Hebert Marches In and Haunts the Saints : NFC: Quarterback, rejected by New Orleans, replaces injured Tolliver and leads the Falcons to a 26-15 victory.

Bobby Hebert, the quarterback the Saints did not want, became the quarterback they could not stop as the Atlanta Falcons defeated New Orleans, 26-15, Sunday.

Hebert, who signed with the Falcons last summer after the Saints declined to re-sign him, completed 13 of 16 passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Despite having an injured right elbow, he came in after starter Billy Joe Tolliver suffered a sprained shoulder 4:50 into the game.

“The team asked me for two game balls, one for Bobby and one for Billy Joe for getting hurt,” Falcon Coach Jerry Glanville said. “He couldn’t throw. His elbow wouldn’t allow us to go deep. We had to take what we could.”

Said Hebert: “It’s a big win. I don’t know how to describe it. I faced a lot of emotions coming here. I’m not so naive that I didn’t know they were going to boo me. I’m like the Benedict Arnold of New Orleans, going to Atlanta, of all places.”

Hebert joined the Falcons after New Orleans opted to sign Falcon quarterback Wade Wilson instead.

Sunday, in his first return to the Superdome, Hebert had his second big game against his former team, but his first victory. He came on in the fourth quarter of the first Saint-Falcon meeting this season and rallied the Falcons for 21 points, but New Orleans won, 34-31, on Morten Andersen’s 44-yard field goal.

In Sunday’s game, Hebert completed five of six passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The touchdown passes went to Andre Rison and Michael Haynes.

The New Orleans defense managed to cool off Hebert in the second half, limiting Atlanta to Norm Johnson’s three field goals. Johnson has made a club-record 19 in a row.

After New Orleans (5-2) opened the third quarter by fumbling and recovering the kickoff on its eight-yard line, it went eight yards in three downs and punted.

Hebert then took the Falcons 45 yards in 12 plays, but Erric Pegram, hit by Saint linebacker Naughan Johnson at the goal line, fumbled. The ball shot backward, and Hebert was able to recover before he was tackled at the 15. The Falcons (2-5) settled for a 32-yard field goal by Johnson to take a 20-6 lead.

The Saints then seemed to get the momentum as they went 76 yards in three plays for their only touchdown.

Wilson passed to Brad Muster for 31 yards and to Quinn Early for 23 yards and the touchdown.

But the Saints didn’t threaten again until late in the fourth quarter, when they got to the Atlanta four. But on fourth down, a pass by Wilson was batted down.

The Saints’ final two points came when the Falcons took a safety with 1:56 to play rather than punt out of their end zone.

Wilson completed 27 of 45 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions.