ORCHARD PARK �“ Drew Brees didn’t throw a handful of touchdown passes and the Saints didn’t put up 45 points, but in the end, neither was necessary for another victory.

On this day, it was the phases that normally don’t grab the headlines �“ the running game and defense �“ that made all the difference for New Orleans.

Pierre Thomas rushed for 126 yards and two touchdowns and the Saints’ defense allowed just a trick-play touchdown as New Orleans topped the Buffalo Bills, 27-7, on Sunday night at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

For a long time, it was the Saints’ defense that struggled and Brees that made the offense so prolific. On Sunday, it was a rushing attack that churned out 222 total yards and a defense that held Terrell Owens without a catch for the first time since 1996, a span of 185 games.

Brees, meanwhile, finished 16-of-29 for 172 yards, snapping an NFL-leading 22-game streak of throwing for 200 yards or more. And after tossing nine touchdown passes in the first two games, Brees didn’t need any yesterday as the Saints moved to 3-0.

“What I’m really proud of is that our defense played outstanding,” Brees said. “They got us a few turnovers, but more importantly, they played with such a great attitude. Every time they stepped out on the field, they just felt like they were going to shut them down.”

And that’s exactly what New Orleans did.

The Saints generated four sacks, produced 11 three-and-outs and prevented Buffalo (1-2) from gaining a first down in its final five possessions. The icing on the cake was shutting out Owens, whose reception streak was third-longest in NFL history.

New Orleans had so much pressure, Owens and fellow No. 1 wideout Lee Evans were only thrown to a combined 11 times (out of 35 attempts), resulting in a mere four catches for 31 yards.

“When it was tough early in the first half and we were having trouble moving the ball consistently, the one thing we got was pressure,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “We got a real good defensive effort out there today.”

Despite Buffalo’s inability to generate anything offensively, the game was still very much in question with 10 minutes left in the fourth as New Orleans led only 10-7. The Saints finally wore down the Bills by scoring 17 points on their final three possessions.

Thomas, who didn’t have a single carry in the first half, put the game away with five minutes remaining by scoring on a 34-yard run to put the Saints up 17-7. The back-up runner added his second score just before the two minute warning.

“Offensively, we’re thinking, ‘we’ve got to close this thing out,’” Brees said of the close game into the final period. “Our defense is playing their butts off, now we have to do something to help them.

“Every time we touch the ball now, we’re going down and we’re scoring points. We’re finishing this game off like we had talked about.”

To Payton, it was just a matter of taking care of the little things. The Saints’ offense, as it usually does, would take care of itself.

“You’re just trying to gain field position and go up by one more score,” he said of his team’s narrow 10-7 lead. “Pierre’s run was a big play. You’re preaching ball security and being smart on the road. Those are all things you’re focusing on in a hard-fought game like that.

“We’re not really interested in style points, we’re interested in winning. That’s our job. Fortunately, we came out strong in the fourth and made that happen.”

New Orleans was only the fourth team �“ and first since the 1968 Raiders �“ to score 45 points in each of their first two games. Brees had matched a record with his nine TD passes.

They might not have gotten that kind of production Sunday, but they still managed to win. And now the Saints stand alone at the top of the NFC South standings.

“It tells a lot about this team and the fact that this was just a great all-around team win,” Breese said. “You talk about finishing games and guys stepping up and making plays that need to be made. We did that in every phase today, especially in the fourth quarter.”

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