Jump-start

• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Sep 29, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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NEW ORLEANS — Coming off back-to-back road losses by a combined seven points, the New Orleans Saints were a hobbled team when they returned home for Sunday’s game with the San Francisco 49ers.

Fourteen of the 53 players on the active roster, an unprecedented total for coach Sean Payton, either missed practice or had limited participation in the final two major workouts leading up to the game.

But despite being without five starters on offense and one on defense, they got help from new sources and some old reliables who teamed up for a satisfying 31-17 victory over the 49ers in the Superdome.

“With all the guys that didn’t practice this week, and we had a lot, I have never been a part of a week of preparation where so many guys missed practice,” Payton said. “But I thought we handled it well today.”

Among the players who were sidelined for the contest were wide receiver Marques Colston, tight end Jeremy Shockey and fullback Mike Karney on offense and cornerback Randall Gay on defense.

Young wide receivers Lance Moore and Robert Meachem filled in well, as did cornerback Tracy Porter and defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. Then, there were the old standbys like quarterback Drew Brees, running back Deuce McAllister and defensive end Charles Grant.

They, and many others, played key roles in the win for the Saints (2-2) in a game they absolutely had to have to avoid another disastrous start.

Moore caught touchdowns of 5 and 33 yards, while Meachem hauled in a 47-yard TD from Brees with 52 seconds to play in the second quarter to give the Saints a 21-6 halftime advantage.

They received additional repetitions in practice this week and snaps in the game because of the absence of Colston and David Patten, who played only briefly before re-injuring his groin.

“That’s how it is,” Payton said. “When you’re not 100 percent healthy, someone else very talented is in the game. And obviously, the quarterback has confidence in these players just as we coaches do.”

Moore had seven catches, which matched his career high, and a career-best 101 yards. Meachem had two receptions for 99 yards as Brees repeatedly torched a 49ers defense that was allowing 160.7 passing yards a game.

“It was awesome, that’s the kind of thing you dream about as a kid,” Moore, a three-year veteran, said of his big day. “But more important than that was the win. We really needed that win.”

After a slow start in which he completed just five of his first 12 passes, Brees connected on 18 of his next 23 attempts to finish 23-of-35 for 363 yards and three TDs. He threw one interception, but wasn’t sacked while compiling a passer rating of 116.7.