SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- With Drew Brees big arm, a 1-2 running punch in Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower and all of those capable receiving targets, the New Orleans Saints suddenly are looking like a legitimate contender again.Forget that 0-3 start. Brees still has big plans for this bunch.He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Michael Thomas and another to Ingram, who also ran for a 75-yard score a week after being benched as the Saints beat the lowly San Francisco 49ers 41-23 on Sunday.I want to win. I want to win a championship. I want to see this team come together and do something special, Brees said. Weve won four out of five and weve really grown over the last five weeks. Im excited about the second half of the season. Here we are, halfway through 4-4 again. I feel like our best is yet to come. Weve got some momentum now.Ingram, replaced by Hightower during last Sundays 25-20 win against Seattle after fumbling for a second straight game, scored his second straight TD for the Saints on a career-long run to answer immediately after DuJuan Harris caught a 47-yard touchdown pass from Colin Kaepernick. Ingrams run also was the second-longest in Saints history and he wound up with 158 yards rushing as San Francisco allowed an opposing 100-yard runner for the seventh straight game.Afterward, Hightower made sure to find Ingram with some kind words.To see him respond the way he did, Im proud of him, Hightower said. Thats not easy to do.The Saints (4-4) have grabbed back some momentum and returned to the race in the NFC South. They won for the fourth time in five games following an 0-3 start and eighth in the last 10 regular-season meetings with San Francisco.Brees dazzled in his debut game at Levis Stadium, where Fire Baalke signs showed up on cars and in the stands in reference to the beleaguered 49ers general manager. The QB completed 28 of 39 passes for 323 yards in the Saints first trip to San Franciscos home field since a 36-32 loss in the divisional playoffs after the 2011 season.Brees now has 449 career touchdown passes, leaving him one shy of becoming the third player to throw for 450 TDs. Peyton Manning (539) and Hall of Famer Brett Favre (508) are the others.Kaepernick also threw a 65-yard touchdown pass to Vance McDonald just before halftime, when New Orleans led 31-20. In Kaepernicks third game back as starter, he had his best game yet: He became the 15th player in franchise history to rush for 2,000 yards and went 24 of 39 for 398 yards passing -- second most yards of his career.Today was a step in the right direction, Kaepernick said.But the Niners (1-7) didnt have nearly enough to avoid their seventh straight loss since shutting out the Rams to start the year.Hightower, who became the Saints first 100-yard rusher of the season last week against Seattle, ran for a 4-yard touchdown in the first to put his team ahead for good. Craig Robertsons interception of a pass by Kaepernick and return of 29 yards just four plays later set up Brees 1-yard touchdown pass to Thomas .Phil Dawson kicked field goals of 49, 48 and 46 yards for San Francisco.STEADY BREESBrees added more notables to his remarkable resume: He has 55 career games passing for at least 300 yards while throwing three touchdown passes, most in NFL history. Also, he didnt have an interception Sunday, becoming the first player in league history with 30 career games recording 300 yards passing, three TDs and no interceptions.STUPENDOUS STUPARFormer 49ers linebacker Nate Stupar forced Mike Davis fumble and recovered it early in the third quarter, the second straight big game for the journeyman in his fourth NFL season.Last week, he intercepted a pass by Russell Wilson.BIG-PLAY TOUCHDOWNSBreakdowns for both defenses led to the high-scoring, offensive day. The first half accounted for 663 of total offense combined -- 484 yards passing by Brees and Kaepernick together -- and 1,057 in all once the game was over.The teams came into the game as two of the leagues worst defenses, San Francisco at No. 30 and New Orleans 28th.HOLDING, TIMES THREEJust before halftime, 49ers defenders Eric Reid, Keith Reaser and Jimmie Ward were flagged for simultaneous, intentional holding penalties against a trio of receivers to keep the Saints targets from getting open in the end zone. New Orleans had only one more chance and settled for Wil Lutzs 26-yard field goal as time expired.San Francisco was penalized four times early, too -- two on its first defensive series and two more on its initial offensive possession that had the Niners settling for Phil Dawsons 49-yard field goal.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLWholesale Air Max 270 . 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Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL.COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- After an ugly first half, the Colorado Rapids broke intensified their pressure after the break and quickly broke through. Nathan Sturgis scored in the 47th minute and Clint Irwin got his sixth shutout of the season to lift the Rapids to a 2-0 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Thursday night. "It was only a matter of time," Sturgis said. "We came out with energy, got some good bounces and got some opportunities. "We did get a few lucky bounces in that sequence." Deshorn Brown also scored for Colorado (7-7-5), which last lost at home to New York on July 8, 2007 -- improving to 4-0-1 since. New York (8-7-4) was shut out for the fifth time this season. The Red Bulls are 2-3-1 in their last six games while getting outscored 9-6 in that stretch. "I felt it had been ugly for large chunks for both teams," New York coach Mike Petke said. "It wasnt the prettiest game." The Rapids went right after Red Bulls goalkeeper Luis Robles to start the second half. "We didnt have a lot of space in the first half," Colorado coach Oscar Pareja said. "In the second we were able to spread the ball out more and that spread them out and got them a little tired." Colorado pressured from the start of the half and hadd two other shots directed at the goal.ddddddddddddEdson Buddles shot was blocked by several players, run down Dillon Powers and had his shot kicked away by New York defender Markus Holgersson, who was standing in the crease. Sturgis ran down the rebounded ball and deposited it past Robles. It was Sturgis fourth goal of the season. "To give up that early goal was a killer," Petke said. "To not be able to clear the ball and to not stay with our marks throughout it until it finished was a killer." Christopher Klute set up Brown with a perfectly timed cross in the 68th minute. Brown was waiting by the right post and connected. The defences controlled play, limiting the number of chances, in the first half. The Rapids were awarded a free kick when Klute was tripped up just outside the box. But Sturgis sent the free kick well over the cross bar in the 14th minute. Connor Lade broke free between two defenders to get a clean shot off but pushed it wide of the right post in the 23rd minute. Sturgis created his own chance with a move to the middle. He got a slow kick off that required a diving save by Robles in the 37th minute. "Going into the had at least three opportunities the first half," said Petke. "We just didnt capitalize on." ' ' '