Football
Associated Press 16y

Bush helps New Orleans into win column, 28-17 over slumping Seattle

SEATTLE -- The New Orleans Saints finally found the win
column. A standout night from Reggie Bush was only a small part of
their breakthrough.

Bush gained 141 yards, Drew Brees threw for 246 and receiver
David Patten had eight catches for 113 yards Sunday night to lift
the Saints to their first victory, 28-17 over the sloppy Seattle
Seahawks.

It was a breakout day for New Orleans (1-4), which hadn't scored
more than 14 points in four dispiriting losses that brought back
chilling memories of the 'Aints of days past. In this one, the
Saints had three touchdowns by the middle of the second quarter.

"We did pop that can open, just a little bit," said Brees, who
is trying to help the Saints become only the second team to make
the playoffs after an 0-4 start. "Hopefully, there's more to
come."

Now, it's the Seahawks (3-3) who must go directly back to the
drawing board after a second straight pathetic effort -- this coming
a week after a 21-0 loss at Pittsburgh.

Shaun Alexander ran for 35 yards on 14 carries, hardly making
good on coach Mike Holmgren's vow last week to fix the troubled
Seattle running game. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 362 yards, his most
since December 2004, though most came with Seattle trying to
overcome a three-touchdown deficit.

"It definitely feels good to get this monkey off our back,"
Bush said. "We came in and gave them a blow early."

The ugliness, and the booing at Qwest Field, started early when
newly acquired long snapper Boone Stutz skidded one back to punter
Ryan Plackemeier, who couldn't field it. Pierre Thomas scooped up
the loose ball and scored for a 7-0 lead.

Bush took over for the rest of the first half. Coach Sean Payton
told Seattle media he hoped to limit his star running back to 25
touches if he could, but for a while, it looked like Bush might
reach that mark by halftime.

He finished with 97 yards rushing and 44 receiving on exactly 25
touches, almost all the damage done in the first two quarters while
New Orleans was amassing a 28-10 lead. The Saints spent the second
half moving the ball and taking time off the clock.

Bush lost a fumble late in the third quarter at the Seattle 12,
but it came at the end of a six-minute drive with an 18-point lead
and the outcome not much in doubt anymore.

Trailing by 11, Seattle twice moved into New Orleans territory
in the fourth quarter. But the drives ended with an interception by
Josh Bullocks and with a Hasselbeck incompletion on fourth-and-9
from the 14.

Brees, who came into the game with one touchdown against a
league-high nine interceptions, threw for two scores without a pick
this time. His prime target was Patten, a free-agent pickup this
season who had five catches this season.

New Orleans went 7-for-14 on third-down conversions, though none
of those successes said more than one that led to its second
touchdown.

On third-and-10 in the first quarter, Brees hit Patten for
first-down yardage, but a big hit popped the ball loose. It
squirted 15 yards up the field and was surrounded by Seattle
defenders. However, Saints tight end Eric Johnson hustled
downfield, shouldered his body into the pile and came up with the
loose ball, turning a possible turnover into a first down in
Seahawks territory.

Bush ran for 19 and 14 yards to move New Orleans toward the goal
line, then Brees hit Johnson for a 3-yard touchdown and a 14-0
lead.

The Saints defense collected five sacks, including two from
blitzing safety Roman Harper. Despite his big numbers, Hasselbeck
was harassed all day, throwing off his back foot, hardly looking
like the Super Bowl quarterback he was only two seasons ago. He
played without either of his opening-day receivers, Deion Branch
and D.J. Hackett, or fullback Mack Strong, who retired last week
due to a spinal cord injury.

Alexander, meanwhile, has 60 yards on 25 carries over the last
two weeks.

Among the few bright spots for the Seahawks, who were booed
lustily all night long by the home crowd, are that they still are
still tied for the lead in the bad NFC West and have another home
game against a winless team, St. Louis, coming up next week.

"Our record is what it is," Holmgren said. "There are logical
reasons, honest reasons why we've lost games. There's only one
thing to do: Roll up your sleeves and work hard."

The game was delayed for about 10 minutes early in the first
quarter when the NBC overhead camera crashed to the turf during a
timeout. It nearly clocked receiver Bobby Engram as he was walking
toward the sideline.

It was hardly the most embarrassing thing that happened to the
Seahawks on this night.

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