The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS - Torry Holt and the St. Louis Rams finally had something to celebrate.

Holt's 7-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was the first in three games this preseason for the Rams' starting offense, prompting a hip-gyrating dance that satisfied a restless crowd and helped St. Louis roll past the Washington Redskins 28-3 on Friday night.

St. Louis' first-string defense also got into the act, forcing its first turnover of the preseason in the second quarter. Cornerback Kevin Garrett stripped the ball from Taylor Jacobs after a long completion from Patrick Ramsey and Aeneas Williams recovered.

Two plays later, Rams backup quarterback Chris Chandler hooked up with Holt on a 58-yard pass to set up Chandler's 1-yard sneak into the end zone, which gave St. Louis a 14-3 halftime lead.

Steven Jackson had 125 yards on 25 carries for the Rams (1-2), including a 5-yard TD run on the Rams' first possession of the third quarter. The rookie gained 103 of those yards in the second half, largely against Redskin reserves, before being pulled late in the fourth quarter.

Holt finished with seven catches for 143 yards, helping to please a home crowd that grew restless after watching their team produce just 13 points in the first two preseason games.

Jets 17, Giants 10

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eli Manning got his first dose ofreal NFL defensive schemes and it had to taste awful.

The top choice in the NFL draft in April, the Giants' quarterback struggled against the New York Jets Friday night. It was the Jets' ninth successive win in the annual preseason series.

Usually, exhibition games feature vanilla defenses. But the Jets threw all kinds of defensive looks at the Giants, from both 4-3 and 3-4 alignments, with frequent safety blitzes and a nice mix of coverages. While Giants starting quarterback Kurt Warner handled them decently and led his team to a first-quarter touchdown on Ron Dayne's 9-yard run, Manning seemed befuddled.

Jaguars 9, Packers 7

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Josh Scobee's confidence grew with every kick. So did his chances of becoming the Jacksonville Jaguars' kicker. The Jacksonville rookie took advantage of an opportunity to prove he can be the answer to the Jaguars' kicking woes, booting three field goals Friday night.

Scobee, a fifth-round draft pick from Louisiana Tech, missed three-of-four field goal attempts in his first two preseason games, but was perfect on tries of 23, 32 and 43 yards against the Packers.

Vikings 23, 49ers 10

MINNEAPOLIS - With their starters playing into the second half, the Minnesota Vikings looked as if they would easily overmatch the depleted San Francisco 49ers.

But, it took the Vikings' reserves to seal the win and deal the 49ers their third straight exhibition loss.

Daunte Culpepper went 20-for-27 for 204 yards and a touchdown. The Vikings outgained San Francisco 326-61 in total yards in the first half. Minnesota's Aaron Elling missed two field goals and an extra point, though.

Saints 17, Bears 13

CHICAGO - Third-team quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan set up his own go-ahead touchdown run with a long pass to lift New Orleans.

The sloppy game at Soldier Field took 3 1/2 hours to play and featured 30 penalties, including 18 on the Bears (2-1).

O'Sullivan, who split time with Todd Bouman while Aaron Brooks sat out with a leg injury, heaved a 48-yard pass to rookie Devery Henderson to move the ball to the Chicago 1 with 5:31 left.

O'Sullivan, who had a solid spring in NFL Europe, then scrambled and dove for the corner of the end zone for the 1-yard TD. The Bears' challenge of the play was denied.

Trailing at the half, Chicago moved quickly for a game-tying score to start the second half as starter Rex Grossman hit Adrian Peterson on a 22-yard pass and Ahmad Merritt on another for 24 yards. Peterson carried the final yard for the score.

Deuce McAllister added an 8-yard TD run in the second quarter for the Saints.

Bouman played the first, third and part of the fourth quarters. He hit a 17-yard pass to Dante' Stallworth, setting up a 35-yard field goal by John Carney for New Orleans' first points.

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