Saints' defense makes Favre's return to Superdome unhappy
By By Richard Dark / EMG sports writer
Sept. 16, 2002
NEW ORLEANS The New Orleans Saints figured it was about time Brett Favre experienced an unhappy homecoming. What better time to do that than in their home opener.
So they went out and made sure that happened, hurrying and harassing the former Southern Miss star and his Green Bay Packer teammates to the tune of a resounding 35-20 victory in front of a raucous, albeit somewhat partisan sellout crowd inside the Louisiana Superdome.
Instead of the NFL's only three-time MVP, it was another Mississippian in Morton's Deuce McAllister, who stole the show, racking up 123 yards on just 21 carries, while furthering the debate as to whether or not the former Ole Miss standout is better than his predecessor Ricky Williams.
The highlight of his day came late in the fourth quarter, when he put together a dazzling series for 42 yards that included a score from two yards away, which salted the game away.
Despite trailing by as much as 18 points in the second half, Favre did try his best to pull off the comeback, turning in a 29-of-44 effort that included a pair of touchdowns and an interception on the way to pulling Green Bay (1-1) to within 28-20 with under five minutes remaining.
The defeat represents Favre's first loss in 10 appearances in the Superdome.
Although the Kiln native showed the ability to keep his offense on the field for long stretches during the first half, a high-octane Saints offense led 21-10 at the break, behind a pair of touchdown throws from quarterback Aaron Brooks and Deuce's 4-yard run to open the day's scoring.
It looked as if the game would turn into a rout before the half was over, but the Packers capitalized on a Brooks' interception that Green Bay cornerback Darren Sharper returned 44 yards to the New Orleans 44. From there, it only took a single snap for Favre to breathe new life into his team's chances, as he found Terry Glenn in the corner of the end zone with 40 ticks left in the half.
For the Saints, Brooks, a former understudy to Favre in Green Bay, ran hot and cold, hitting on 16 of his 28 tosses for 217 yards, but throwing two picks to go with a pair of dramatic touchdown offerings.
Both came within three minutes of each other in the pivotal second frame. The first was a nifty 5-yarder to Jerome Pathon on a crossing route in the back of the end zone, the other was a 34-yarder to rookie speed merchant Donte' Stallworth.
Perhaps what will stick out in the minds of all who witnessed this one, is not the heady play of Favre, or the relentlessness of the Saints defense, or the four costly Packer turnovers, but instead, the effectiveness of the Saints offensive unit.
Both teams were a mirror image of each other, with only a scant 52-second differential in time of possession. Remarkably, each churned out exactly 357 yards of total offense, too, but it was the way it was done for New Orleans (2-0).
From the physical game-long pounding McAllister unleashed on the Packer defensive line, to the precision big-play ability of Stallworth and former Itawamba Community College receiver Joe Horn, who came through with a game-high 120 yards on just six catches.
The fans barely had time to settle back into their seats for the second half when rookie cornerback Keyuo Craver picked up a fumble by Glenn and waltzed 38 yards to paydirt, giving the hosts a commanding 28-10 lead.
The Saints also had other opportunities to pad the lead in the third, but an electrifying 50-yard jaunt by McAllister was called back because of a holding penalty on tight end David Sloan. And the normally automatic John Carney continued to struggle in the Dome, pulling a 39-yard field goal attempt wide left.
Penalties also proved costly for the Packers, who fell to 1-1. 73 yards of infractions plus the turnovers proved to be a combination not even the future Hall of Famer Favre could overcome.
The Saints attempt to move to 3-0 for the first time in 11 seasons when they hit the road next week to face the Chicago Bears.
