Ring of Honor in a halftime ceremony punctuated by a passionate speech and shout-out to the fans.

TACKLE TROUBLE

With Terron Armstead still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, rookie Ryan Ramczyk started at left tackle for the Saints. Then right tackle Zach Strief injured his left leg in the second quarter, forcing Senio Kelemete into action. Vikings defensive ends Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter caused havoc.

UP NEXT

The Saints play Sunday against New England, their only home game in the season's first five weeks.

The Vikings visit Pittsburgh on Sunday, their only road game over the first four weeks of the schedule.

Alex Smith leads Chiefs past mistake-prone Saints, 27-21

Alex Smith huddled with Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy in front of his locker, not more than 15 minutes after Kansas City had beaten the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

If they were already dissecting his performance, they weren't going to find many faults.

Smith threw two touchdown passes in another calm, efficient outing, and Daniel Sorensen returned an interception of Drew Brees for another score as the Chiefs held on for a 27-21 victory.

"Everybody trusts Alex, man. Alex is a pro," said Tyreek Hill, who made an acrobatic 38-yard TD catch to help the Chiefs (4-2) win their ninth consecutive home game. "He's good. He's the truth."

Smith was helped by another big game from Spencer Ware, the one-time fill-in for Jamaal Charles who's become a star. He had 77 yards rushing to go with a 46-yard TD catch.

"He runs with a lot of physicality and determination, but a lot of agility," Smith said. "He's a good mix and I think you just see a guy who has great vision."

Brees tried to rally the Saints (2-4) once again, pulling them within 24-21 on a touchdown pass to Brandon Coleman with 2:33 left. But the ensuing onside kick went out of bounds, Kansas City added a field goal and the Saints could do nothing in the final 28 seconds to change the outcome.

Brees finished with 367 yards and three TD passes, and became the first player with 100 games with at least 300 yards passing. But much of that offense came while he was trying to rally his team. It was another uneven performance away from the Superdome for the New Orleans quarterback, who was coming off a 465-yard game last week against Carolina.

"Listen, we've set the bar pretty high at home, haven't we? We can't expect 500 yards on the road," he said. "It's what home-field advantage is, right? We can definitely execute better though."

Meanwhile, the Chiefs showed some moxie after falling into an early 7-0 hole.

Ware's touchdown on a screen pass and Sorensen's pick-six off a batted ball quickly turned the momentum, and Hill added his long touchdown reception to make it 21-7 at the break.

The Saints drew within a touchdown on Mark Ingram's catch midway through the third quarter, but the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner fumbled inside the Kansas City 10 with 8:26 left in the game.

"That's just everybody flying to the ball," said the Chiefs' Marcus Peters, who recovered it.

The fumble with the Chiefs leading 24-14 proved to be pivotal. New Orleans got the ball back and eventually scored, but the extra time it took may have cost them a chance to win the game.

"You play a good team on the road, penalties and turnovers, they can really do you in," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "Interception return for a touchdown on third-and-long, fumble in the red zone and we're not a good enough team to overcome some of those mistakes."

LOTS OF LAUNDRY

The Saints struggled with the crowd noise in Arrowhead Stadium, getting flagged for four false starts and a delay of game. They also got hit with two unnecessary roughness penalties, including one with just over two minutes left that kept them from getting the ball back. "With a veteran quarterback like that, you don't really expect it," Chiefs safety Eric Berry said.

BETTER DEFENSE

The Saints defense voluntarily skipped their day off Monday to review video, and it seemed to pay off. One of the league's worst defenses held Kansas City to just 326 yards of total offense.

REID ROLLS 300

The Chiefs' Andy Reid coached his 300th game Sunday. Most of those were over his 14 seasons in Philadelphia, where he was 140-102-1. He is now 36-21 in his fourth season in Kansas City.

INJURY REPORT

Saints: LB Dannell Ellerbe (quad), LB Stephone Anthony (hamstring) and CB Delvin Breaux (broken leg) left New Orleans without three defensive starters, while starting LG Andrus Peat (groin) was also out. Backup LGSenio Kelemete later left with a stinger, forcing Tim Lelito into the lineup.

