The Saints’ coach decided against a short, game-tying field goal attempt on fourth-and-1 with under seven minutes left in a crucial divisional game against Atlanta, opting instead to give fullback Mike Karney his only carry of the game.

Karney powered ahead for the first down, Pierre Thomas scored on the next play, and the Saints preserved their slim playoff hopes with a 29-25 victory on Sunday.

“I felt like we were going to need more than just a field goal,” Payton said. “It was really an opportunity to put it on the guys up front to get a little less than a yard. Mike Karney did a good job; he got a lot of push inside.”

The Saints have struggled in short-yardage situations all season and were 0-3 on third-and-1 before Karney pushed the pile.

“We need to continue to work on that down-and-distance and be a little bit more consistent there,” Payton said, “but at least we were able to get it.”

Thomas rushed for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns, the first on a 7-yard screen pass early in the fourth quarter.

He powered in for the winning touchdown on a 5-yard toss sweep, bouncing over offensive lineman Carl Nicks as he stretched for the goal line. Thomas, who New Orleans signed as an undrafted rookie last season, also set up that last score with an 88-yard kickoff return after Matt Ryan’s 12-yard scramble had given the Falcons a 25-22 lead with 7:51 to go.

“He’s a great young talent. He comes up big for us when need be,” Karney said. “He had to earn his way and get a feel for what’s going on. He’s done that and the coaches are going to him.”

Reggie Bush added 80 yards rushing, including a career-long 43-yard run that set up his 5-yard touchdown catch.

Drew Brees was 18-of-32 for 230 yards and two TDs in one of the most balanced performances this season by New Orleans’ normally pass-heavy offense. The Saints (7-6) finished with a season-high 184 yards rushing.

The Saints rushed 18 times for only 44 yards in a 23-20 loss at Tampa Bay a week earlier. Payton pledged more balance against NFC South rival Atlanta (8-5).

Ryan was 24-of-33 for 315 yards, one touchdown and an interception by Jason David, whose 23-yard return to midfield led to Bush’s TD in the first quarter.

Ryan connected 10 times with Roddy White, who finished with a career-high 164 yards receiving, including a 59-yard catch in the second quarter that set up Michael Turner’s 5-yard touchdown run.

However, Atlanta coach Mike Smith made a conservative decision to punt on fourth-and-5 from the Atlanta 35 with two timeouts and 3:23 left. It backfired when Thomas rushed for two first downs and New Orleans ran out the clock.

“You got to believe that you can get a stop, especially with that much time left,” Smith said. “There was no question in my mind that the right thing to do was go ahead and punt it and put the defense back out there on the field and get a stop. And we weren’t able to do it.”

The Saints’ defense, bolstered by a court ruling allowing end Will Smith to play, limited Turner to 61 yards on 18 carries and held Atlanta to 99 yards rushing as a team.

Friday’s ruling also allowed Saints running back Deuce McAllister to suit up. The players, and Minnesota defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams, had been suspended for the final four regular-season games for violating the NFL’s anti-doping policy. The NFLPA sued, however, and a judge temporarily blocked the suspensions while the case proceeds.

Smith was in on six tackles, including one for a 5-yard loss. McAllister entered the game in the second quarter on third-and-1, drawing cheers from the crowd. He was stopped for no gain, leading to Garrett Hartley’s 26-yard field goal for a brief 10-0 lead before Turner’s TD.

Hartley later added a 46-yarder, but Atlanta responded with a 77-yard drive and took a 14-13 lead when Ryan completed a 2-yard pass that Brian Finneran caught acrobatically along the sideline. Payton compounded the damage for New Orleans with a failed challenge, which left the Saints with no timeouts for the final 2:13 of the half.

New Orleans drove to Atlanta’s 7, but had to settle for Hartley’s 25-yard field goal for a 16-14 lead at the half.

The offense that’s gobbled up the most yardage in the NFL this season will face off against the defense that’s given up the most.

In this corner are the New Orleans Saints (4-5), with Drew Brees on pace to smash Dan Marino’s NFL record of 5,084 yards passing.

In the other corner, on wobbly legs, stand the injury-wrecked Kansas City Chiefs (1-8). Their defense, which could have four starters out and maybe more, has been allowing 406.2 yards. The Saints have been averaging 416.2.

So what exactly is the Saints’ team record for most points in a game? Fifty-one, against St. Louis in 1976. And the Chiefs record for most points given up? Fifty-one, to Seattle in 1983.

Might history be made? The KC defense, when it was a lot healthier than it is now, already gave up Tennessee’s biggest lead overcome (21 points) and Tampa Bay’s most yards rushing (352).

So why are the Saints favored by only 5 1/2 points? An 0-4 road record, for one thing.

For another, the Chiefs behind the emerging Tyler Thigpen at quarterback have not exactly been getting blown out the last three weeks. Losses to Tampa, San Diego and the New York Jets were by a combined eight points. In every instance, the energetic young Chiefs lost a second-half lead.

“They very well could have won these last three games, and when you flip on the film they don’t look like a 1-8 team,” said Brees, who is averaging more than 325 yards through the air.

“We know we have our work cut out for us playing at Arrowhead. When I played for the Chargers, they were an AFC opponent and we’d go there once a year and it was always an extremely difficult place to play.”

