NEW ORLEANS -- There were two fortuitous developments for the Patriots at the outset of the second half.

First of all, when Laurence Maroney lost a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, it was recovered by defensive lineman Sedrick Ellis, who, while battling -- gamely, but unwisely -- to pick up yardage, also fumbled. The ball was recovered by Wes Welker at the N.E. 19, enabling the Pats to maintain possession.

At the same time, it was announced that Saints cornerback Randall Gay was injured and would not play in the second half. New Orleans already is without both its starting corners, Jabari Greer, sidelined by a groin injury, and Tracy Porter, who has a knee injury.

Brady quickly took advantage of both breaks, evading the rush to find Randy Moss for a 47-yard completion to the N.O. 2, where Maroney burst into the end zone on the next play, trimming the Saints' lead to 24-17 with 10:24 to play in the third quarter.