Chiefs: Starting CB Phillip Gaines (knee) was inactive, while Charles (knee swelling) was active in a limited role . He had just one carry early in the game. "Things were going OK so I just let him ride there," Reid said. "I'm trying to be as careful as I can with him in my ear wanting to play."

Brees leads Saints past slumping Panthers, 41-38

After Drew Brees broke another NFL record with his latest 400-plus-yard passing performance, he stood on a podium and moved his right hand in an ascending motion while discussing the direction of the New Orleans Saints.

"We want to be on this trajectory," Brees said as he moved his hand up and away from his body. "I feel like we are."

Brees passed for 465 yards and four touchdowns, Wil Lutzkicked a 52-yard field goal with 11 seconds left, and New Orleans pulled out a 41-38 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

With his 15th 400-yard game, Brees broke a tie with Peyton Manning for the most all time in the regular season.

Brees also led the Saints (2-3) to a second straight victory while Carolina (1-5) lost its fourth straight despite the return of quarterback Cam Newton, who missed last week's loss to Tampa Bay because of a concussion.

Newton passed for 322 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for a 2-yard score and threw a 2-point conversion to Devin Funchess that tied the game at 38 with 2:58 left, completing a comeback from an early 21-0 deficit.

However, Newton was also intercepted by Sterling Moore in the back of the end zone, stalling a promising first-half drive.

Newton had little to say afterward, offering terse, vague answers to media inquiries or simply saying, "next question." His demeanor nonetheless left little doubt how displeased he was with yet another close loss.

Meanwhile, the quarterback's coaches and teammates made it clear Newton's performance was the least of their concerns.

"He made some really good decisions," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "When you score 38 points, you need to give yourself more of a chance to win."

Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly credited Carolina's offense for playing well and added, "We just have to tighten some things up defensively. We just have to make a play."

Tight end Josh Hill scored the Saints' final TD on a difficult, leaping 8-yard catch that was initially ruled incomplete.

But coach Sean Payton challenged the call and officials ruled on review that Hill had possession long enough for a completion before defensive back Zack Sanchez knocked the ball from Hill's grasp.

Brees didn't seem bothered that the Saints needed all of his prolific production to win and nearly squandered a three- TD lead.

"These are defining wins. These are wins you can draw from as the season goes along and really get a lot of strength from," Brees said. "It gives you great confidence and poise when situations arise in the future."

UNCONVENTIONAL TDS

Coby Fleener ran for a 2-yard touchdown on his first career carry - an end-around on a fourth-and-1 play that capped New Orleans' opening drive. He also caught a 50-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter on a play that Brees said didn't quite develop as drawn up because Fleener and receiver Willie Snead ran their routes too close together, causing a convergence of players over the middle.

"All of a sudden all these bodies were in this melee and here's Coby, coming down with it and taking it the distance," Brees said. "It worked out nicely."

CLUTCH KICKING

Lutz's winning kick came after he'd missed an earlier attempt from 53 yards. Lutz said that the moment Carolina tied it at 38, he told punter Thomas Morstead, who also holds on field goals, and long snapper Justin Drescher, "Let's go win the game."

"Like I've been saying all year - it's about the next kick," Lutz said.

TOP TARGETS

Saints receiver Brandin Cooks had an 87-yard touchdown catch to highlight his career-high 173-yard outing on seven catches. Saints rookie Michael Thomas caught his third touchdown pass in as many games. Fleener had six catches for 74 yards.

Funchess caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Newton and Carolina tight end Ed Dickson hauled in a 1-yard TD that Newton tossed as he scrambled to his left.

PENALTY PRONE

The Saints were flagged for pass interference three times at or near the goal line, and the Panthers cashed in all three times with touchdowns. In all, New Orleans had 10 penalties for 126 yards.

Panthers penalties included Kawann Short's unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for leveling Brees after his touchdown toss to Hill.

"It looked like he straight punched me in the mouth," Brees said. "That's what it felt like."

BACK IN ACTION

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart returned after missing three games with a hamstring injury and rushed for 85 yards on 19 carries, including two short touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Hill played for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 1.

