Jacksonville Jaguars vs New Orleans Saints Match Player Stats On Dec 27, 2015

The Sports Xchange
Dec 27, 2015

NEW ORLEANS -- Playing on a sore foot, quarterback Drew Brees threw for 412 yards and three touchdowns, leading the New Orleans Saints to a 38-27 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday at the Mercedes

Running back Tim Hightower produced 122 yards and two scores on 27 carries for the Saints (6-9).

Brees, who completed 25 of 36 passes in his 13th career 400-yard game, did not practice during the week because of a torn plantar fascia in his right foot, but the injury did not seem to faze him.

Brees led New Orleans on touchdown drives of 80, 98, 80 and 88 yards, and the Saints dominated the Jaguars with 537 yards in total offense, and a 29-21 advantage in first downs.

The Saints punted only once on their first nine series, by which time they led 38-19. Hightower rushed for more than 100 yards for the first time since Dec. 12, 2010, when he played for the Arizona Cardinals.

Brees' 13th 400-yard game tied him with Dan Marino for the second most in NFL history behind Peyton Manning, who has 14.

The Saints raced to a 24-0 lead, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions and getting a 37-yard field goal from kicker Kai Forbath late in the second quarter.

After Jacksonville (5-10) cut the deficit to 24-13 on quarterback Blake Bortles' touchdown passes of 2 yards to Marqise Lee and 6 yards to Allen Hurns, Breese responded with a 44-yard circle route to running back Travaris Cadet for a touchdown, then led an 88-yard march capped by Hightower's 5-yard burst up the middle.

Bartles wound up 27-for-35 for 368 yards with four touchdown passes and two interceptions. Hurns finished with eight catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and fellow wide receiver Allen Robinson made seven receptions for 167 yards and a score.

Brees completed 14 of 22 passes for 251 yards and two scores in the first half -- a 17-yard back-shoulder strike to tight end Michael Hoomanawanui and a 71-yard rainbow to wide receiver Brandin Cooks.

The pass to Cooks capped a 98-yard drive by the Saints, who overcame two holding penalties and a first-and-30 to score.

Hightower scored on a 1-yard leap in the second quarter. He set up the Saints at the Jacksonville 1-yard line with a 27-yard screen pass.

The Jaguars did not play a single down inside Saints' territory until the final three minutes of the half, but they finally got on the scoreboard with Bortles' short TD pass to Lee just before halftime.

The Saints scored 10 points off two Bortles interceptions in the first half, and they outgained the Jaguars 294-105.

NOTES: With five catches for 123 yards, WR Brandin Cooks became the first Saints wide receiver since Marques Colston (1,154) and Lance Moore (1,041) to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Cooks has 1,116 yards going into the final week. ... With his 71-yard TD pass to Cooks, Drew Brees joined Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers as the only NFL quarterbacks to have 16 career passes of at least 70 yards. ... The Saints defense set an ugly record by allowing four more passing TDs for an NFL-record 43 this season. That broke the record of 40 allowed by the 1963 Denver Broncos, who finished 2-11-1.