It was over when ...
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw an incompletion on fourth-and-9 from the Saints 14 with 1:16 left. The Seahawks trailed 28-17 but went for the touchdown instead of attempting a field goal. The Saints' Josh Bullocks had intercepted Hasselbeck on the previous drive to thwart the Seahawks comeback bid.
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| Otto Greule Jr / Getty Images |
| Reggie Bush rushed for 97 yards to help lead the Saints to their first victory of the season. |
Game ball
Saints nose tackle Hollis Thomas sacked Matt Hasselbeck in the Seahawks opening drive. The Saints did not have a sack in their first four games, and Hollis' sack sparked his defense, which finished with five sacks. Safety Roman Harper had two, including one with 4:07 left in the fourth quarter that really dampened a Seahawks offense that had been moving the ball at will. Reggie Bush showed he could run between the tackles and posted the three longest runs of his career in the first half. Bush had runs of 22, 19 and 22 yards to finish with 97 rushing yards.
Key stat
The Saints defense had allowed opposing quarterbacks to post a passer rating of just under 115 on the season. While Hasselbeck had two touchdown passes and a 93.4 rating, the Saints shut down the run and essentially made the Seahawks one-dimensional. Seattle finished with 92 rushing yards, but 37 of them came on one run by fullback Leonard Weaver. Shaun Alexander gained only 35 yards in 14 carries.
Noteworthy
The Saints will try to become the second team in NFL history to start the season 0-4 and end up in the Super Bowl (San Diego, 1992). ... Seahawks backup quarterback Seneca Wallace saw some action at wide receiver and had a 29-yard reception, his second catch of the year.
