won back-to-back qualifying matches in straight sets to make

PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The standings say the New Orleans Saints are in first place. For once, it looked that way on the field too.Drew Brees peppered the end zone with footballs. The defence harassed Ben Roethlisberger into costly mistakes. Head coach Sean Payton and defensive co-ordinator Rob Ryan exchanged words on the sideline.Just another day at work for the volatile NFC South leaders, even Sundays 35-32 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers upped New Orleans record to a mediocre 5-7.Its not time to reflect, Brees said. Were full steam ahead. We have four regular season games here that are going to determine our season.Judging by its best four quarters in a month, New Orleans finally appears ready make a move. Six days and 1,100 miles removed from an ugly home loss to Baltimore, the Saints appeared reborn. Brees threw five touchdowns for the ninth time in his career. Kenny Stills caught five passes for a career-high 162 yards and a score as New Orleans ended a three-game losing streak by restoring a little bit of respectability to the worst division in the league.The Steelers (7-5) kept New Orleans tight end Jimmy Graham in check with no catches, but it hardly mattered. Brees worked Pittsburghs secondary over anyway. Ben Watson, Marques Colston, Erik Lorig and Nick Toon hauled in touchdowns as New Orleans romped.The ball just happened to go other places today, Brees said. There were great matchups and we were able to make big plays in the passing game, so it was just one of those crazy games where for whatever reason, he didnt get a catch.Watson, Lorig and Toon hadnt been in the end zone all season. It changed during a 25-minute stretch in which the Saints turned a 6-0 deficit into a 35-16 lead. Signs of life from one of the NFLs most embattled defences helped. The Saints picked off Roethlisberger twice and Brees converted both miscues into scores.It hardly mattered that Payton and Ryan had a heated exchange in the third quarter when New Orleans was forced to call time-out because the defence had 12 players on the field. Consider it the cost of doing business.Thats just me being fired up, Payton said.There was plenty to get excited about on a day the Saints controlled nearly from start to finish as they ended a three-game losing streak. A couple of cosmetic touchdowns by the Steelers in the final 3 minutes made the score much closer than the reality.As long as Ive been here, we never lost three games in a row, especially at home, so this was a big win today, linebacker Junior Galette said. We entered this game professionally and went out there and did the job.Ben Roethlisberger passed for 435 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions for the Steelers. LeVeon Bell caught eight passes for a career-high 159 yards and also added 95 yards and a touchdown on the ground, but Pittsburgh was never really in it over the final three quarters.Pittsburgh opted to focus on Graham, often double-covering one of the NFLs biggest weapons. No biggie. Brees completed 19 of 27 passes to nine different receivers Mark Ingram ran for 122 yards as the Saints effectively counterpunched with touchdowns while the Steelers piled up field goals.Offensively, defensive and on special teams, we can play with the best teams in the league, Ingram said. As long as we dont hurt ourselves, we can win football games.The passes that Roethlisberger zipped so crisply to open receivers during while throwing for an NFL-record 12 touchdown passes in his last two home starts sailed high and out of reach and occasionally into the arms of New Orleans defenders. Roethlisbergers problems started early and were exacerbated when he smacked his right hand off the helmet of Saints linebacker Curtis Lofton late in the first quarter.New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan tipped a pass by Roethlisberger early in the third quarter and caught it for his first career interception to give the Saints the ball at the Pittsburgh 15. It took Brees two plays to hit Toon for an 11-yard score to make it 21-6. The Steelers responded with a 13-play, 83-yard drive that ended with Bell sprinting around left end for his third score of the year.Pittsburghs momentum lasted 2:31, or the time it took New Orleans to go 89 yards. Stills covered the last 69 all by himself, badly beating Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor on a double move. He raced across the goal line to make it 28-16 and Brees completed his best day of the season with a 3-yard lob to Colston.NOTES: Steelers DE Brett Keisel left in the third quarter with a triceps injury and did not return. ... Graham was also held without a catch in a Week 7 loss to Detroit. ... Pittsburgh fell to 6-2 after its bye week under coach Mike Tomlin. ... The Saints host Carolina next Sunday while the Steelers travel to Cincinnati.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Air Max Schweiz . "There are a lot of things that are going very well in this organization. Im not coming in here to rip things apart," Nicholson told reporters Friday. "I know what Hockey Canada was when I started, and I know where this (Oilers) organization is today. Nike Air Max Outlet Schweiz . -- John Senden never imagined it would take more than seven years to win again. http://www.airmaxschweiz.ch/ . In question is whether 26-year-old Matt Frattin will be on it. A a€?mediocrea€? training camp, as Carlyle put it earlier this week, has Frattin lingering nervously on the bubble at the end of the exhibition season, pushed out of a likely job by Brandon Kozun, the small, but feisty winger determined to make the NHL for the first time. Air Max Schuhe Sale . Cleveland released the troubled wide receiver on Wednesday, an expected ending after Bess was arrested in January for assaulting a law enforcement officer at an airport and other bizarre behaviour. Großhandel Nike Air Max . LOUIS -- Julius Randle had 19 points and 15 rebounds, Aaron Harrison finished with 18 points and No. BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Juan Luis Anangono headed in the tying goal from a difficult angle in the 86th minute to lift the Chicago Fire into their fourth straight draw, a 2-2 tie with the Philadelphia Union on Saturday. Anangono ran down the right endline and headed Mike Magees 42-yard free kick past Philadelphia goalkeeper Zac MacMath. The Fire are winless in five matches (0-1-4), while Philadelphia (1-1-3) collected its second tie in a row. Chicago was awarded a penalty kick just before the 5 minutes of stoppage time elapsed, but MacMath stopped Magee, the 2013 league MVP, on the original kick and a close-in rebound to preserve the deadlock. Philadelphia scored twice in a seven-minute span to erase Chicagos early lead. Midfielder Maurice Edu connected from 6 yards out in the 32nd minute after Bakary Soumaare froze, believing the Union had been called for a hand ball after Vincent Nogueiras shot was blocked by the Fires Jhon Hurtado.dddddddddddd Edu stepped up and beat goaltender Sean Johnson from the edge of the 6-yard box for his first goal in MLS play. The 27-year-old Californian had played in Europe the last four seasons. The Union took the lead on Leo Fernandes 30-yard free kick in the 39th minute. His shot from the right side of the field cleared a crowd of players and bounced in front of Johnson, who misplayed the shot, handing Fernandes his second goal of the season. The Fire opened the scoring on Magees first goal of the season in the 16th minute. Quincy Amarikwa stole the ball from Philadelphia defender Amobi Okugo, ran to the left corner and fed Magee, who was open 4 yards out. ' ' '