Saints Hang On To Defeat Titans 22-17

The New Orleans Saints ran their current win streak to five consecutive games, defeating the Tennessee Titans, 22-17, on Sunday, in Nashville, Tennessee.

Neither team could get in the end zone in the first half, and the Saints led a tight game at the half, 6-3.

New Orleans got a 22-yard field goal from John Kasey, his third of the game, at the 3:54 mark of the third quarter,to extend their lead to 9-3.

Tennessee then scored the first touchdown of the game, on a Jake Locker 6-yard run, at the 2:27 mark of the third quarter, to give the Titans a 10-9 advantage.

The Saints then scored 13 unanswered points, on two Drew Brees touchdown passes to Marques Colston in the fourth quarter.

The first came from 35 yards out at the 12:47 mark, and the second was from 28 yards with 7:08 to go, giving the Saints a 22-10 lead.

The touchdown passes marked the 40th-consecutive game that Brees has thrown for a score.

It took the Titans only a 1:03 to answer however, as Locker connected with Nate Washington on a 40-yard touchdown pass, to make it 22-17.

The Titans had two chances to take the lead late in the game, but failed to score.

On one possession, Tennessee had the ball inside the Saints' 25-yard line with under 2:30 to go, but failed to convert on a fourth-and-inches play.

On their final possession, the Titans got the ball inside the New Orleans 10-yard line, but failed to score, as time ran out, and New Orleans escaped with the five-point win.

The Saints out-gained the Titans, in terms of total yards, 437-373.

Brees led the way for the Saints, competing 36-of46 passes, for 337 yards, and two touchdowns.

Colston caught seven of those passes, for 105 yards, and two scores.

Locker, the rookie quarterback, had a solid game for the Titans in a losing cause, completing 13-of-29 passes, for 282 yards, and one touchdown.

The win was fifth in six games for the Saints, who improved to 10-3 on the year, while the Titans fell to 7-6.

Will Witherspoon #92 of the Tennessee Titans tackles Chris Ivory #29 of the New Orleans Saints during play at LP Field on December 11, 2011 in Nashville, Tennessee.

The Associated Press, courtesy of ESPN.com, has a game story.