Ty Lawson scored 27 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 113-109 win over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. The Nuggets snapped their five-game losing streak with the win.NEW ORLEANS – The Minnesota Vikings outperformed the Saints in most statistical categories in last year’s NFC title game, but five turnovers cost them a victory.
New Orleans went on to win its first Super Bowl, while the Vikings have been left to stew over their loss – until tonight, when the NFL’s season kicks off with a rematch of one of the most riveting games played last season.
The Vikings outgained the Saints 165 yards to 68 on the ground and 310 yards to 189 in the air. In the end, Minnesota was done in by three lost fumbles and two interceptions, the last by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter when the Vikings were threatening to take a late-game lead.
“They took us to the brink of destruction,” Saints safety Roman Harper recalled. “If it wasn’t for another Tracy Porter pick, who knows where we would be. ... It was a great game last year and should be a great game this year.”
Tonight’s opener features the return of Brett Favre, who’ll start his 20th season despite offseason left-ankle surgery that had him mulling what would have been his third retirement. Instead, he reported to the Vikings halfway through the preseason.
“I feel pretty good,” Favre said. “People continue to say, ‘Can he hold up the whole year?’ You can say that about any quarterback that plays the game. It seems like at age 40, and soon to be 41, that I am the easy target to pick on, ... yet I continue to outlast all these guys.”
Brady’s focus on game, not contract
Tom Brady says he’s not thinking about a new contract and is focusing on preparing for the season opener.
The current deal for the New England Patriots quarterback expires after this season.
Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 2008 opener. A contract agreement before Sunday’s first game against the Cincinnati Bengals would provide security even if he’s hurt again.
Other news
Reggie Bush declined to go into detail on what he knows about the status of his 2005 Heisman Trophy. “At this point, it’s kind of out of my hands,” said Bush, who deferred comment to the Heisman Trust when asked about a Yahoo report that said he could be stripped of the award by the end of the month. … Buffalo coach Chan Gailey named rookie C.J. Spiller his starting running back. … Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs, who has a sprained ankle, was in full pads for the first time since Aug. 28 and practiced on a limited basis. … Jacksonville signed guard Uche Nwaneri to a five-year extension reportedly worth $24 million.
