Reggie Bush tried to will the New Orleans Saints to a victory Monday night.

Bill Haber / Associated Press

New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush (25) tries to get away from Minnesota Viking linebacker Ben Leber (51) in the first half.

The problem was, the offense wasn’t having any part of it, failing to score on six of its final eight possessions.

Bush returned two punts for touchdowns but the Saints couldn’t hold on against Minnesota, losing 30-27 on a last-second field goal minutes after New Orleans’ Martin Gramatica missed a 46-yard attempt.

The Saints turned the ball over four times, had a field goal blocked that was returned for a touchdown and ended with 11 penalties for 102 yards – all helping New Orleans find a new way to lose a game this season.

“The disappointing thing was our turnovers, our penalties and that starts with us,” Saints head coach Sean Payton said. “That starts with me. I’ve got to do a better job. The coaching staff, same way.

“That’s the frustrating thing about this game tonight. A number of things you can say we set out to do, but if you say we fumble the ball, you have the drops, you have the penalties, they’ll do you in.”

Said Bush, “It’s tough losing like that. We fought so hard to get back into it.”

New Orleans fell to 2-3 while Minnesota improved to 2-3.

The Saints had a chance in the final seven minutes, driving to the Minnesota 28 and eating up more than five minutes off the clock before the drive stalled.

After four run plays got the ball and clock close to the end, Payton called for two straight passes.  Neither was complete and Gramatica missed wide left on a 46-yard field goal attempt.

Then, on third-and-three on the ensuing Minnesota series, Vikings quarterback Gus Frerotte threw incomplete. However, New Orleans safety Kevin Kaesviharn was called for pass interference, putting the ball at Saints’ 14.

Four plays later, Ryan Longwell converted the game-winning 30-yard field goal with 14 seconds to play.

Drew Brees threw an interception on his final pass attempt, ending any chance at a comeback. He finished 26-of-46 for 330 yards and two touchdowns

The defense did its part on Vikings standout running back Adrian Peterson, limiting him to 32 yards on 21 carries. Frerotte ended the game 19-of-36 for 222 yards and a touchdown.

But it wasn’t enough, despite Bush’s two punt returns that swung momentum – for a period, at least – into the Saints’ court.

“It was a huge effect,” Payton said. “The momentum shifted with the first one and certainly with the second one. It really swung the advantage to us. We just weren’t able to keep it. It was disappointing.”

The first one came with 1:43 to play in the third quarter. He caught the ball, turned up the near sideline, cut towards the middle and then cut of a vicious block by Jo-Lonn Dunbar that unleashed Bush for a 71-yard touchdown.

After the defense held serve, Bush broke off a 29-yard punt return that almost went the distance, but he tripped over himself. Six plays later, Gramatica hit a 53-yarder and the game was tied 20-20 early in the fourth quarter.

Again the defense held and again Bush came to the rescue. This time, he dashed through tackles and the Vikings for a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown that sent the Superdome into a frenzy.

“Those two punt returns were unbelievable,” Brees said.

But the 27-20 lead didn’t hold up.

Minnesota drove 75 yards on the next series, scoring on a third-and-16 play when Frerotte connected with Bernard Berrian, who caught the touchdown pass in end zone traffic.

“On third down, we came with an all-out blitz,” Payton said. “The quarterback got it out in the air and the receiver came down with a touchdown.”

It tied the game and, with 7:06 to play, gave New Orleans plenty of time to drive for a lead-taking score.

All it did, however, was set up the Saints for another disappointing loss.

“We’ve got to learn how to win,” Brees said. “We’ve got to learn how to win those games. That’s all I can say.”

Bush finished with 176 return yards, a Saints franchise record, and tied an NFL record with the two punt return touchdowns.

Receiver Devery Henderson had 104 yards and a touchdown on four catches while Bush was the team’s leading rusher, finishing with 29 yards on 12 carries.

But none of that mattered, not when penalties and turnovers cost the Saints the game.

“The first half, we had three turnovers, about eight penalties and you can’t win games like that,” Bush said. “If you’re the freakin’ all-star team, you’re not going to win. We blatantly handed them 17 points. This is a league of all-stars, I don’t care what the record is.

“We’ve got to go back to the drawing board and the fundamentals of football.”