Hebert Dials Long Distance to Beat Bears : NFC: After New Orleans is scoreless during first half, his two touchdown passes lead Saints to 28-6 victory.

NEW ORLEANS —  Bobby Hebert and the New Orleans Saints’ offense came up short during the first half, so he went long.

Hebert connected on two long touchdown pass plays during the second half Sunday and the Saints’ defense added two big plays in a 28-6 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“Big plays were a big factor in the game,” New Orleans Coach Jim Mora said. “We had four big plays for our four touchdowns. We played very hard, very tough against a team that also played very hard and very tough.”

New Orleans (1-1) trailed, 6-0, at halftime, but on the Saints’ second possession of the third quarter, Hebert faked a reverse and found Eric Martin on a 52-yard touchdown pass play.

Herbert did it again in the fourth quarter, hooking up with Wesley Carroll on a 72-yard scoring play.

“It didn’t surprise me because I knew they had to do something,” Mike Singletary said. “When you run out of things to do, you have to do something. You have to put it in the air, you’ve got to reverse it, a screen, or something. They went for the big one.”

Hebert, who completed three of 14 passes for 23 yards in the first half, finished the day 13 of 25 for 264 yards and two touchdowns. He was sacked twice.

Other than the bombs by Hebert, Chicago played solid defense, holding the Saints to 94 yards rushing.

New Orleans, sealed the victory with defense.

During the fourth quarter, Rickey Jackson sacked Bear quarterback Jim Harbaugh, who fumbled. Nose tackle Robert Goff, pickedup the ball and ran 21 yards for a touchdown.

“He hit me right in the face,” Harbaugh said. “The ball comes out. What are you going to do.”

One minute 21 seconds later, Saints’ cornerback Reggie Jones intercepted a pass by Harbaugh that was tipped and ran 71 yards for a touchdown.

Harbaugh completed 25 of 45 passes for 260 yards. But he was sacked twice, had two passes intercepted and never got the Bears (1-1) into the end zone.

The Bears also ran for 141 yards, with Neal Anderson getting 36 yards in 10 carries, Brad Muster 37 in seven and Harbaugh had 37 yards in four.

“They did a good job,” Harbaugh said. “We moved the ball. We had opportunities we just didn’t convert them.”

Chicago reached New Orleans’ five-yard line in the first quarter, but turned the ball over when it couldn’t convert a fourth-and-one play.

The Bears reached the 13-yard line in the second quarter but got only a 39-yard field goal by Kevin Butler, who added a 30-yarder on the last play of the first half.

Saint wide receiver Floyd Turner was hospitalized with a broken left leg after he was hit by Maurice Douglass on a second-quarter punt return.