INJURIES

Saints left tackle Andrus Peat, who was filling in for injured starter Terron Armstead, left the game late in the first half with an apparent left leg injury. He was replaced by veteran Tony Hills. ... Saints rookie defensive tackle David Onyemata also appeared to have a leg injury after a pileup near the New Orleans goal line in the fourth quarter and gingerly walked off the field. ... Panthers cornerback Daryl Worley was evaluated for a possible concussion.

NEXT UP

Panthers: Carolina has a bye week to try to figure out how to reverse its sinking fortunes.

Saints: New Orleans travels to Kansas City next Sunday.

Brees, Saints stun Chargers in final minutes for 35-34 win

When the New Orleans Saints came to Qualcomm Stadium to stretch their legs after a long flight Saturday, Drew Brees walked to the spot in the west end zone where he suffered a career-changing injury on the last day of 2005, and said a prayer.

"It was a great time of reflecting, of just how far I've come and our team has come," Brees said.

Some 24 hours later, Qualcomm was the spot of a great celebration for Brees and the Saints. They rallied with two touchdowns in the final 4 minutes, 50 seconds for a stunning 35-34 victory against Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, who blew a 13-point lead by committing two crucial turnovers.

"This was as much a team game, a team win, as I could ever remember," said Brees, who left the Chargers as a free agent in early 2006 and led the Saints to their only Super Bowl title four years later.

With the Chargers trying to protect a 34-21 lead, Melvin Gordon fumbled and Darryl Tapp recovered at the San Diego 13, setting up Brees' 5-yard TD pass to Michael Thomas on fourth-and-2 to pull to 34-28 with 4:50 to go.

Travis Benjamin then fumbled after a reception and Nate Stupar recovered at the San Diego 31. Seven plays later, fullback John Kuhn scored his third TD of the game, on a 1-yard run. The PAT made it 35-34.

Rivers, who was Brees' understudy for his first two NFL seasons, was intercepted by B.W. Webb with 1:10 to go.

After the final gun, Brees ran over to the stands and traded high-fives with jubilant Saints fans. After showering and doing postgame interviews, he came back out on the field with several family members and friends.

It was the first time Brees played at Qualcomm Stadium since Dec. 31, 2005, when he injured his throwing shoulder in his final appearance as Chargers quarterback. He had surgery and was allowed to leave as a free agent, signing with New Orleans.

That gave the starting job to Rivers.

"That last game in San Diego, I thought my career might have been over," Brees said. "As I walked off the field, I thought it might be the last game I would ever play."

The Saints took a chance on Brees, and four years later he led them to an NFL title.

Brees overcome two interceptions to led the Saints (1-3) to their first win.

It was the third time this season the Chargers (1-3) blew a late lead.

Chargers coach Mike McCoy was furious.

"That performance in the second half is flat-out unacceptable," McCoy said. "From the very opening kickoff return all the way to the very end. You cannot turn the ball over at critical times when you are trying to put the game away. Two times in a row. We absolutely gave this one away."

NO LEAD IS SAFE

The Chargers seemed to have it in control after Rivers directed a 14-play, 74-yard scoring drive capped by Gordon's second 1-yard scoring run of the game to give the Chargers a 31-21 lead with 12:15 to play. Rivers kept the drive alive with a pinpoint, 16-yard completion to Tyrell Williams to the New Orleans 7-yard line.

The Chargers have led in the fourth quarter of each of their three losses.

WHERE IT TURNED

The Chargers took a 24-14 halftime lead after scoring on three straight possessions, getting the 53-yard TD pass from Rivers to Inman, a 30-yard field goal from Josh Lambo and a 1-yard run by Gordon.

San Diego floundered on the opening drive of the second half, making fans nervous. Dexter McCluster caught the opening kickoff of the second half 6 yards deep and bringing it out only to the 15. The Chargers went three and out, and Brees led them on a drive culminated when Kuhn scored on a 1-yard run to pull the Saints to 24-21.

ATTENDANCE: The announced crowd was 60,641 at 70,000-seat Qualcomm stadium, the second home game this year well short of capacity. The Chargers are threatening to move to Los Angeles if voters don't approve a $1.1 billion stadium subsidy via an increase in hotel occupancy taxes.

