LOS ANGELES: Wil Lutz kicked the game-winning 36-yard field goal on the first possession of overtime as the New Orleans Saints overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 30-27 on Monday. Quarterback Drew Brees passed for one touchdown and ran for another as the Saints had to overcame Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert, who tossed four touchdown passes at the Superdome stadium in New Orleans.

Brees completed 33 of 47 passes for 325 yards for the Saints, who improved to 3-2 on the season. The 17-point rally was the biggest comeback for Brees in 11 years. "This was a wild one," Brees said. "We did not play very well in the first half. We found ourselves in a 20-3 deficit in the first half. But we were able to get some points before the half.

"After halftime, the guys came out executing and doing the things that win football games. "Brees said careless mistakes cost them early in the game. "On the first couple of drives we were stagnant. We had some self inflicted wounds. "It didn't feel like we were on the field very long and we didn't have many opportunities. But we able to put it together in second half," he said. Lutz's field goal broke the 27-27 tie. He also kicked a 48-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 6-3 at the end of the first quarter.

Herbert, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft, completed 20 of 34 for 264 yards for the Chargers, who lost their fourth-straight game. On fourth down at the Chargers' 49-yard line, Herbert's five-yard completion to Mike Williams came up a yard short to end the contest. "He has a very bright future in this league. He is going to be great for that organization," Brees said of the 22-year old Herbert. Williams caught two touchdown passes, Keenan Allen caught one and Hunter Henry caught the other touchdown. Allen left the game with a back injury and did not return. Williams gained 109 yards on five catches.

Falcons dump Quinn
Dan Quinn was fired as coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and general manager Thomas Dimitroff was also axed Sunday, hours after losing to Carolina for an 0-5 start. The Panthers' 23-16 road triumph proved to much for team president Rich McKay, who assumed oversight of operations until an interim coach is named as a search begins for a new top executive.

"Decisions like these are very difficult, but the previous two seasons and start to this one have been especially hard for me," team owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. "This is a results business and I owe it to our fans to put the best product we can on the field. We have poured every resource possible into winning and will continue to do so, but the results of late do not meet our standard or what I've promised our fans."

Quinn went 43-42 over more than five seasons with the Falcons, with two playoff appearances including a trip to the Super Bowl in the 2016 campaign, where the Falcons blew a big lead and lost to New England. The Falcons went 1-7 to start last season on the way to a 7-9 finish. At 0-5, the Falcons share this seasons' worst NFL record with the New York Giants and New York Jets. Quinn becomes the second NFL coach to lose his job this season after Bill O'Brien was dismissed by Houston. "We are moving forward and will do everything we can to help this year's team win as many games as possible," McKay said.- Agencies