Originally published on Dec. 31, 2000
New Orleans Saints 31, Rams 28
Superdome

Fold up the tents. Pack up the football. The Greatest Show on Earth is done for the season. The defending Super Bowl champions went down fighting Saturday in the Superdome. But they also went down in a flurry of turnovers and burned defensive backs.

After spotting the Saints a 31-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, the Rams staged a furious comeback on touchdowns by Ricky Proehl, Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner. Trailing 31-28, they had one last chance with 1 minute 43 seconds to play. But Az-Zahir Hakim muffed a punt -- on a fair catch no less. The Saints recovered on the Rams 11-yard line, and it was over for the Rams. The Saints advance to the NFC semifinals on Saturday in Minnesota against the Vikings. The Rams are headed for an offseason that will surely see changes in defensive personnel and assistant coaches.

"We just dug ourselves too big of a hole, we couldn't overcome it," coach Mike Martz said. "We were able to pull ourselves out of it. We ran out of time, I guess."

The Rams gave Faulk a steady dose of work on their opening possession, but it was the work of Warner, Roland Williams, and Isaac Bruce that did most of the damage on an 11-play, 68-yard touchdown drive.

On third and 3 from the St. Louis 39, Warner eluded Saints defensive tackle La'Roi Glover and threw for a 5-yard gain and a first down to tight end Roland Williams. Two plays later, Warner rolled right and connected with Bruce for a 20-yard completion to the New Orleans 34.

On third and 6 from the 30, the Saints got caught in a blitz, and Warner threw a 14-yard completion to Williams, who caught only 11 passes during the regular season. The Rams then faced their third third down of the drive and once again converted. On third and 11 from the New Orleans 17, Warner connected with Bruce for a touchdown with 5 minutes 58 seconds to go in the first quarter. Bruce beat Saints defensive back Michael Hawthorne with an inside move for the score. It was Bruce's third TD in postseason play.

Despite that early 7-0 lead, the Rams were on their heels for most of the rest of the first half. The Saints took the ensuing kickoff and marched 70 yards for a game-tying TD. It was an excruciating drive from a Rams standpoint. The Saints went four for four on third-down conversions on the drive -- with two of those third-down conversions caused by St. Louis penalties.

On third and 1 from the Rams 45, Grant Wistrom stopped Terry Allen for no gain. But Rams defensive tackle Ray Agnew was flagged for lining up in the neutral zone, giving the Saints a first down.

Later in the drive, Saints wide receiver Robert Wilson was stopped for no gain on the Rams 20 on a third and 9. But cornerback Dexter McCleon was called for defensive holding -- an automatic first down. On the first play of the second quarter, the Saints tied the game on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Brooks to Wilson, who beat cornerback Todd Lyght. Wilson had caught only 11 passes in the NFL before catching his first TD pass in the pros.

The Rams had a great opportunity to score on their next possession. A 51-yard run off right tackle by Faulk carried them to the New Orleans 13. But Williams was flagged for holding, and the ball was taken back to the St. Louis 26.

The game stayed tied at 7-7 until late in the second quarter. That's when Warner threw his first interception of the day, throwing way late for Proehl over the middle. Safety Sammy Knight intercepted the ball and returned it to the Rams 20, setting up a Saints field goal.

New Orleans had another chance for a score later in the half, albeit a longshot. With 5 seconds to go and the ball at the St. Louis 40, the Saints went for a Hail Mary pass in the end zone instead of a 57- or 58-yard field goal attempt. The pass was thrown too deep by Brooks and easily batted down by a crowd of three Rams defenders.

Saints place-kicker Doug Brien, who made a 33-yard kick in the second quarter, has made 14 of 22 field goals from 50 yards or more during his career. But he was zero for two this season, with both kicks blocked. So the Saints settled for a 10-7 halftime lead.

Last week, it was the Rams who led 10-7 at the half. But it didn't take New Orleans long to stretch its lead. Warner threw his second interception of the game, again on a poorly thrown pass. With a Saints pass rusher at his feet, Warner underthrew Bruce and defensive back Chris Oldham intercepted the ball.

The return went to the Rams 45 with 12:03 to play in the third quarter, and the Saints were in the end zone seven plays later. Brooks threw to Willie Jackson for a 10-yard TD with 8:40 left in the third quarter. Once again, it was Lyght who was beaten on the play.

The floodgates burst open for the Saints. They scored two more TDs -- both on passes from Brooks to Jackson to take a 31-7 lead with 11:57 to go in the fourth quarter. That last Saints' TD was set up by a Warner fumble off a sack by Willie Whitehead. It was recovered by Saints defensive tackle Glover on the Rams 16, and New Orleans scored on the next play.

The Rams then went on their late scoring blitz. Too little, too late. About three points and one muffed punt too late.