Jimmy Graham felt like a 'gladiator' in Cowboys Stadium

• Jimmy Graham caught seven passes for 89 yards and recovered a fumble in OT to set up the winning FG
• Graham suffered a dislocated finger just a few plays beforehand
• New Orleans handed Dallas' playoff hopes a big blow, overcoming the Cowboys' rally

ARLINGTON, Texas – The giant HD screens at Cowboys Stadium were nothing new to New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jimmy Graham. The pair were here in 2010, when the Saints defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving during the second season of this $1.2 billion palace.

However, in Sunday's return visit, the awe factor of Jerry Jones' baby wasn't lost on the Saints.

"It's like being a gladiator," Graham said. "It's the modern-day Colosseum."

Graham certainly played the part of a warrior Sunday. During the Saints' 34-31 overtime victory, he hauled in seven passes for 88 yards and recovered a crucial fumble despite suffering a dislocating finger three plays before Garrett Hartley's game-winning field goal.

"There are a lot of distractions, but when you come in here you have to be focused to beat a team like that," Graham said. "To help this team win on the road in Dallas here in this stadium is definitely special."

Colston called the environment at Cowboys Stadium "nerve-wracking," but corralled a game-high 10 catches for 153 yards. He admitted being mesmerized by the giant screens that overhang the playing surface. He had never been so glued to them than after his overtime fumble.

In a strange dichotomy, he actually looked above and hoped replays would confirm he had coughed up the ball.

"That's a once-in-a-lifetime deal," Colston said.

Sunday's performance helped Colston surpass 1,000 yards receiving for the sixth time in his seven-year career – he was limited to 760 yards in an injury-plagued 2008 campaign. But in addition to his big plays this season, Colston is disgusted with his mistakes. The seventh-round pick (2006) from Hofstra now has four fumbles (double the number of any single year in his career) – two lost – on the season.

"I can't let it happen. It's been an issue," Colston said. "I've had a couple this year and it doesn't sit well with me."

Local walk-off: Hartley's 20-yard game-winner provided an interesting note for the game in the Metroplex. The snapper (Justin Drescher), holder (Chase Daniel) and kicker (Hartley) are all products of nearby Southlake Carroll High School.

Hartley has been gone too long. He mistaken called his "Texas Stadium," the former home of the Cowboys and a location (Irving, Texas) much closer to Southlake.

"It felt great," said Hartley, who had his mother and father and "a lot" of other family and friends in attendance Sunday. "To come back here and, you know, end up putting up the final point on the board – it really meant a lot; not just for me, but for everyone."

Hartley made his first game-winner since Week 2 in 2010 and his first in overtime since … "Where was that? Maybe, uh …," he said.

"The (2009) NFC Championship," a reporter reminded him.

"Oh yeah, that one," Hartley said with a laugh.