Drew Brees connected on 87 percent of his throws for 315 yards and two touchdowns, capping his day with a clutch, 22-yard third-down completion to Billy Miller. That allowed the Saints to safely run out the clock in a 31-24 victory over the Arizona Cardinals today.

When New Orleans last played in the Louisiana Superdome two games ago, a fumble on a botched reverse set up Tampa Bay's winning touchdown inside the final half-minute.

With a loss severely hurting playoff hopes for either team, the game was a high-anxiety affair.

This game was played indoors, but was no less sloppy than some of the weather-affected contests far to the north. Fumbles by each team set up opponents' scores. Roman Harper's interception of Kurt Warner's tipped pass set up another Saints touchdown.

Warner, who turned over the ball and was sacked twice, alternated between his worst and best. He completed six of seven throws on an 80-yard scoring drive in the third quarter that pulled Arizona to 28-21. The 3-yard touchdown toss was among his best, as he alertly dumped the ball straight ahead to tight end Ben Patrick just before getting crushed in a collapsing pocket.

But Brees made fewer mistakes, completing 26 of 30 throws while never turning over the ball. His prettiest pass was a 32-yard rainbow David Patten caught in stride along the sideline for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Brees also found Marques Colston over the middle for a 19-yard score in the first quarter that tied the game at 7.