ANTHEM PROTEST: Chargers Joshua Perry, Joe Barksdale, Chris Hairston, D.J. Fluker and Tyreek Burwellof held up their right fists during the national anthem.

INACTIVES: Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was inactive for the second straight week with a hamstring injury. Also out a second straight week was LT King Dunlap, who is bothered by migraines. ... Chargers lineman Chris Hairston limped off with a groin injury late in the second quarter. ... San Diego defensive endJoey Bosa, out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, has yet to make his NFL debut.

INJURIES: Chargers LG Orlando Franklin sustained a knee injury. ... Chargers LB Denzel Perryman injured a shoulder in the second quarter. ... Saints DE Paul Kruger suffered a back injury in the third quarter.

Freeman, Coleman lift Falcons past Saints, 45-32

 Devonta Freeman practically wore out the Superdome turf with one long gain after another, Tevin Coleman wouldn't be denied near the goal line and the New Orleans Saints hardly looked like the team that made an emotional homecoming nearly 10 years ago to the day.

Cheers turned to boos, and many fans filed out early.

Coleman rushed for three touchdowns, Matt Ryan passed for two TDs andDeion Jones returned an interception 90 yards for a score to help the Atlanta Falcons beat the winless New Orleans Saints 45-32 on Monday night.

"It was real fun. Everybody was doing their job and everybody was playing for each other," Coleman said. "Everything clicked, and we got it done. It's a real big win for us to beat this team here."

The game coincided with New Orleans' celebration of the 10-year anniversary of the Saints' memorable return to the Superdome on Sept. 25, 2006, 13 months after Hurricane Katrina. But there would be no reprise of New Orleans' dominant and emotional 23-3 triumph over Atlanta a decade ago.

The Saints' depleted defense struggled to slow Freeman, who rushed for 152 yards and caught five passes for 55 yards. Coleman also was effective in the passing game out of the backfield, with three receptions for 47 yards to go with his 42 yards rushing.

"We have to stop the run better," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "They were over 200 yards in situations where you knew the run was coming, even at the end of the game."

Ryan finished with 240 yards passing for Atlanta (2-1), which did not turn the ball over and moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC South.

Drew Brees put up his usual big numbers - 376 yards and three TDs passing - and hit tight end Coby Fleener seven times for 109 yards and a TD. But Brees' tipped pass that resulted in Jones' TD return early in the fourth quarter gave the Falcons a 45-25 lead that proved too much for New Orleans to overcome.

The loss dropped the Saints (0-3) to last place - a far cry from their 3-0 start in 2006.

JONES' RETURN

Jones had "NOLA" written on his cleats as a nod to his hometown of New Orleans. The rookie was only 11 when the dome re-opened after Katrina. He wound up with a pivotal scoring play in his first pro game there.

"It was a great moment for Deion Jones, right here back at home," Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. "That was very personal to him."

SPECIAL TEAMS BLUNDER

A cruel irony for the Saints was the way they lost the early momentum on - of all plays - a Falcons punt. A decade earlier, the Saints seized the early momentum on Steve Gleason's punt block that was recovered for a touchdown.

On Monday night, New Orleans had raced to a 7-0 lead and forced a punt on a sack, only to turn the ball over when punt returner Tommylee Lewis was run into by teammate De'Vante Harris. After the collision knocked Lewis to the ground, the ball came down right near him. As it bounced up, Harris tried to grab it, but it bounced away from him. It was recovered by Atlanta on the 11, setting up Coleman's first TD.

"It's a terrible play," Payton said, citing Harris specifically. "There's two mistakes - runs into the returner and then tries to pick the ball up. It's bad."

HAMPERED JULIO

Atlanta star Julio Jones played despite missing a couple practices during the week because of a sore calf. He did not make his first catch until the second half, on the sixth pass of the game intended for him. That play went for 16 yards and was his only catch.

RUNNING WILD

The Falcons gouged New Orleans' porous defense for 217 yards on the ground, highlighted by runs of 48, 36 and 26 yards by Freeman. That took a lot of pressure off Ryan, who praised his offensive line.

