The Saints thought they were going to take the lead late in Sunday’s game vs. the Broncos, but Justin Simmons blocked the PAT kick and Will Parks returned it for two points to break the tie and give the Broncos a 25-23 win.
The return survived a lengthy review as it appeared Parks may have stepped out of bounds. Demaryius Thomas of the Broncos recovered the onside kick and the Saints were out of timeouts.
Last season the Saints became the first team to score two points on a blocked extra point. Prior to 2015, the rules didn’t allow defenses to advance or score on failed conversions.
A Drew Brees touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks with 1:22 left led to the wild finish. Cooks caught the ball in traffic, and the Saints thought they might escape despite turning the ball over for the fourth time on their previous possession when rookie receiver Michael Thomas fumbled.
They held the Broncos to a field goal after the fumble to keep it a one-possession game, and Cooks’ catch capped a six-play, 75-yard drive.
Brees threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns. His first two touchdowns went to Willie Snead in the third quarter as the Saints scored 17 unanswered points after trailing 10-0 early. The Broncos stopped that run with a Trevor Siemian touchdown pass to Thomas that tied the game with 9:41 left.
The Broncos improve to 7-3 and are off next week. The Saints fall to 4-5.
