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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Aaron Brooks ducked, dodged and ran for his
life all afternoon. When he finally caught his breath, the New
Orleans Saints were on the verge of an unlikely playoff berth.
|  | | San Francisco QB Jeff Garcia passed for 305 yards and two TDs, and ran for two scores in defeat Sunday against the Saints. |
Terry Allen scored on a 1-yard run with 46 seconds left, and
Brooks led two late touchdown drives as the Saints clinched just
their sixth winning season in the last 34 years with a 31-27
victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
"I think we were due to win a game like this, because this
franchise has lost a lot of tough games against this team," Saints
defensive tackle La'Roi Glover said. "We're enjoying it. We're
feeling like anything is possible now."
Until the closing minutes, it looked like another disappointing
day for this perennially downtrodden franchise. The 49ers dominated
the first three quarters, sacked Brooks five times and scored two
touchdowns in the fourth.
But Brooks, who was terrible through the air but deadly on the
ground, rushed for 108 yards and led the Saints (9-5) on two late
scoring drives. It was their third straight win over the 49ers
(5-9).
"We felt like I had to make some plays with my feet," Brooks
said. "It got us out of a couple of jams, and we were able to stay
alive."
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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Question on the Saints: How can an inexperienced Aaron
Brooks keep making plays?
Donahoe: Brooks is growing up in a big hurry in the NFL. He was
probably not ready mentally to play when starting quarterback Jeff
Blake went down a few weeks ago, but he had to get ready fast. Offensive
coordinator Mike McCarthy and his staff deserve a lot of credit for the
rapid development of Brooks. Last week he demonstrated his throwing ability
in passing for more than 400 yards against Denver. Today, the Saints' early
effort was propelled by his running ability, and the passing came later.
It's hard to believe that Brooks had no NFL experience prior to Blake's
injury. He has excellent size and athletic ability and an arm that permits
him to make all the throws. The Saints have to be excited about Brooks and
his potential.
Question on the 49ers: Were the 49ers a victim of some bad calls late
in the game?
Donahoe: There did appear to be some questionable calls. But what was
even more alarming was the 49ers' inability to hold on to a lead. In my
opinion, the officials' calls over the course of a particular game or a
season will generally even out. There are some good calls and some bad
calls, just as there are some good coaching decisions and some bad coaching
decisions. The worst thing an NFL team can do is dwell on the calls. However
the call goes, you must forget about it and move on to the next play. The
49ers have to be disappointed, because this is a game they let slip away.
Tom Donahoe, ESPN.com's NFL analyst, was formerly the Steelers' director
of football operations.
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New Orleans trailed 27-17 with six minutes to play, but the
rally kept their NFC West title hopes alive. The Saints can clinch
their first playoff berth since 1992 -- also the last time they had
a winning season -- with a win over Atlanta on Sunday.
A showdown with St. Louis looms in the season's final game. The
Saints kept pace with the Rams (9-5), who beat Minnesota 40-29.
The San Francisco defense that held its last three opponents to
30 total points was unable to cope with Brooks' scrambling. Brooks
led New Orleans to 17 points in the fourth quarter and constantly
stayed just inches away from a sack or an interception.
"He didn't get rattled. He was determined not to go down,"
49ers defensive tackle Brentson Buckner said.
Brooks completed just two of his first 12 passes and finished
12-of-29 for 203 yards. But he and Allen, who got his first
significant action since signing with the Saints last month, gave
the Saints an answer for the offense they lost when Ricky Williams
was injured earlier this season.
"We had some chances to take him down, but he's a slippery
guy," San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci said. "He gets out of
there."
New Orleans also weathered a huge game from 49ers quarterback
Jeff Garcia, who passed for 305 yards and two touchdowns and also
ran for two scores. The 49ers' three-game winning streak was
snapped.
Garcia, who was 25-of-38 but threw two interceptions, hit
Terrell Owens with a 69-yard TD pass with 8:27 left that put San
Francisco up by 10 after a missed extra point. New Orleans cut the
lead when Brooks nimbly sidestepped two rushers and hit Willie
Jackson for a 22-yard score with 5:46 left.
After San Francisco punted, Brooks engineered a 68-yard drive,
converting a fourth-and-4 with a 10-yard run and hitting Keith
Poole with a 22-yard pass before Allen's 1-yard run.
But the game nearly turned twice on two controversial plays in
the final 80 seconds. The 49ers thought Chad Morton fumbled out of
the end zone when he was tackled at the 1, but video replay
disagreed. Then Terrelle Smith fumbled on a 1-yard dive attempt
with a minute to play, but the Saints recovered.
Allen scored on the next play and finished with 80 yards
rushing. It was New Orleans' only lead of the game.
"We feel bad for letting this one slide," Garcia said. "This
team has fought back so far over the last month."
Game notes
San Francisco hadn't lost since a 31-15 defeat at the
Superdome on Nov. 5. "They're a much better team than when we
played them last time," Saints coach Jim Haslett said. ... Andrew
Glover caught a 15-yard TD pass from Brooks in the third quarter.
... Garcia's fifth 300-yard passing game of the season tied the
team record held by Joe Montana, who did it four times, and Steve
Young, who did it in 1994. ... Garcia marched the 49ers on two
lengthy first-half scoring drives that ended his short TD runs. San
Francisco held the Saints to 98 total yards and 3 yards passing,
and led 14-3 at halftime. ... 49ers TE Greg Clark caught his first
TD pass since Oct. 11, 1998.
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ALSO SEE
New Orleans Clubhouse
San Francisco Clubhouse
 FROM
ATHLETESDIRECT
Ricky Williams Official Site
Jeff Blake Official Site
Kyle Turley Official Site
Terrell Owens Official Site
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