" It is worse than buzzard's luck. It is worse than having no luck at all.

Roy Williams tried to do something good for the Cowboys on Thursday and ended up doing something bad.

"I lost the ballgame," Williams said. "I'm accountable for what I did. Put it on me. I let my team down."

Leading 27-23, the Cowboys went into their four-minute offense in hopes of closing out New Orleans. Quarterback Jon Kitna figured if they could run eight plays, the game was finished.

On play No. 3, disaster struck. It was the ultimate backfire play. Naturally, it involved Williams.

On a third-and-6 play from the Cowboys 42, Williams broke free on a slant pattern. He caught the ball in stride and had more than the first down.

At that point, Williams admitted, the smart play would have been to hit the ground with the ball securely in his grasp. Brian Westbrook did that with Philadelphia against the Cowboys in 2007, going down at the 1 when the Eagles led by four points with about two minutes remaining. As was the case with the Eagles in that situation, milking the clock was more important than another score.

Instead, basic instinct took over for Williams. He thought about scoring, even though tacklers were closing in on him. By staying on his feet, Williams gave safety Malcolm Jenkins the chance the Saints needed.

In what Saints coach Sean Payton called "a heart play that inspires everyone," Jenkins caught Williams and went for the football. Kitna compared the sensation Williams experienced at that moment with the "scary" sensation of going downhill out of control. Williams lost his grip, and the Saints recovered at their 11. "