New Orleans ? Like his father, Reggie Bush was a 49ers fan growing up.

Not Sunday.

With San Francisco in town, Bush’s father, LaMar Griffin, attended a game in the Louisiana Superdome for the first time since his son turned pro, wearing Bush’s No. 25 Saints jersey. Bush delighted his parents and everyone else wearing black-and-gold, showing like never before that all those electrifying plays he made in high school and college could translate to the NFL.

“Obviously, I haven’t had the flashy runs or the breakthrough game like everybody has been expecting, but at the same time, I’m adjusting to the NFL. I’m learning,” Bush said. “It’s the kind of a game I’ve been waiting for, too. It finally came today.”

Bush tied Joe Horn’s franchise record by scoring all four of the Saints’ touchdowns and gained 168 total yards as New Orleans beat the San Francisco 49ers, 34-10. The victory helped New Orleans (8-4) remain alone in first place in the NFC South, while reducing the 49ers (5-7) to playoff longshots.

Most of Bush’s gains were modest, but his stunning acceleration, fancy footwork and leaping ability were evident in all of his touchdowns and numerous drive-sustaining plays. He finished with 131 yards on nine receptions and 37 yards on 10 rushes.

It was fitting that Bush looked more comfortable than he had previously in his young pro career, since so many elements from his past had converged in this game.

San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith was Bush’s high school quarterback in San Diego. They won a pair of championships together.

Bush also said he needed an outlet after watching his school, Southern California, lose its chance for a national title by falling to rival UCLA a night earlier.

“I was sick last night. I wanted to throw up. I couldn’t believe they lost,” Bush said. “I had a little extra aggression, and I wanted to take it out on the 49ers.”

San Francisco was as close as 14-10 early in the third quarter after Smith connected with Antonio Bryant for a 48-yard score. But Smith was done in on two subsequent passes intended for Bryant, both of which were intercepted by Mike McKenzie and led to 10 points for New Orleans.

New Orleans saints running back reggie bush jumps over San Francisco defender Manny Lawson (99) in the first half of Sunday's game. Bush had four touchdowns in the Saints' 34-10 victory Sunday in New Orleans.

That left Smith to watch Bush do the types of things he had seen many times before when the two were high school teammates.

“He’s a special talent. I knew it from early on … He’s unique,” Smith said. “He has a lot of potential, a lot of game-breaking potential.”

Bush’s first touchdown was a one-yard dive over the pile, although the gain that set that up was even more impressive. The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner turned a short pass out of the backfield into a 14-yard gain by badly faking out a first defender on a stutter-step, then carrying a band of tacklers on his back down to the one.

“At some point, the athlete takes over, and there’s only so much you can draw on the drawing board,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. “I’m sure the fans were all waiting for that breakout game where he just takes the game over.”

Bears 23, Vikings 13

Chicago – Devin Hester ran into the record book again. Ricky Manning Jr. returned an interception for a touchdown, and the Bears claimed their second straight NFC North title.

Hester tied an NFL record with his fourth touchdown return, and Manning ran back an interception 54 yards to lead Chicago over Minnesota on a frigid afternoon.

Cowboys 23, Giants 20

East Rutherford, N.J. – Newly signed kicker Martin Gramatica booted 46-yard field goal with one second left to give the Cowboys (8-4) a two-game lead in the NFC East. Gramatica’s winning kick went straight through the uprights with plenty of power, more than making up for his wide-right miss from 44 yards to end the Cowboys’ opening drive.

The winning score was set up by a 42-yard pass by Tony Romo to Jason Witten and came just over a minute after the Giants tied the game at 20 on a five-yard pass from Eli Manning to Plaxico Burress.

Gramatica, who also kicked field goals of 41 and 35 yards, was signed last week after the Cowboys cut Mike Vanderjagt.

It was the fourth straight loss for the Giants (6-6) and the fourth win in five games for Dallas since Romo replaced Drew Bledsoe at quarterback at halftime of a 36-22 loss to New York on Oct. 23. He finished 20-of-34 for 257 yards.

Jets 38, Packers 10

Green Bay, Wis. – Chad Pennington and the Jets took apart the Packers’ defense and stoked their hopes of an improbable playoff run.

Pennington put together three touchdown drives of 70 yards or more in the second quarter, and the Jets (7-5) cruised.

New York built a 31-0 halftime lead as snow flurries floated to the ground and boos showered down from the stands. Pennington, who was 25-of-35 for 263 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, connected with eight receivers. Cedric Houston carried 22 times for a career-high 105 yards and two touchdowns. The Packers are 4-8.

