PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Hebert Leads Saints in Baltimore, 17-3

Bobby Hebert threw New Orleans’ first touchdown pass of the exhibition season and set up another score as the Saints defeated the Miami Dolphins, 17-3, Thursday night in the first pro football game in Baltimore since 1983.

Hebert played the first half, completing 10 of 14 passes for 100 yards to help New Orleans take a 14-3 lead. Entering the game, Saint quarterbacks had thrown 97 passes without a touchdown.

New Orleans, rebounding from last week’s 33-3 loss to Houston, closed the exhibition season 3-1. The Dolphins, who had been averaging 25 points per game, finished 3-2.

The game was played before a sellout crowd of 60,021 at Memorial Stadium, which last played host to a pro football game when the Baltimore Colts beat the Houston Oilers on Dec. 18, 1983.

Dan Marino played the first half for the Dolphins, completing seven of 15 passes for 99 yards.

Ken O’Brien staked his claim to the New York Jets’ quarterback job with two touchdown passes as the Jets ended a perfect exhibition season with a 22-13 victory over the Eagles at Philadelphia.

Chris Burkett caught one of O’Brien’s touchdown passes and blocked a punt for a safety as the Jets closed at 5-0 with their second exhibition victory over Philadelphia (2-3). The Jets’ only other unbeaten preseason was in 1966, when they were 4-0.

O’Brien, being pushed by second-year pro Browning Nagle for the starting job, led the Jets to their first touchdown on a 90-yard, 14-play drive to tie the score with 35 seconds left in the first half. O’Brien connected with Terance Mathis on a 54-yard play to the Eagles’ 19, and, seven plays later, the Jets settled for a 25-yard field goal.

But a holding call on the Eagles’ Seth Joyner gave the Jets a first down at the four. Two plays later, O’Brien hit Burkett for a two-yard score.

O’Brien, who missed the first three exhibition games while holding out, came back with a 30-yard touchdown pass to an open Mathis for a 17-13 lead 10:36 into the second half, a score set up by Siran Stacy’s fumbled punt at the 30.

Jim McMahon drove the Eagles to one touchdown in his first appearance of the exhibition season after his long holdout. McMahon, starting as Coach Rich Kotite held Randall Cunningham out, played most of the first half. He was eight for 12 for 119 yards and a touchdown to Keith Byars.

Nose tackle Erik Howard worked out with the New York Giants for the first time since signing a three-year contract to end a 38-day holdout.

“Nose tackle is still nose tackle,” Howard said. “It’s still the same. There are some changes in terminology, but physically nothing has changed.”

The signing of Howard left the Giants with one unsigned veteran, guard Eric Moore.