As the final seconds ticked away, Kubiak walked down the sideline wearing a broad smile and smacked hands with players and assistant coaches.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS — Drew Brees and the Saints keep pouring on the points, rolling up the wins and rewriting the record books, too.
Brees led an unstoppable offense by throwing for 466 yards and three touchdowns, and New Orleans poured it on in the second half for a 45-28 NFC wild-card victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday night.
New Orleans broke the postseason mark for total yards with 626, beating the record set 49 years ago.
Brees hit on 33 of 43 passes while throwing for the most yards in a regulation playoff game. He highlighted his night with three completions of at least 40 yards.
As usual, the quarterback had plenty of help from an offense that set an NFL record for yards from scrimmage this season (7,474). The Saints (14-3) will travel to San Francisco (13-3) for next Saturday’s second-round game.
Matthew Stafford threw for 380 yards and three TDs for the Lions (10-7), who simply could not keep pace in their first playoff appearance since 1999. They have lost seven straight postseason games.
All-Pro receiver Calvin Johnson had 12 receptions for 211 yards and two touchdowns in his playoff debut for Detroit, but that was not nearly enough as the Saints’ defense responded in the fourth quarter with two interceptions by Jabari Greer.
The teams combined for 1,083 yards, tying an NFL playoff record set by Buffalo and Miami on Dec. 30, 1995.
Pierre Thomas rushed for 66 yards and one touchdown, while Sproles added 51 yards, two scores and several other clutch plays.
Marques Colston overcame an early fumble with seven catches for 120 yards, including a 40-yarder to set up Jimmy Graham’s short TD grab.
Robert Meachem had four catches for 111 yards, including a 56-yard score. Devery Henderson added a 41-yard touchdown reception.
New Orleans showed guts and got a little good fortune on a decisive 14-play, 80-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. The Saints ran Sproles around left end on fourth-and-2 at the Lions 40 and gained 3 yards. Soon after, Brees’ pass as he was clobbered by Nick Fairley went right through the hands of defensive back Aaron Berry.
Berry would regret that drop two plays later as Sproles bolted 17 yards to make it 31-21.
TEXANS 31, BENGALS 10
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans turned to their kids, then to their stars to win the first playoff appearance in franchise history, a rout of the bungling Cincinnati Bengals.
J.J. and T.J. and Andre and Arian.
Rookie J.J. Watt’s leaping interception return for a touchdown late in the first half propelled the Texans in Saturday’s AFC wild-card game. Third-string quarterback T.J. Yates, another rookie pressed into action, then threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson in the third quarter, and Arian Foster followed with his second touchdown of the game, a 42-yard run in the fourth quarter, to finish off the Bengals.
After nine seasons of missing the playoffs, the AFC South champion Texans (11-6) are heading to AFC North winner Baltimore (12-4) next Sunday.
“This is a special day,” Houston coach Gary Kubiak said.
Watt returned the first of rookie Andy Dalton’s three interceptions 29 yards for a score that broke a 10-all tie with 52 seconds left in the half.
Yates then hit Johnson on a TD pass late in the third quarter, and Foster added his long scoring run to close out the scoring.
Cincinnati was in the playoffs for the third time in seven seasons, but the Bengals (9-8) haven’t advanced since beating the Houston Oilers following the 1990 season.
Foster scored on an 8-yard run in the first quarter to tie the score at 7, and finished with 153 yards on 24 carries.
Dalton was 24 of 42 for 257 yards, while Yates was 11 of 20 for 159 yards in the first playoff game in the Super Bowl era matching two rookie quarterbacks.
As the final seconds ticked away, Kubiak walked down the sideline wearing a broad smile and smacked hands with players and assistant coaches.