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NEW ORLEANS -- Broncos safety Darian Stewart was in the right place at the right time, as Denver defenders often seem to be.Shutting down quarterback Drew Brees for four quarters was always going to be a tall order, particularly with starting quarterback Aqib Talib and starting defensive end Derek Wolfe injured. Still, Denvers dynamic defense produced four pivotal turnovers in a wild 25-23 victory over the previously surging Saints on Sunday.The Saints offense is real tough and we knew that coming in, said Stewart, who had two interceptions and a fumble recovery . We had a lot of guys out injured, which only made the challenge more difficult. But we had a lot of guys who stepped in and made contributions. That was huge.The game ultimately was decided in the unlikeliest of ways. Denver rookie Justin Simmons blocked a potential go-ahead, extra-point kick by New Orleans Wil Lutz, and rookie teammate Will Parks grabbed the loose ball, returning it 84 yards for a defensive 2-point conversion with 1:28 left in the game.Yet New Orleans might never have relinquished its 17-10, second-half lead if not for two fumbles forced by Denvers defense.The Broncos, who entered the game with the top-rated pass defense in the NFL, intercepted Brees twice in the first half.Stewart made his first interception by anticipating Brees throw down the left sideline and cutting in front of intended target Travaris Cadet at the Denver 9-yard line. The second came when Stewart snagged a pass ripped from rookie receiver Michael Thomas grasp by defensive back Bradley Roby.In the fourth quarter, Stewart once again found a ball landing in his lap when Roby punched the ball away from Thomas after a reception over the middle.Thats a play we work on, Roby said of his strip. In that situation, you have to say to yourself, `Youve got to go for the ball.Denver converted that turnover into Demaryius Thomas game-tying touchdown.Then came defensive end Jared Cricks crushing tackle of Thomas that forced another fumble, recovered by T.J. Ward to set up a field goal which put Denver ahead 23-17 with just under 3 minutes left.Those plays helped Denver overcome Brees NFL-record 56th game with at least 300 yards and three TDs passing.The four turnovers, they cost us the game, Brees said. It made it a lot closer than it probably should have been.Heres what else stood out in Denvers victory over the Saints:PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT: Simmons said Denver had picked up on some of the Saints place-kicking tendencies and figured they might be able to block a kick by having a player hurdle the offensive line. Simmons said the Broncos worked on the play, called Leaper, all week.Its something you work on all the time, Denver coach Gary Kubiak said. Its risky to do because if you touch somebody, its a penalty. There are certain situations in a game where you say it is worth the risk, and this was one of them.ELITE BREES: Brees passed for 303 yards with touchdowns on a 32-yard pass to Brandin Cooks , as well as 3- and 5-yard tosses to Willie Snead. He did it against a Broncos defense that entered the game allowing just 183.3 yards passing per game. Who knows what kind of numbers Brees might have had it three drives werent stalled by turnovers in which the ball was knocked from Michael Thomas hands?MIXED BAG: The Broncos are still living with quarterback Trevor Siemians rookie mistakes. He threw two interceptions and didnt seem to see cornerback Sterling Moore jumping the route on the first or Kenny Vaccaro standing right in the balls path on the second. He also took six sacks. But he made a number of clutch throws -- not just on his TD passes of 14 yards to Jordan Taylor and 2 yards to Demaryius Thomas. He also completed a slew of drive-extending throws and the Broncos converted 11 of 19 third downs.BETTER BLOCKING: Two of Denvers best pass rushers -- Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware -- were held without a sack by a Saints offensive line that was missing starting left tackle Terron Armstead. Andrus Peat took over for Armstead, sliding over from left guard, and Senio Kelemete took Peats guard spot. Denver, which came in with 28 sacks, managed just one on Brees, by linebacker Shaquil Barrett.QB PRESSURE: New Orleans ramped up its pass rush in a big way. The Saints had 11 sacks in their first eight games, but six different defenders got a sack apiece on Siemian: rookie defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, end Cameron Jordan, safety Kenny Vaccaro and linebackers Dannell Ellerbe and Craig Robertson.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Addison Russell Jersey . 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The Real Madrid forward has scored 66 goals in 2013, but the last three may be the boost he needs to upstage Messi after FIFA unexpectedly extended the voting period for the Ballon dOr to Nov. TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Alabamas quarterback competition is down to two candidates for the opener.The top-ranked Crimson Tide will start either junior Cooper Bateman or redshirt freshman Blake Barnett Saturday night against No. 20 Southern California in Arlington, Texas.Cooper Bateman and Blake Barnett are probably the two guys that were getting ready to play in this game, and thats the way its going to be for right now, Tide coach Nick Saban said on Monday.Chances are, fans will have to tune in Saturday to see whos going to start and if both will play. Its hardly a new thing for the defending national champions.Alabama has carried over battles into two straight seasons -- at least publicly -- and has been to the playoffs both times with one-year starters Blake Sims and Jake Coker.Freshman Jalen Hurts and sophomore David Cornwell had also vied for the No. 1 spot. Bateman is the only one of the four to make it into a college game, starting the Tides only loss last season against Mississippi. Sims never relinquished the job.The 6-foot-5 Barnett arrived as perhaps the most highly rated quarterback prospect Alabama has signed under Saban and has beefed up to 211 pounds since his arrival.Saban and offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin have gone with the most experienced candidate the past two years, with strong results. Barnett has been through two spring practices after arriving as one of the nations top quarterback prospects.Whoever wins the job will have a deep receiving corps led by Calvin Ridley, ArDarius Stewart and tight end O.J. Howard.One of the strengths on our team, I feel, is the receivers, and we want to continue to try to have an offense that can create explosive plays through those guys, Saban said.Some coaches prefer a quick quarterback decision so that one guy can start getting the bulk of the practice repetitions with the first-teamm offense.dddddddddddd Sabans OK with waiting to see how they actually perform in a stadium packed with people and a prime-time national TV audience.He cites a gamer like Rohan Davey, who played for him at LSU.I cant tell you how theyre going to play in a game, especially the guys that have never played in a game, Saban said. Cooper has played some in a game here, which I think that experience is certainly a benefit to him, but I dont know how these other guys are going to play in a game. Some guys go into games and they play a lot better.Rohan Davey is a guy that I used to go like this (covers eyes) in practice because some days he would throw the ball end over end in practice and then go throw for 400 yards in the game, and I kind of like that, even though it was hard to take sometimes in practice. But you knew the guy was going to play well in the game, because he was a great competitor.Game notes Freshman Jonah Williams, a five-star recruit, is listed as the first-teamer on the depth chart released Monday. Cam Robinson is the only other freshman tackle to start for Saban at Alabama in the opener. You wouldnt look at his film and think he was a freshman, Tide defensive end Jonathan Allen said. Hes very experienced. His technique is phenomenal. He knows the playbook as well as any other offensive lineman. Hes definitely one of those freshmen who progresses very, very fast. ... Ross Piersbacher is moving from center to right guard, while Bradley Bozeman will be snapping the ball. Piersbacher started at left guard last season and was expected to replace first-round pick Ryan Kelly at center. Bozeman started two games at center when Kelly was injured in 2014, then played in every game as a reserve last season. ' ' '