THANKS HOUSTON! Saints 24 Buccaneers 21

Reggie Bush saves the day for the first time as a Saint

with a 4th quarter punt return for a touchdown.

The sign of a winnner.

You're facing the defending division champ, and they need the win more than you. If they don't win, they're screwed. So what if they're starting a rookie quarterback? They've always won with mediocre quarterbacks. They play a good game. You are in control, but they fight back. They outplay you in the last 20-plus minutes of the game and take control and the lead.

And yet, you find a way to win a game you probably shouldn't have won.

To put it in other terms: how many times have we been on the other side of that game?

THE GOOD

• In case you missed it, Reggie Bush returned a punt for a game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Big props to what looked like Aaron Stecker for blowing up a Bucs defender on the sideline.
  
• Bush also caught 11 passes for 63 yards.
• Deuce had 2 big runs. Overall he was 15-123-1.
• Drew Brees still hadn't made any big mistakes since the first quarter of the Packers game. And he's completing like 70 percent of his passes since then.
• Ernie Conwell gets his first touchdown of the season.
• Zero turnovers for the offense.
  
• The defense forced its first turnover since Green Bay, and it led to 7 very important points.
• Rodney Leisle recovered the fumble, and made his first serious contributions as a Saint.
• Same for Danny Clark, minus the fumble recovery.
• The starting linebackers combined for 14 tackles.
• The Saints stopped Mike Alstott on a key 3rd and 1 on the first play of the second quarter. Big tackle by Scott Fujita
  
• The defense didn't give up a late game-winning touchdown.

THE BAD

• For the second week in a row, the defensive line got no pressure on the quarterback.
• The Saints were facing a rookie quarterback and makeshift offensive line, and gave up 406 yards of offense.
• The secondary let Joey Galloway get free too often.
• The Saints gave up too much yardage on the ground right up the middle. They gave up a 100-yard rushing game (Cadillac Williams) for the second week in a row.
• Too many tackles in the secondary. The safeties combined for 17.
• Joe Horn dropped a couple of passes and had a pass interference penalty called on him.
• Ernie Conwell dropped what could have been a second touchdown pass, and the Saints settled for a field goal.
• The first three drives of the game were two three-and-outs for the Saints and a Bucs touchdown.
• The Saints blew a 10-point lead with 20 minutes left in the game.
• Reggie Bush was held to under 3 yards a carry again, although it was due to a 4-yard loss on his final carry (which was an outstanding defensive play).

THE UGLY

• That offsetting pass interference call was a horsesh*t cop-out call.
• And then they have the balls to call a picky offensive pass interference penalty on Joe Horn a few minutes later?
• The Bucs had a big pass to Ike Hilliard late in the game called back for offensive pass interference. This one actually looked like it happened. See a theme here?
• If Reggie Bush doesn't bail the team out, the Saints lose for the second week in a row when they had a lead in the 4th quarter. Is the team starting to run out of gas in the 4th quarter? Let's hope that this is a temporary trend.

Next week, the Eagles come to town. Let's hope for a post-T.O. hangover and more hamstring problems for Donte' Stallworth. 5-1 at the break would be nothing short of a miracle.

WEEK 4 RECAP: Panthers 21 Saints 18.

TAGS: NFL, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Drew Brees, Deuce McAllister, Reggie Bush