Late in the week, the Chiefs were expecting linebackers Derrick Johnson and Pat Thomas, defensive end Tamba Hali, and right guard Adrian Jones to be inactive.

Limited in practice and iffy at best were running back Jamaal Charles, cornerback Brandon Flowers and safety Jarrad Page.

But surprising everyone by the way he’s rebounded from a shoulder injury that shelved him the week before was defensive lineman Turk McBride.

“It’s like a family,” he said. “Someone goes down, you have to help the other in the family.”

Nevertheless, the Chiefs have made an incredible 34 player transactions the past three weeks, signing guys off the street, releasing others back onto the street, putting players on the practice squad, taking players off the practice squad. Players wound up taking part in last week’s 20-19 loss last week to San Diego who’d been in Kansas City only a few days.

“That’s what you’ve got distant cousins for,” said McBride.

The Saints, coming off a 34-20 loss at Atlanta, have injury problems of their own, also on defense. Defensive back Mike McKenzie went on injured reserve this week. But they hoped to have running back Reggie Bush back after a two-game absence with a knee injury. In spite of missing so much time, he’s third in the NFC with eight touchdowns.

All week long, the Saints were trying to piece together different game plans not knowing for sure whether the slippery 2005 Heisman winner would be on hand.

“We have to plan accordingly and put our base plan together,” coach Sean Payton said. “That’s really one in which it’s geared to him playing or not playing. We’ll be flexible enough and we have to be.”

A noted running back is also returning to the Chiefs. Larry Johnson, benched by the team for three games and suspended by the league for one, will no doubt have plenty of carries, especially if Charles is still hobbled by an ankle injury. But it’s a different offense from the one Kansas City was running a month ago. Thigpen, thrown into action when the top two quarterbacks went out with season-ending injuries, has thrown 124 passes the past three starts without an interception, though one was called back because of a penalty.

So the Chiefs have reconfigured their offense to suit the former third-team quarterback, using more shotgun formations and other things Johnson is not accustomed to.

“We have another weapon on offense. That helps the run game,” said Thigpen. “But the biggest thing, having Larry back that’s just one more thing the defense has to prepare for. Larry really has had a great attitude at work this week. You can see the team is excited to have him back.”

• 14 rushes -  107 yards
• 7 receptions – 75 yards
• 1 rushing touchdown

1. Reggie will carry the ball 16 times.
2. Reggie will have one rushing touchdown.
3. Reggie will have 101 total rushing yards.
4. Reggie will catch 6 passes.
5. Reggie will have 77 total receiving yards.
6. Reggie will score a receiving touchdown.
7. Saints will win 34-14.
8. Saints will improve to 5-4
9. Rams will fall to 0-9

1. Saints win 31-14

2. Reggie scores twice. Both on the ground.

3. 21 carries(that’s alot), 101 yards(season high), 2 rushing touchdowns.

4. 4 catches, 22 yards, no touchdowns.
Saints move to 4-4!

Check back to comment on our expectations!

24-14 Saints win.

Second of all, Reggie will run wild.

7 carries, 66 yards, including a 41 yard touchdown run.

4 catches, 42 yards.

Check back on Sunday!

Last game v. Atlanta:

• 5 rushes
• 24 yards
• 4.8 yards per carry
• 3 catches
• 21 yards
• 7 yards per catch
• 13 yards- longest catch

Career v. Atlanta:

• 2 games
• 18 carries
• 77 yards
• 38.5 yards per game
• 4.3 yards per carry
• 7 catches
• 40 yards
• 20.0 yards per game
• 5.7 yards per catch
• 13 yards- longest catch

Good luck to Reggie and the Saints!

“This was us,” Brees said. “Rhythm. Tempo. We did a great job.”

Bush gained 141 yards, Brees threw for 246 and receiver David Patten had eight catches for 113 yards on 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 all those failures of the past.

In this one, the Saints had three touchdowns by the middle of the second quarter, led 28-10 at halftime and were coasting by the fourth quarter.

For at least one evening, they can focus on something other than getting off the schneid. One possible topic: Can they join the 1992 Chargers as the second team to make the playoffs after starting 0-4.”It feels good to come in after the game and see a smile on everyone’s faces,” Patten said. “Hopefully we can hang onto this and keep this going.”

And the Seahawks?

The three-time defending NFC West champions must go directly back to the drawing board after a second straight poor 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 (3-3) trying to overcome a three-touchdown deficit.

“We’ve got a lot we can correct, and that’s what we’ve got to do,” Hasselbeck said.

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.

“Not a great way to start off the game,” Stutz said. “I’ve never had one get away from me like that.”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. The Saints spent the second half moving the ball and taking time off the clock.

“He showed his speed and quickness,” Holmgren said of Bush. “He showed he’s a fine back. He got around us. He cut back. It’s too hard to come back, as a rule, when you dig a hole like that for yourself.”

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

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 came in with a total of five catches.

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.

“I just busted my butt to get down there,” Johnson explained.

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.

“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.”

Among the few bright spots for the Seahawks, who were booed lustily all night long by the home crowd, are that they 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.

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 Hasselbeck and receiver Bobby Engram as they were walking toward the sideline.

“That’s total access right there,” Hasselbeck joked.

It was hardly the worst thing the Seahawks endured on this night.