New Orleans, LA -- (Sports Network) - Chad Johnson's six receptions for 190 yards and three touchdowns led the Cincinnati Bengals to a 31-16 win over the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.

Carson Palmer completed 14-of-22 passes for 275 yards, three touchdowns and one pick. Rudi Johnson rumbled for 111 yards on 27 carries for the Bengals (5-5), who broke a three-game losing streak in impressive fashion.

Drew Brees set a Saints single-game passing record by throwing for 510 yards on 37-of-52 completions and two touchdowns, but also threw three costly interceptions.

Joe Horn caught three balls for 93 yards and a touchdown, and Terrance Copper hauled in six receptions for 87 yards and one score for the Saints (6-4), who have lost three of their last four games.

New Orleans' loss coupled with Carolina's home win over St. Louis puts both teams in a tie atop the NFC South. The Saints will face the Atlanta Falcons (5-5) next Sunday.

With the game tied early in the fourth, the Bengals used a quick-strike offense and opportunistic defense to slam the door on New Orleans' victory hopes.

Cincinnati took a 17-10 lead when Palmer scrambled on 3rd-and-2 from his own 40, and found Chad Johnson wide open down the left side for a 60-yard catch-and-run with 4:37 gone in the fourth stanza.

Palmer and Chad Johnson teamed up again on the Bengals' next series, with the wide receiver reaching out to make a superb diving 48-yard reception down to the Saints' four-yard line, and taking in his third TD pass of the day on the following play.

Cincinnati's defense took its turn, boosting the lead to 31-10. Safety Ethan Kilmer stepped in front of Brees' sideline pass intended for Aaron Stecker and raced 52 yards down the left side for the touchdown.

The Saints showed some life in the late stages, on a seven-play, 80-yard drive as Brees hooked up with Cooper for a 27-yard score with 4:21 remaining. Despite the soft Bengal defense on that series, Cincinnati broke through to block Carney's extra point try.

Marvin Lewis' team opened the scoring, taking some air out of the raucous Superdome crowd, as Palmer connected with Chad Johnson for a 41-yard strike, capping a four-play, 67-yard drive on the first possession of the game.

After each team exchanged punts, the Saints tied it with an electrifying Brees to Horn 72-yard hook-up right down the middle of the field.

The Bengals came right back on their first drive of the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead by marching 76 yards in 12 plays. Shayne Graham split the uprights from 21 yards out.

Cincinnati then stifled a golden opportunity for the Saints to tie or go ahead right before the end of the half. New Orleans drove 59 yards in 12 plays, reaching the Bengals' six with 17 seconds remaining, but a Brees pass into the end zone on second down intended for tight end Mark Campbell was picked off by Kevin Kaesviharn.

The Saints also had to deal with some misfortune early on, as leading receiver Marques Colston left the game after suffering an ankle injury on a first-quarter play. Although he was quickly evaluated and returned to the sidelines before the end of the quarter, he did not see action for the remainder of the game.

In the third quarter, Palmer engineered a six-play drive deep into Saints territory, but thanks to some poetic justice, his throw to intended target T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the end zone was picked off by Mark Simoneau.

On the very next series, New Orleans marched 74 yards in 11 plays, taking up more than 6 1/2 minutes, to forge a 10-10 tie. Cincinnati held on a 3rd-and-1 from its five, and the Saints had to settle for a Carney 24-yard field goal on the third play of the fourth quarter.

From that point, the game would slip out of the Saints' reach as the Bengals exploded for 21 unanswered points.

Game Notes:

The game featured a meeting of two former Heisman Trophy winners from USC, Palmer (2002) and Saints all-purpose man Reggie Bush (2005)...Cincinnati now leads the all-time series, 6-5...the Saints won the last matchup between the teams, 20-13 in January, 1994...Brees hit the 300-yard passing mark for the fourth consecutive game...There were five turnovers in the game, four interceptions and one fumble.