Falcons top Saints as Hartley misses kick in OT

NEW ORLEANS - It should have been a routine chip shot for Saints playoff hero Garrett Hartley, a 29-yard field goal in overtime to keep New Orleans unbeaten.

Somehow, the same kicker who set a Super Bowl record with three field goals longer than 40 yards hooked it wide left from the right hash mark. Minutes later, the defending champions' charmed run ended - and Falcons players stormed the Superdome field in celebration - when Matt Bryant drilled a 46-yard field goal with 1:55 left in the extra period to lift the Atlanta Falcons to a 27-24 victory Sunday.

"I missed basically an extra point," Hartley said. "It was clearly my mistake . . . It's the highs and lows of being a kicker." Atlanta would have won in regulation if not for Hartley's tying 32-yard field goal with 4 seconds left in regulation.

The Falcons won the coin toss and received to start overtime, but the Saints held, setting the stage for reigning Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees to lead New Orleans to another dramatic win.

Brees drove the Saints to the Atlanta 11-yard line. Resigned to defeat as he watched from the sideline, Atlanta's Tony Gonzalez took off his receivers' gloves. Then Hartley hooked an ugly kick to the left for his third miss this season. "I was absolutely stunned," Gonzalez said. "I thought for sure the game was over." Even longtime public address announcer Jerry Romig let his typical "It's good!" refrain slip out just as officials began waving their arms sideways and cheers faded to groans.

Matt Ryan passed for 228 yards and touchdowns of 13 yards to Gonzalez and 22 yards to Roddy White to give the Falcons (2-1) their second straight win. Michael Turner added 30 carries for 114 yards and a 1-yard TD plunge.

Lance Moore had a pair of TD catches for New Orleans (2-1), including an 80-yarder. He finished with six catches for 149 yards and also had a 72-yard punt return to set up Jeremy Shockey's short TD catch on New Orleans' first drive.