"Our offensive line was outstanding across the board," Ryan said. "Anytime you get over 200 rushing yards, your offensive line has played well. Those guys did great."

INJURY REPORT

Falcons: Receiver Mohammed Sanu left with a shoulder injury and did not return.

Saints: Guard Senio Kelemete left with a right leg injury.

Eli to Cruz sets up Giants win again, 16-13 over Saints

 If you missed Victor Cruz's clutch return to the NFL last week after missing more than a season, the 29-year-old New York Giants receiver offered an encore in Week 2.

Cruz, who had a winning fourth-quarter touchdown catch against Dallas last week, hauled in a 34-yard third-down pass from Eli Manning to set up Josh Brown's winning 23-yard field goal as time expired and the Giants got off to their first 2-0 start since 2009 with a 16-13 win over New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

"I just wanted to work my way in, catch things that are in front of me, make the plays that are presented to me," said Cruz, who had four catches for 91 yards. "To make the game-winning catch a week ago and today to make a pretty decisive catch on the sideline to seal the game, I couldn't draw it up any other way. I just go out and play the game and I think I'm getting better as the weeks go on."

Brown's third field goal capped an 11-play, 70-yard drive that featured two key third-down passes by Manning and a pass interference call on a pass toOdell Beckham Jr.

The game was also redemption for the Giants' defense. After allowing Drew Brees to throw for 511 yards and an NFL-tying seven touchdowns, New York limited him to one touchdown, 263 yards passing and 288 yards in total team offense in handing the Saints their second straight loss.

"It always comes down to a few plays but literally, we needed one more play in each of those games, and we are potentially sitting there at 2-0," said Brees, who did not complete a pass longer than 23 yards.

The Saints rallied to tie it twice in the fourth quarter. A 17-yard touchdown pass from Brees to Willie Snead IV evened things at 10 early in the quarter. After Brown, who returned from a one-game suspension, gave New York a 13-10 lead with a 19-yard field goal on the next series, Brees led an eight-play, 47-yard drive that ended with Will Lutz kicking a 45-yarder to tie it with 2:54 to play.

The Giants dominated the first half, but they were in danger of falling behind just before halftime when James Laurinaitis recovered Manning's fumble at the New York 25 after he was sacked by Michael Mauti.

An offensive pass interference on first down forced Lutz to attempt a 38-yard field goal. Defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins came up the middle and blocked it and Janoris Jenkins jogged 65 yards for a go-ahead touchdown with 2:30 left in the half.

Lutz hit a 39-yarder late in the half to get the Saints on the board.

The Saints forced three turnovers, and still only scored 13 points.

"It's very satisfying," Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said. "That guy's a Hall of Famer. Anytime we can perform like that, you've got to give credit to yourself."

SPECIAL TEAMS: The last time the Giants returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown was Dec. 7, 2008, when Kevin Dockery returned one 71 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles. Coincidentally, Gene Steratore was also the referee in that game.

SECONDARY CONCERNS: The Saints are hurting at cornerback. Delvin Breaux is out with a broken leg, and fellow starter P.J. Williams left in the first quarter against New York with a possible concussion and concern about his spine. Recently signed Sterling Moore and reserves DeVante Harris and Ken Crawley finished the game.

MORE BREES: Brees finished 29 of 44. The 37-year-old passed Dan Marino (61,361 yards) for No. 3 in NFL history.

VICTOR: The chants of "Cruzzz" greeted Cruz in his first game at MetLife Stadium since 2014. However, the 29-year old who caught the game winner against Dallas last weekend, fumbled at the end of a 40-yard catch after being hit by Crawley, spoiling his biggest play, until he came through at the end.

GIANTS BIG THREE: Cruz, Beckham and rookie Sterling Shepard combined for 294 yards and no touchdowns.

Gutsy call lifts Raiders past Saints, 35-34

For Oakland coach Jack Del Rio, calling for a do-or-die, 2-point conversion was less a gamble than a philosophical declaration.

