{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Football League
New Orleans 27, Tampa Bay 16
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, November 6, 2011
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Carl Cheffers
Attendance: 73043

The New Orleans Saints avoided a season sweep at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and preserved their NFC South lead with a 27-16 home victory Sunday at the Superdome.

Drew Brees didn't waste much time extending his streak of consecutive games with at least one touchdown pass to 36, which matches Brett Favre for the second-longest streak in NFL history. He also has completed 20 or more passes in an NFL-record 29 consecutive games for the Saints (6-3).

Brees didn't have a scoring strike until there were six seconds left in last week's 31-21 loss to St. Louis, but he hit Lance Moore for a 3-yard touchdown in the first quarter Sunday. He then connected with Darren Sproles for a 24-yard score in the second quarter.

The Saints maintained their half-game lead over Atlanta, a 31-7 winner at Indianapolis on Sunday, heading into next weekend's division showdown at the Georgia Dome.

Tampa Bay's Kellen Winslow had four catches for 29 yards and a touchdown to extend his streak of consecutive games with at least one catch to 84.

The Bucs (4-4) had won in their past two trips to New Orleans, getting big games from quarterback Josh Freeman. Freeman passed for 249 yards and a touchdown Sunday.

Saints cornerback Tracy Porter left the game on a stretcher after suffering an apparent neck injury on the first play of the game. Porter passed neurological tests from the Saints' trainers, but he was taken to the hospital for further examination.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Tampa Bay   New Orleans
LeGarrette Blount Player Chris Ivory
13 Attempts 15
72 Yards 67
5.5 Avg Yards 4.5
0 Touchdowns 0
27 Long 12
Receiving
Tampa Bay   New Orleans
Preston Parker Player Jimmy Graham
3 Receptions 6
56 Yards 78
18.7 Avg Yards 13.0
0 Touchdowns 0
36 Long 23
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Tampa Bay 365 84 281 1 3 1 0.0 0
New Orleans 453 195 258 3 2 0 1.0 2
Upcoming Games
  • New Orleans will play their next game on the road against Atlanta. The Saints have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Tampa Bay will play their next game at home against Houston. The Buccaneers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.