Snafus sink Saints
NEW ORLEANS — Bernard Berrian ran the wrong route at the right time.
The result was a game-tying, 33-yard touchdown pass from Gus Frerotte intended for another receiver. When Frerotte did throw the ball Berrian's way a little later, the Vikings' big-play receiver didn't even have to catch it to set up the winning score.
A pass interference call on a deep throw into double coverage set up Ryan Longwell's 30-yard field goal with 13 seconds left, allowing the Minnesota Vikings to escape with a 30-27 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday night.
Reggie Bush ran back an NFL record-tying two punts for touchdowns of 71 and 64 yards which helped the Saints turn a 10-point third quarter deficit into a one-touchdown fourth quarter lead. But the Saints committed too many blunders — and the Vikings were too opportunistic — for Bush's night to matter.
"This is as good a win as it gets," Vikings coach Brad Childress said. "I don't know if I've ever been involved in one that went that way."
Saints fans have seen their team lose plenty of games in bizarre and dramatic ways through the franchise's four-decade history. Minnesota fans may remember one such game in 2002, when Daunte Culpepper fumbled a snap on an all-or-nothing 2-point conversion try in the final seconds of a game in the Louisiana Superdome — and still managed to score in a 32-31 Vikings win. That was the beginning of a three-game slide for New Orleans, which finished 9-7 and narrowly missed the playoffs.
This time, Frerotte repeatedly delivered clutch throws under heavy pressure, absorbed several hard hits and at one point needed a doctor's clearance to return to action. He passed for 222 yards and his only TD was the one Berrian unexpectedly snagged.
"I was just determined to go up there and catch it," Berrian said. "It just hung up there and I made a play."
The Vikings' other touchdown pass was thrown by running back Chester Taylor, who took a handoff on third-and-goal before finding Visanthe Shiancoe on a 4-yard toss.
"I love this team, the feeling we have in the huddle," said the 37-year-old Frerotte, who has won two of three starts since taking over for 25-year-old Tarvaris Jackson. "They're looking at me and have trust in what we are doing."