Del Rio had no interest in a conservative point-after kick, and let his offense know it well before the decision had to be made. So when Derek Carr hit Seth Roberts for a 10-yard touchdown to cut New Orleans lead to a single point with 47 seconds left, kicker Sebastian Janikowski stood far from the action, helmet at his side, watching as Carr delivered a decisive fade pass to Michael Crabtree for a 35-34, season opening victory Sunday.

"Everyone knew about our strategy," said Del Rio, now in his second season with Oakland. "I didn't really ask for any feedback there. I said, `When we score here, we are going to go for 2 and win it right here.'"

His Raiders had already demonstrated considerable resolve just to get to that point.

Oakland had to overcome a 14-point, second-half deficit and a 424-yard, four-touchdown performance by Drew Brees.

"The belief and trust that coach has in us gives us so much confidence," Carr said.

Brees called the late 2-point try gutsy, but not surprising.

"You'll see that from time to time. You feel like you have the momentum, and let's dial it up and let's win the game," Brees said. "I could see us doing that."

FURIOUS FINISH: After the Raiders took their late lead, they still had to sweat out rookie kicker Wil Lutz's last-second field goal attempt from 61 yards, which narrowly missed wide left as the Superdome crowd briefly erupted before realizing the kick was no good.

"I thought it was good off my foot," Lutz said. "The ball moved on me."

Jalen Richard ran 75 yards for a touchdown on his first NFL carry and Amari Cooper caught Carr's pass for a 2-point conversion to briefly tie the game at 27 in the middle of the fourth quarter.

But Brees marched New Orleans for another score, highlighted by a 57-yard completion that receiver Willie Sneadfumbled and rookie wideout Michael Thomas recovered and advanced to the Oakland 2. That set up Travaris Cadet's short touchdown catch, giving New Orleans a 34-27 lead.

New Orleans nearly held on, but Saints linebacker Craig Robertson was flagged for interference on a fourth-down pass that sailed out of bounds.

"I'm not going to start the season off complaining about the officials. We have to play better," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "That was just one play."

BIG NUMBERS: Brees eclipsed 400 yards passing for the 14th time in his career, tying Peyton Manning for the most such performances in NFL history. Snead finished with nine catches for 172 yards, including fourth-down, 1-yard TD catch in the first half.

Carr finished with 319 yards and one touchdown passing against a Saints defense coached by his former Raiders head coach, Dennis Allen. The Raiders rushed for 167 yards, including touchdown runs of 6 yards by Latavius Murray and 2 yards by Jamize Olawale.

RECORD TD: Brees' touchdowns included a franchise-record 98-yarder to Brandin Cooks, who beat Sean Smith in single coverage and raced away from free safety Reggie Nelson. It was a career-long passing play for Brees as well.

"Brandin got a great release, I threw it up to him and he did the rest," Brees said. "He looked like Usain Bolt running down the sideline there."

Previously, Billy Joe Hobert and Eddie Kennison owned the Saints' longest scoring play - a 90-yard connection against Atlanta on Oct. 10, 1999. The Saints' previous longest play from scrimmage was as 96-yard passing play from Billy Kilmer to Walter Roberts on Nov. 19, 1967, the franchise's inaugural season.

COOPED UP: Cooper, familiar to fans in the Gulf South from his college days at Alabama, elicited cheers of, "Cooop!" from an audible contingent of Raiders fans in the Superdome with a couple receptions for long gains. He finished with six catches for 137 yards.

CAREER KICKOFF: Lutz made two of four field goal attempts - missing twice from 50 or more yards - in his NFL debut. Payton made the surprising move of cutting veteran incumbent kicker Kai Forbath in favor of Lutz this past week after the undrafted rookie out of Georgia State had been waived by Baltimore. Lutz hit his first field goal from 42 yards. He also handled kickoffs and hit a 20-yard field goal that was tipped.

"I like this guy a lot," Payton said of Lutz. "He's going to be kicking long after I am coaching here. He's really talented. There are obviously going to be some bumps along the way."

INJURIES: Raiders right tackle Menelik Watson left the game late in the first half with what team officials said was a groin pull. Saints starting cornerback Delvin Breaux left the game with an undisclosed lower left leg injury. He was replaced by undrafted rookie Ken Crawley, who was covering Crabtree on the decisive 2-point play.