PRO FOOTBALL ’87 : Kosar and Browns Thrown for Loss by Saints, 28-21

Bobby Hebert threw two touchdown passes to Hoby Brenner, and Bruce Clark and Brett Maxie both sacked Bernie Kosar in the end zone for fourth-quarter safeties Sunday as the New Orleans Saints beat the Cleveland Browns, 28-21.

It was the first time in the Saints’ 21-year history that they had two safeties in a game and only the fourth time they had won a season opener.

Hebert completed 13 of 22 passes for 149 yards and the touchdowns to Brenner, a 5-yard play in the first quarter and a 16-yard play in the third. Rueben Mayes rushed for 147 yards.

Cleveland’s Kosar completed 28 of 38 passes for 314 yards and 2 touchdowns and ran 3 yards for a fourth-quarter score that tied the game, 21-21. Tight end Ozzie Newsome had five receptions, moving him past Lance Alworth into 10th place on the NFL’s all-time career reception list.

New Orleans kickers Brian Hansen and Morten Andersen kept the Browns backed up most of the game. The Cleveland scoring drives were 88, 85 and 82 yards.

The first safety, by Clark, came after a Hansen punt was downed on the Cleveland nine-yard line.

Hansen also bottled up the Browns with a punt that was downed on the one-foot line with 3:58 left in the game. Two plays later, Maxie broke through untouched on a blitz to nail Kosar as he tried to pass, dropping the quarterback and knocking the ball out of the end zone for the safety.

“It was a short run, because they were right up against the end zone,” Maxie said. “He had to shorten his drop. They just didn’t have me in their blocking scheme. It was a bad read on his (Kosar’s) part.

“As soon as I came off the line and nobody touched me, I knew I had him.”

Maxie’s sack meant Cleveland then had to go for a touchdown instead of a field goal, forcing the Browns to abandon their ground game.

“Once we knew they had to throw, we could just lay our ears back and get after them,” Saint linebacker Rickey Jackson said.