Falcons 24, Redskins 14

Landover, Md. – The Falcons faced a big first-half deficit and were headed toward their fifth straight loss. Then came a 24-point rally, highlighted by a pair of big plays in the open field.

Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn? Nope. Defensive lineman Chauncey Davis and rookie running back Jerious Norwood.

Davis’ 41-yard rumble after his first career interception set up one touchdown, and Norwood’s moves embarrassed several would-be tacklers on a 69-touchdown run.

The NFL’s leading rushing team ran for 256 yards, led by Norwood (107), Dunn (87) and Vick (59). The victory put the Falcons (6-6) back in the serious hunt for a playoff berth. The Redskins (4-8) have lost three of four.

Cardinals 34, Rams 20

St. Louis – Matt Leinart knew what to do with all those St. Louis mistakes.

Marcel Shipp scored three touchdowns, Edgerrin James had 115 yards rushing, and Leinart won for the second time in seven pro starts, capitalizing on the Rams’ season-high 126 yards in penalties.

Marc Bulger threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns, but also had three interceptions to add to woes that contributed to a sixth loss in seven games for the Rams (5-7). Bulger has three touchdown passes and six interceptions the last four games.

Titans 20, Colts 17

Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee has tapped into a major vein of comeback magic.

Rob Bironas kicked a 60-yard field goal – the franchise’s longest ever – with seven seconds left, and the Titans beat the Colts for the first time since December 2002 and posted their second straight amazing comeback.

The team that tied for the NFL’s second-biggest comeback in the final 10 minutes last week against the New York Giants struck again against the Colts (10-2), who had lost only four of their previous 36 games.

Chargers 24, Bills 21

Orchard Park, N.Y. – LaDainian Tomlinson was the ideal tonic for a blustery winter afternoon in Buffalo. The Chargers’ defense was pretty hot, too.

Tomlinson had 178 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns, helping the Chargers (10-2) extend their winning streak to six. It was Tomlinson’s sixth straight 100-yard game and seventh of the season.

With a 51-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Tomlinson joined Eric Dickerson as the second NFL player to reach 1,200 yards rushing in each of his first six NFL seasons. The two scores gave Tomlinson 26 for the year, inching him within two of matching the single-season record set by Seattle’s Shaun Alexander last year.

Patriots 28, Lions 21

Foxborough, Mass. – Corey Dillon saved the sloppy Patriots from a stunning upset.

His three short touchdown runs overcame 10 penalties, four turnovers and a safety. The Patriots didn’t lead in the second half until Dillon scored on a four-yard run with 2:33 left.

Mike Vrabel’s interception, his second of the game, sealed the victory against the Lions (2-10), who have the NFL’s worst record over the last six years at 23-69.

Jaguars 24, Dolphins 10

Miami – Even when the Dolphins had David Garrard scrambling 15 yards behind the line of scrimmage, they failed to stop him. Garrard did his best work on the run, throwing for 229 yards and two scores. The Jaguars (7-5) won for only the second time on the road and ended a four-game winning streak by the Dolphins (5-7), likely ensuring Miami will miss the playoffs for the fifth year in a row.

Steelers 20, Buccaneers 3

Pittsburgh – The NFL’s most mistake-prone team didn’t do much on offense for the second week in a row, but it didn’t make much difference as the Steelers capitalized on repeated Tampa Bay mistakes.

Ben Roethlisberger bounced back from one of the worst games of his three-season career to throw touchdown passes to two tight ends – both times after the Bucs (3-9) turned over the ball.

The Steelers (5-7) began the game with a league-high 30 turnovers, but this time limited themselves to one giveaway, while Tampa Bay gave away the ball four times in losing its sixth in seven games. The Bucs have scored only five touchdowns in losing all six road games this season.

Texans 23, Raiders 14

Oakland, Calif. – Houston didn’t complete a pass in the second half, finished the game with negative yards passing and somehow found a way to win. Demarcus Faggins scored on a 58-yard fumble return, and Houston (4-8) used two long returns and a pair of fumbles by Randal Williams to set up 16 more points in the second half.

In a season full of ugly losses by the Raiders (2-10), this one gets its own special place. In the first game since John Shoop took over the play-calling duties from Tom Walsh, Oakland turned the ball over five times, missed three field goals, allowed five sacks and had only one offensive score.

Seahawks 23, Broncos 20

Denver – Josh Brown tied an NFL single-season record with his fourth winning field goal in the final minute, nailing a 50-yarder with four seconds left to give Seattle the victory over stumbling Denver.

Rookie defensive lineman Darryl Tapp returned Jay Cutler’s first interception 25 yards for a touchdown, and the Seahawks (8-4) took advantage of five turnovers to send the Broncos (7-5) to their third straight loss.