Toronto, Canada – LANDOVER, Maryland (Reuters) - Garrett Hartley kicked an 18-yard field goal in overtime as the unbeaten New Orleans Saints rallied to defeat the Washington Redskins 33-30 on Sunday.
The Saints (12-0) never led in the game until Hartley made his fourth field goal of the game 6:29 into overtime.
New Orleans and the Indianapolis Colts are the NFL's only unbeaten teams.
"They had us on our heels and we were fortunate to hang in there," Saints coach Sean Payton told reporters.
New Orleans trailed by 10 points deep into the fourth quarter, but Drew Brees' 53-yard pass to Robert Meachem and a Hartley extra point with 1:19 remaining tied the score at 30-30 and forced over time.
Underdog Washington (3-9) could have iced the game seconds earlier but Shaun Suisham was wide right on a 23-yard field goal attempt that would have given the Redskins a 33-23 lead with 1:52 to play in regulation.
"There is a lot of confidence in the team right now and they wouldn't quit and just kept clawing their way back in there."
Washington fumbled away its final chance in overtime when replay officials ruled Mike Sellers had lost the ball after a pass from Jason Campbell at the Redskins' 37-yard line.
New Orleans then marched to the Washington one-yard line before giving Hartley a chance to seal the comeback.
The loss was the seventh in eight games for the Redskins, who were kept in the game by Campbell's three touchdown passes.
Meachem scored twice, once on a 44-yard fumble return to tie the score at 17-17 at half time, then on the game-tying pass from Brees.
He caught eight of Brees' 35 completed passes for 142 yards.
Campbell threw for 367 yards for Washington.
His eight-yarder to Fred Davis produced the game's first touchdown and he later tossed five and 13 yard touchdown passes to Devin Thomas, who had 100 yards receiving.
(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury)
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