NEW ORLEANS — A new start with the New Orleans Saints has put “the shake” back in 33-year-old Darren Sharper.
The NFL’s active leader in career interceptions added two more against rookie Mark Sanchez, returning one a club-record 99 yards for a touchdown to help the unbeaten Saints hand the New York Jets their first loss of the season, 24-10 on Sunday.
The 12-year veteran’s five interceptions — two of which he has returned for scores — have helped the Saints start 4-0 for the first time since 1993.
“Sharp’s been a great addition,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “You look at his productivity here over the first four games . . . that’s pretty impressive.”
Brees added: “The defense played outstanding once again.”
The victory ensured that the Saints, who have a bye week coming up, would still be unbeaten when they host the New York Giants on Oct. 18.
The Jets-Saints matchup drew a lot of attention not only because it was the weekend’s only game between unbeaten teams, but also because it pitted a fearsome defense designed by Jets coach Rex Ryan against the Saints’ league-leading offense, driven by Brees’ prolific passing and the creative play-calling of coach Sean Payton.
New York (3-1) stopped the Saints twice on fourth-and-short and held Brees to 190 yards passing and no touchdowns. After averaging 40 points through their first three games, the Saints didn’t score an offensive touchdown until Pierre Thomas barreled in from a yard out with 6:07 left. Yet that was enough for a two-touchdown win.
“It’s not about one side of the ball versus the other,” Payton said, seemingly annoyed by all the attention given to the matchup of his offense and Ryan’s defense. “All three phases are needed to win football games, and I thought we did that today.”
One week after rushing for 126 yards and two scores in a victory at Buffalo, Thomas was the Saints’ offensive leader again. He rushed for 86 yards and caught four short passes for 46 yards. The Saints rushed for 153 yards as a team.
In his first loss as a pro, the Jets’ Sanchez completed 14-of-27 passes for 138 yards and was sacked four times. That still might have been good enough if not for his four turnovers. Saints cornerback Randall Gay also intercepted Sanchez inside the final two minutes, allowing New Orleans to run out the clock.
“My mistakes killed us. They absolutely killed us,” Sanchez said. “The defense played well enough to win. That whole game is 10-10 without three interceptions and a fumble. You turn the ball over like that in this league, and you can’t win.”
