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NEW ORLEANS (AP) -The Carson Palmer -to- Chad Johnson connection was clicking again, and this time it resulted in a Cincinnati Bengals victory.
The pair combined for touchdowns of 41, 60 and 4 yards Sunday as the Bengals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-16 victory over the New Orleans Saints .
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees lost top receiver Marques Colston , who left with an ankle injury in the first offensive series. That didn't slow down Brees, who went on to throw for 510 yards and two touchdowns, but the Saints couldn't overcome his three interceptions.
Palmer and Johnson had combined 260 yards and two touchdowns last week against San Diego, but it was all for naught in a 49-41 loss. This week, they got some help from the defense, which thwarted four Saints drives with turnovers.
Johnson's second touchdown catch put Cincinnati ahead 17-10 in the fourth quarter after Johnson broke free along the sideline while Palmer fled a collapsing pocket. There was no end zone celebration, however, as the receiver pulled up lame with a pulled right hamstring.
Not that it affected him for long. Johnson returned on the Bengals' next series and made a 48-yard reception to set up his final TD catch, which put the Bengals ahead 24-10.
Palmer was 14-of-22 passing for 275 yards, including Johnson's six catches for 190 yards. Rudi Johnson ran for 111 yards for the Bengals (5-5) and Palmer was intercepted once.
New Orleans looked like the better team for much of the game, but as with its two previous losses to Pittsburgh and Baltimore, turnovers were costly. Two promising drives ended with Brees passes being intercepted in the end zone.
Brees also had an interception returned 52 yards for a touchdown by Ethan Kilmer that gave the Bengals a 31-10 lead with 6:14 to go.
Cincinnati's defense also made an important stand early in the fourth quarter, stopping Deuce McAllister on a third-and-1 at the Bengals' 5-yard line. A touchdown could have put New Orleans ahead and changed the complexion of the game. Instead, John Carney 's short field goal tied the game at 10.
Brees was 37-of-52 for 510 yards passing, his fourth consecutive game with more than 300 yards. But New Orleans (6-4) has lost three of those four games, including two in a row.
Colston, the NFL's leading receiver coming into the game, left during the first offensive series with a sprained left ankle. The rookie wideout did not return to the game.
Reggie Bush and McAllister combined for 91 yards rushing, with Bush accounting for 51.
Palmer and Johnson struck only four plays into the Bengals' first possession, when Johnson sprinted past cornerback Fred Thomas while safety Josh Bullocks hesitated on a play-action fake. Palmer found him wide open for a 7-0 lead.
The Saints tied it later in the quarter in similar but more spectacular fashion, as Brees went deep over the middle to Horn, who caught the ball between two converging defenders and broke free for a 72-yard TD.
New Orleans squandered its first opportunity to move ahead when Brees, looking for Devery Henderson in the end zone on first-and-goal from the 8-yard line, was intercepted by Madieu Williams , who Brees apparently did not see cutting underneath the play.
Williams leaped up and brought the ball down with one hand outstretched high over his head, then returned the ball to the Saints 21. It led to Shayne Graham 's 21-yard field goal, capping a drive sustained in large part by Johnson's six carries for 33 yards.
New Orleans turned the ball over a second time when receiver Terrance Copper fumbled after a first-down catch across midfield. It was Copper's second fumble in as many weeks.
Then the Saints wasted yet another drive inside the Cincinnati 10 when Brees threw his second interception in the end zone, this one picked off by Kevin Kaesviharn , allowing the Bengals to maintain a 10-7 lead at halftime.
The pair combined for touchdowns of 41, 60 and 4 yards Sunday as the Bengals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 31-16 victory over the New Orleans Saints .
New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees lost top receiver Marques Colston , who left with an ankle injury in the first offensive series. That didn't slow down Brees, who went on to throw for 510 yards and two touchdowns, but the Saints couldn't overcome his three interceptions.
Palmer and Johnson had combined 260 yards and two touchdowns last week against San Diego, but it was all for naught in a 49-41 loss. This week, they got some help from the defense, which thwarted four Saints drives with turnovers.
Johnson's second touchdown catch put Cincinnati ahead 17-10 in the fourth quarter after Johnson broke free along the sideline while Palmer fled a collapsing pocket. There was no end zone celebration, however, as the receiver pulled up lame with a pulled right hamstring.
Not that it affected him for long. Johnson returned on the Bengals' next series and made a 48-yard reception to set up his final TD catch, which put the Bengals ahead 24-10.
Palmer was 14-of-22 passing for 275 yards, including Johnson's six catches for 190 yards. Rudi Johnson ran for 111 yards for the Bengals (5-5) and Palmer was intercepted once.
New Orleans looked like the better team for much of the game, but as with its two previous losses to Pittsburgh and Baltimore, turnovers were costly. Two promising drives ended with Brees passes being intercepted in the end zone.
Brees also had an interception returned 52 yards for a touchdown by Ethan Kilmer that gave the Bengals a 31-10 lead with 6:14 to go.
Cincinnati's defense also made an important stand early in the fourth quarter, stopping Deuce McAllister on a third-and-1 at the Bengals' 5-yard line. A touchdown could have put New Orleans ahead and changed the complexion of the game. Instead, John Carney 's short field goal tied the game at 10.
Brees was 37-of-52 for 510 yards passing, his fourth consecutive game with more than 300 yards. But New Orleans (6-4) has lost three of those four games, including two in a row.
Colston, the NFL's leading receiver coming into the game, left during the first offensive series with a sprained left ankle. The rookie wideout did not return to the game.
Reggie Bush and McAllister combined for 91 yards rushing, with Bush accounting for 51.
Palmer and Johnson struck only four plays into the Bengals' first possession, when Johnson sprinted past cornerback Fred Thomas while safety Josh Bullocks hesitated on a play-action fake. Palmer found him wide open for a 7-0 lead.
The Saints tied it later in the quarter in similar but more spectacular fashion, as Brees went deep over the middle to Horn, who caught the ball between two converging defenders and broke free for a 72-yard TD.
New Orleans squandered its first opportunity to move ahead when Brees, looking for Devery Henderson in the end zone on first-and-goal from the 8-yard line, was intercepted by Madieu Williams , who Brees apparently did not see cutting underneath the play.
Williams leaped up and brought the ball down with one hand outstretched high over his head, then returned the ball to the Saints 21. It led to Shayne Graham 's 21-yard field goal, capping a drive sustained in large part by Johnson's six carries for 33 yards.
New Orleans turned the ball over a second time when receiver Terrance Copper fumbled after a first-down catch across midfield. It was Copper's second fumble in as many weeks.
Then the Saints wasted yet another drive inside the Cincinnati 10 when Brees threw his second interception in the end zone, this one picked off by Kevin Kaesviharn , allowing the Bengals to maintain a 10-7 lead at halftime.
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