When the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints jumped ahead of the underachieving Dallas Cowboys by 17 points in the first quarter, it seemed like another Thanksgiving Day snoozer. But the Saints went into a lull, playing as if they had their fourth straight victory assured. And gradually, the Cowboys, who have been a different team since Jason Garrett replaced coach Wade Phillips on Nov. 8, worked on a comeback that put them ahead with just 5:51 remaining.
But after a New Orleans three-and-out, the Saints got the ball back when Cowboys receiver Roy Williams' 47-yard catch and run ended when Malcolm Jenkins stripped him at the New Orleans 11 and recovered the fumble. Four plays later, Saints receiver Robert Meachem blew past cornerback Terence Newman and hauled in a 55-yard bomb from Brees -- Meachem's first catch of the game -- at the Dallas 12 with 2:00 to go. On the next play, Lance Moore beat Mike Jenkins for the touchdown throw from Drew Brees that gave the Saints the dramatic 30-27 victory.
With their fourth straight victory, the Saints improved to 8-3, a half game behind Atlanta (8-2) in the NFC South race. The Falcons face NFC North leader Green Bay on Sunday.
Dallas, which fell to 2-1 under Garrett and 3-8 overall, had gone ahead on Tashard Choice's 1-yard touchdown run. That TD came seven plays after Gerald Sensabaugh picked off a Brees pass that caromed off the hands of rookie tight end Jimmy Graham.
The Cowboys' comeback began on the final play of the first half on David Buehler's career-long 53-yard field goal -- Buehler missed a 59-yarder in the final minute which would have sent the game to overtime. Miles Austin then raced 60 yards to the end zone -- Dallas' longest run of the year -- on the first carry of the second half to narrow the deficit to 20-12, just 59 seconds into the third quarter.
Then Saints running back Reggie Bush, who had been out nine weeks, dropped a sure touchdown and later fumbled a punt return when hit by Jesse Holley at the New Orleans 15 -- Dallas' Leon Williams recovered. Six plays later, Marion Barber took it over on fourth-and-goal at the 1 to close the gap to 23-20 with 4:30 to go in the third quarter. That's where the score sat heading into the fourth quarter.
Here are some other thoughts on the game:
• Devery Henderson has had issues over the years with drops, but the Saints' receiver fended off interference from Cowboys safeties Alan Ball and still had the concentration to look Brees' 57-yard pass into his hands to set up rookie Chris Ivory's 4-yard touchdown run, which opened the scoring on the next play just 1:51 into the game.
• The Saints were third in the NFL with 26 interceptions during their Super Bowl championship season of 2009. They came into Thursday's game with just six this season. But on Dallas' fifth play, defensive end Will Smith leaped and picked off Jon Kitna's screen for Dez Bryant. Smith fumbled but teammate Tracy Porter recovered at the Dallas 31. Garrett Hartley raised New Orleans' lead to 10-0 with a career-high 50-yard field goal four plays later.
• The same trio that produced the Saints' first touchdown repeated the formula less than nine minutes later. After Brees passed 16 yards to Marques Colston, Henderson made a terrific sliding catch at the Dallas 6. On the next play, Ivory went up the gut again to make it 17-0 with 4:33 still remaining in the first quarter.
• After doing little on their first two possessions, the Cowboys got going the next two times they had the ball but came away with just three points. The first drive lasted 11 plays and 59 yards, but Barber couldn't get away from linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar on fourth-and-1 at the New Orleans 21. After a Saints' three-and-out, Jon Kitna marched Dallas 79 yards over 14 plays, but the drive stalled inside the New Orleans 10ard field goal four plays later.
• The same trio that produced the Saints' first touchdown repeated the formula less than nine minutes later. After Brees passed 16 yards to Marques Colston, Henderson made a terrific sliding catch at the Dallas 6. On the next play, Ivory went up the gut again to make it 17-0 with 4:33 still remaining in the first quarter.
• After doing little on their first two possessions, the Cowboys got going the next two times they had the ball but came away with just three points. The first drive lasted 11 plays and 59 yards, but Barber couldn't get away from linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar on fourth-and-1 at the New Orleans 21. After a Saints' three-and-out, Kitna marched Dallas 79 yards over 14 plays, but the drive stalled inside the New Orleans 10 and the Cowboys settled for Buehler's 21-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 17-3 late in the second quarter.
• Garrett and New Orleans' Sean Payton are two of just eight NFL head coaches who played in the league. Garrett and Payton both played quarterback as did Houston's Gary Kubiak.
• Garrett, whose defense had held the Saints to two field goals during the previous two quarters, surprisingly bypassed having Buehler try another 53-yarder, which could have tied the game, and punted the ball back to New Orleans with 10:57 left in the fourth quarter. But then came Sensabaugh's big interception, Choice's first touchdown of the year and Jay Ratliff's sack on the Saints' subsequent third down.
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