The Sports Xchange

The New Orleans Saints went into Sunday’s game looking to run the ball more effectively after ranking 31st in the league going into the contest.

The emphasis paid off in a big way when the Saints piled up 183 rushing yards and averaged 5.1 yards per try on 36 attempts in their 27-21 win – with Mark Ingram leading the way with 143 yards and a 1-yard touchdown run on 14 carries.

It was the third-best rushing game of Ingram’s five-year NFL career as he had 172 yards against the Green Bay Packers last season and 145 yards – also on 14 attempts – against the Dallas Cowboys in 2013.

Khiry Robinson added 28 yards on 14 carries, but he had touchdown runs of 1 and 6 yards, while C.J. Spiller contributed 16 yards on four tries.

“We came in with a very diverse run game and it paid off big for us,” said Ingram, who had runs 20, 35 and 44 yards – all of which were longer than the Saints’ previous long run of 17 yards in their first six games.

“We were very close,” Ingram said of breaking out. “It was always just a little bit more on a block, or a little bit more pressure on the hole, and big runs were going to be there. Everything clicked for us. … We’ve got to keep building on this.”

–As they have been for most of the preseason and regular season, the Saints were a bit thin in the defensive backfield for Sunday’s game with the Indianapolis Colts.

Starting cornerback Keenan Lewis, who had sports hernia surgery on Sept. 1 but returned for the past three games, was inactive after seeing a specialist early last week when he experienced more discomfort.

Nickel cornerback Damian Swann was also out for the second game in a row because of a concussion he received in an Oct. 11 game with the Philadelphia Eagles – which meant the Saints were without two of their five starters in the nickel package for their matchup with Andrew Luck.

As he had done earlier in the season, Delvin Breaux started for Lewis, while veteran Kyle Wilson took Swann’s place and had an interception in the end zone to halt a Colts’ scoring threat in the final seconds of the first half.

The Saints actually held up well. Midway through the third quarter, Luck was only 12 of 25 for 100 yards with two interceptions and four sacks even though he finished with 333 passing yards and three scores.

Notes: T Andrus Peat (knee) did not play in Sunday’s game with the Indianapolis Colts and likely could miss three more weeks with a sprained MCL. … LT Terron Armstead (left knee) was back in the starting lineup Sunday after missing the past two games. … WR Marques Colston (right shoulder) returned to the field against the Colts after missing the last game with the Atlanta Falcons. … DB Damian Swann (head) was downgraded late last week and did not play against the Colts after practicing on a limited basis Thursday.