Blake Bortles throws 4 TDs, but Jaguars bested by Drew Brees, Saints
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The Jacksonville Jaguars figured New Orleans' Drew Brees would play despite a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot.
They were right, but probably wished they were wrong.
The Jaguars allowed Brees to throw for 412 yards and three touchdowns and Jacksonville couldn't keep up after a slow start, losing 38-27 to the Saints on Sunday.
"I just know Drew Brees," Jacksonville coach Gus Bradley said. "Talk about respect -- the highest respect for him and how he goes out and competes and he just really executes. Sure enough, he did it again tonight."
Though Jacksonville had dropped three of its previous four games, none of the losses were by more than six points. Sunday's script, however, was different for the Jags (5-10), who haven't won more than five games since 2010.
New Orleans (6-9) jumped to a 24-0 lead. Jacksonville allowed the Saints to convert 8-of-13 third downs on their way to 537 total yards. And for just the second time this season, the Saints had a running back go for more than 100 yards as Tim Hightower finished with 122.
"I know this wasn't a clean or perfect game, but I thought we played well early on," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "It felt like starting fast was going to be important because if you look at this team, they are a really good second-half team."
Brees, who was limited in practice during the week, didn't miss a beat. He threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone, staking the Saints to a 14-0 lead, the first score a 17-yarder to Michael Hoomanawanui, the second a 71-yarder to Brandin Cooks.
Brees said he remained in pain, but stressed, "Once you get up to the line, you flip the switch and it's all about competing at a high level."
New Orleans extended its lead to 24-0 on Hightower's 1-yard run and a Kai Forbath 37-yard field goal.
Two of the Saints' first four scores came after Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles threw interceptions.
"Being able to stay on top of attention to detail, especially when play a team like that led by a guy like Drew, as an offense you've got to be able to try and keep him off the field and you're going to have to put up points because he's going to do that," said Bortles, who finished with 368 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Jacksonville's offense, meanwhile, was unable to get anything going against one of the NFL's worst defenses until just before halftime. Bortles, after throwing for just 33 yards on Jacksonville's first four series, led an 80-yard scoring drive, capped by Marqise Lee's 2-yard TD catch that cut the Saints' lead to 24-6. The 2-point conversion failed.
Then, on the opening possession of the third quarter, Bortles capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Allen Hurns, trimming the Saints' lead to 24-13. The touchdown pass was the 41st allowed by New Orleans this season, eclipsing the NFL record of 40 allowed by the 1963 Denver Broncos.
Brees and the Saints halted the Jags' momentum on the ensuing series. New Orleans converted a third-and-4 from its own 26, and then didn't face another third down on the seven-play drive, finished by a 44-yard Travaris Cadet touchdown catch.
Bortles answered with a 90-yard touchdown pass to Allen Robinson. The 2-point conversion failed and with 4:49 to play in the third quarter, Jacksonville's deficit was just 31-19.
Once again, New Orleans responded, this time with Hightower's second score of the day, a 5-yard run that gave the Saints a 38-19 lead early in the final quarter.
Jacksonville finished the scoring on Bortles' 20-yard touchdown pass to Hurns late in the fourth quarter.
"When you play against a high-powered offense like this, they set the bar for how you need to operate and when you don't operate with the same precision that they have, this is the result you get," Jacksonville linebacker Paul Posluszny said.
NOTES: Bortles reached 300 yards passing for the sixth time this season, tying Mark Brunell for the most such outings in a single season by a Jaguars QB. ... Hurns' production made him the second 1,000-yard receiver for Jacksonville this season, joining fellow second-year receiver Robinson.
