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NEW ORLEANS -- Sean Payton had a surprise in store for a Seattle defense that thrives on harassing quarterbacks and physically intimidating receivers.The Saints coach dialed back New Orleans prolific passing game and challenged his running backs and offensive line to deliver as much punishment to Seahawks defenders as they could.Drew Brees wound up well short of his typical passing numbers in the Superdome -- 265 yards and one touchdown -- but the Saints (3-4) pulled out a 25-20 victory they sorely needed to improve their prospects for climbing back into the NFC playoff picture.It doesnt really have to be aesthetically pleasing to be effective, Payton asserted. The key is winning.The victory wasnt assured until the New Orleans much-maligned defense, which entered the game ranked 29th in the NFL, came up with a stop on the Seahawks final drive, which started on the Seattle 32 with 1:50 left. Russell Wilson took the Seahawks (4-2-1) to the New Orleans 10, where he had one final play. He lofted a pass toward the corner of the end zone, where Jermaine Kearse caught the ball, but landed out of bounds.It was close. I tried to give him a shot, Wilson said of his last throw to Kearse, adding that cornerback B.W. Webb did a good job of trying to drive him out of bounds. I think he got one (foot) in and was trying to get the second one down. The last drive was a testament to our resilience.The Saints rushed 35 times and passed 35 times -- certainly not the M.O. for a team that entered the game with a second-ranked passing offense and 28th-ranked running game. But it was effective. New Orleans gained 123 yards on the ground with Tim Hightower gaining 102, making him the first Saint this season to rush for 100. New Orleans also kept possession for 36:12 to Seattles 23:48.We knew coming in here it was going to be a physical game, Hightower said. In that fourth quarter, I looked over on their sideline and saw a couple of those guys on their knees and I said, `This is exactly where we want them.Wilson finished with 253 yards passing and was intercepted once by linebacker Nathan Stupar, whose diving snag set up the Saints first TD on Brees 1-yard dive over a pile of players. Brees lone touchdown pass went to Brandin Cooks on a 2-yard slant , which gave the Saints the lead for good early in the fourth quarter.Wil Lutz kicked field goals of 22, 53, 21 and 41 yards for the Saints, the latter coming with under two minutes left to put Seattle down by more than a field goal.MINI SLUMP: Seattle has gone two straight games without a win, having tied Arizona last week, but the Seahawks hardly seem concerned.The great thing is we have all the players, we have the right system, we have the right guys, Wilson said. We are going to be able to do it. This is nothing that we havent faced before.MISLEADING STATS: While the Saints held numerous statistical advantages in several categories, big plays on both sides of the ball helped Seattle lead 14-13 at halftime and keep it close throughout.Seattle defensive end Cliff Avril forced Mark Ingrams fumble in the first quarter. It popped straight to safety Earl Thomas, who sprinted into the open field for a 34-yard touchdown.A trick play set up Seattles second score. Wilson threw a backward screen to his left to receiver Tanner McEvoy, who then threw deep back across the field for a 43-yard completion to running back C.J. Prosise to the Saints 2. That set up Christine Michaels TD run, making it 14-3.Seattles defense also forced a field goal in the third quarter after the Saints had a first-and-goal on the 1 and thwarted a Saints 2-point conversion attempt after Cooks TD.BENCHED: Ingram was benched after his fumble on this third carry of the game. It was his second fumble in two weeks while trying to fight for extra yards after contact. A week earlier, Ingrams fumble inside the Kansas City 10 contributed to a six-point loss.Sometimes those things happen and I know hes going to bounce back, Brees said of Ingram. Ive got so much trust, great confidence in him as does this whole offense, so I wouldnt look into that any further.GRAHAMS RETURN: Jimmy Graham was silent about his return to the place where his NFL career started, avoiding media all week. He had a relatively quiet game as well, finishing with three catches for 34 yards. Graham did speak to media after the game, walking from the locker room to the stadium exit wearing headphones and ignoring several reporters questions.BREES AT HOME: Brees now has a TD pass in 58 consecutive home games, extending his NFL-record streak.UP NEXT: Seattle hosts Buffalo in the Week 9 Monday night game, while the Saints travel to meet San Francisco next Sunday.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFLGrey Ultra Boost 2018 . Brazilian national coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed that the veteran goalkeeper is set to join Toronto on loan, saying it will help him be ready for the World Cup. Ultra Boost 2018 For Sale . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. http://www.cheapultraboostsale.com/ . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. White Ultra Boost 2018 . Burris threw two TD passes, including a key 15-yard fourth-quarter strike to Bakari Grant that effectively countered a Toronto comeback bid and led Hamilton to a 33-19 victory. Green Ultra Boost 2018 . In what the team had called a retirement, Ryan said Thursday that he is resigning as chief executive of the Rangers in a move effective at the end of this month.(Sports Network) - With the NBA Finals knotted 2-2, Sundays Game 5 between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will be huge in determining the next league champion. Watch pre-game coverage on TSN2, tonight at 7pm et/4pm pt. Then tune in to Game 5 live on TSN and TSN Mobile TV, at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. You can also listen to the action on TSN 1050 and TSN 690. For the defending champion Heat, they carry some momentum after a 109-93 victory Thursday night in Alamo City, but no one in a Miami uniform will be taking Game 5 lightly. "We need to play with the same sense of urgency as if we were down 2-1 or whatever the case may be tomorrow night," LeBron James said on Saturday. "We are excited about the opportunity. We have another opportunity to win on someone elses floor." The Spurs appear to be in a slightly more desperate situation. A loss on Sunday sends them down 2-3 with the remaining two games back in South Beach. "It is a must-win," stated Tim Duncan. "We dont want to go back down there down a game with two games remaining at their house. It is a must-win situation. Obviously we lose this game, were not giving up or anything, but we want to go back up with a chance to finish there. Huge pressure if we have to go back there and try to win two." In Game 4, Miami fans were treated to the Big Three they expected every night. James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 85 points, 30 rebounds, nine assists, 10 steals and five blocks. It was a somewhat unexpected performance considering the inconsistent play of both Wade and Bosh during this postseason. "We would love to do what we did last game every game. But every game is different," said James. "Every game presents different challenges. We havent been able to stringg games like that for the Big Three in this postseason.dddddddddddd But were still here. Were still in a position to win an NBA championship, and thats whats most important." James was the high scorer with 33 points on Thursday, but the catalyst was Wade. He finished with 32 points and set the tone with his aggression in the first half. Then, when the Heat began to pull away, it was Wade at the center of things. "My team needed a better performance out of me. And mentally I had to change my mind," said Wade, who has battled a knee injury during the playoffs. "But as I said at the beginning of this series, I felt better in this series than I felt in the Indiana series. Its been a plus." With due respect to Wades knee, the majority of health news in this series has focused on the hamstring of Spurs All-Star guard Tony Parker. He was a game-time decision for Game 4 on Thursday with a grade 1 hamstring strain. Parker suited up and scored 15 points and handed out nine assists in 31 minutes. Parker benefited more than anyone from the two days off between Games 4 and 5. "The doctors say it will not change anything if I rest two more days. My hamstring can tear any time now," acknowledged Parker. "So if it was the regular season, I would be resting like 10 days. But now its the NBA Finals. If it gets a tear, its life." Another concern for the Spurs is the regression in the game of Manu Ginobili. He hasnt scored in double figures since Game 1 and is averaging just 7.5 ppg during the Finals. And Spurs skipper Gregg Popovich was effusive as always when asked Saturday about two of his best players struggling. "Im not worried about anything that you just mentioned; theyre fine," opined Pop. Game 6 will be back in Miami Tuesday night. ' ' '