Following four straight losses to open the season, the New Orleans Saints are re-energized and looking like a playoff contender again.
The team won two weeks ago against San Diego and took care of business this week following a bye, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35-28 on Sunday.
Drew Brees threw four touchdowns through the air and defense played inspired football with the return of Jonathan Vilma, who has missed time for injuries and issues with the team's bounty scandal.
"It's awesome to have him back," receiver Lance Moore said to the Associated Press. "To go through the things that he's gone through individually, then to just kind of break through and get a chance to get out there, be with his teammates -- he spoke to us last night, got us all fired up, and we had to come out here and play well."
Brees added another game to his record for consecutive games with a passing touchdown, which now stands at 49, and passed for 377 yards as the Saints erased a 14-point second quarter deficit.
"We want to get on a streak here. You've got to win more than one before you're on a streak," Brees said. "So now we've got two, and we want to keep that going.
The high scoring contest saw quality quarterback play from both sides, including a career performance from Tampa's Josh Freeman, who threw for 420 yards and three touchdowns. The first two quarters of the game saw a combined 49 points, while the third quarter had no scoring.
The Buccaneers sped out to a 21-7 lead in the second quarter after an early touchdown from Freeman to wide receiver Vincent Jackson, but the Saints never gave up. Brees threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Darren Sproles and then added two more to Joseph Morgan and David Thomas to put the Saints up 28-21 going into half time. They could never give back the lead.
In the fourth quarter Pierre Thomas added a rushing touchdown to take a 35-21 lead before the Buccaneers cut it to one score on a 3-yard pass to tight end Dallas Clark. The game ended in a strange way as the Buccaneers drove towards the end zone with time winding down in the fourth quarter.
Freeman threw a pass to the back of the end zone to Mike Williams that was completed for a touchdown, but the referees ruled that the receiver had stepped out of bounds and called him for illegal touching, ending the game.
"I thought we had the game tied. I see the flag down, think it's a pass interference call or something. They say it's illegal touching," Williams said. "A swing of emotions. He gave me a little push. I have to be strong enough to stay inbounds."
Jackson had a big game for the Buccaneers, catching seven balls for 216 yards, but failed to score on a 95-yard catch during the game after getting chased down by Saints cornerback Malcolm Jenkins. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, "It was the longest reception without scoring a TD since Ahmad Rashad had a 98-yard reception on Dec. 10, 1972, against the Rams."
Vilma didn't factor much on the stat sheet, being credited with one pass defended and no tackles, but made up for it in other ways by bringing energy and intensity to the defense.
"Most people didn't, but it was a long, drawn-out process, and for good or bad, it ended up this way and I was able to be back on the field with my teammates. That was a great feeling," Vilma said. "I talked to the team last night. I don't really want to get into it. I think my talk, hopefully it worked since we won today."
His biggest impact came on an incomplete pass by Freeman that was almost thrown for an interception after Vilma pressured the quarterback.
"Having him back just, emotionally, really made a difference in this game," interim Saints coach Aaron Kromer said. "We were trying to get him in in certain packages, and we had a couple of linebackers go down early in the game."
Vilma still has some bounty issues to deal with, including an appeal for his suspension. But on Sunday all that mattered was the game and the fact that he was on the field.
"You could just feel how grateful he was (for) just the opportunity to get out there again, but also, just the intensity," Brees said. "He's just one of those guys, very vocal. He obviously knows guys very well, they know him, so his ability to say certain things at the right time and just provide a lift, whether it be just his productivity on the field or making a play, or something he would say, that presence was definitely felt this week."
The Saints have won two games in a row since opening the season with four straight losses.
