by SHELDON MICKLES; Advocate sportswriter; , The Advocate

The Saints had scored four touchdowns and a field goal on their first series of their first five games before the Dolphins halted the streak. The Saints got 14 yards on the first play from scrimmage on a Drew Brees pass to Marques Colston, but the drive then fizzled.

Streak ends

Brees had a miserable first half, hitting on just 12 of 22 passes for 104 yards.

He was sacked three times and had two interceptions although he did end the half with a 1-yard TD dive that ignited the Saints' comeback in a 46-34 win.

The first of Brees' three interceptions on the afternoon ended a streak of 113 consecutive passes without a pick, which dated to the second quarter of a Week 2 game at Philadelphia.

Falling behind

Dolphins safety Tyrone Culver got the first interception and returned it to the Saints' 4, which set up a touchdown run by former Saints running back Ricky Williams on the next play.

That gave the Dolphins a 7-0 lead with 7:20 left in the opening quarter. It was the first time the Saints trailed all season, as they had played 307 minutes, 40 seconds this season either winning or tied.

Game ball

To the entire Saints team and coaching staff for not folding the tent after falling behind 24-3 with 8:55 remaining in the second quarter.

The Saints started the comeback with a 1-yard TD dive by Brees with two seconds left in the first half, outscoring the Dolphins, 43-10, over the next 28 minutes, 9 seconds.

Play of the game

Brees lobbied coach Sean Payton to go for the touchdown just before halftime instead of taking a chip-shot field goal. Brees leaped over the top for the score that cut the Saints' early deficit to 24-10 at the break.

Keep on picking

The Saints , who came into the game tied for the league lead with 11 interceptions, added two more Sunday as free safety Darren Sharper and cornerback Tracy Porter padded the total - with both going for scores.

Sharper's interception was the 60th of his career and the TD was his 11th, leaving him one behind the all-time NFL record of 12 set by Rod Woodson.

The Saints have at least one interception in all six games this season, their longest streak since they had six in a row from Games 7-12 in 1998.

Three for 2,000

Saints kicker John Carney became the fourth player in NFL history to score 2,000 points for his career when he booted a 46-yard field goal with 5:06 to play in the first quarter.

Carney, who entered the game with 1,997 points in his 21-year career, joined former Saints player Morten Andersen (2,544), Gary Anderson (2,434) and George Blanda (2,002) in the 2K club.

Carney later added four extra points and another field goal, passing Blanda on the scoring list with his third PAT.

Carney now has 2,007 total points.

Inactives

The inactives for the Saints were SLB Scott Fujita, CB Malcolm Jenkins, CB Leigh Torrence, DT Kendrick Clancy, K Garrett Hartley, RB Lynell Hamilton and C Nick Leckey. Chase Daniel was the third quarterback.

Fujita (calf), Jenkins (ankle) and Torrence (hamstring) missed the game because of injuries.

Injury report

For the Saints , DT Sedrick Ellis injured his right knee in the second quarter and did not return. He is scheduled to have tests on the knee today.

Fullback Heath Evans injured a knee in the fourth quarter and did not return, while RT Jon Stinchcomb bruised his knee in the second quarter but returned.

Technical difficulties

The Dolphins got a break on their first series when Chad Henne threw a pass to wide receiver Davone Bess on third-and-4 from the Dolphins' 36. The play was right in front of the Saints' bench, which drew a reaction from coaches who thought he dropped the ball.

Payton challenged the call and replays on the Jumbotron showed the ball hit the ground. Referee John Parry said the replay equipment malfunctioned and the play couldn't be reviewed, which meant the ruling on the field of a completed pass stood for an 8-yard gain and a first down.

Lagniappe

Payton has now won six games in a row against AFC competition and is 8-7 after losing seven of his first nine. ... Dolphins linebacker Reggie Torbor, a former Lee High standout, had an interception on a tipped ball in the second quarter. ... The Dolphins scored 14 points in the first period, one more than the Saints allowed in the opening quarter of their first five games. ... Former LSU standout A.J. Duhe was among the former Dolphins on the field at halftime as the franchise honored the 1982 and '84 teams that won AFC championships.

Copyright 2009 Capital City Press All Rights Reserved
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.