My NFL Forums | NFL Forums & Blogs

By BRETT MARTEL (AP)

NEW ORLEANS — Miami's defense didn't give up a point as the Dolphins concluded a perfect preseason.

Patrick Cobbs rushed for 54 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown run, and Miami's defense had eight sacks and an interception in a 10-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night.

Chad Pennington completed eight of 11 passes for 57 yards and led the first scoring drive for Miami (4-0), which took a 3-0 lead on Dan Carpenter's 41-yard field goal.

New Orleans (3-1) held out numerous starters on offense, including quarterback Drew Brees, running backs Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, receiver Marques Colston and tight end Jeremy Shockey.

Rod Harper, signed by the Saints out of arena football in June, returned a punt 55 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, his second punt return for a score this preseason. Harper also caught two passes for 29 yards, giving him a good chance to survive final cuts as regular season rosters are trimmed to 53 on Saturday.

However, the Saints' depth at tight end was dealt a blow when veteran Billy Miller injured his right Achilles' tendon. Miller, who played in 15 games last season and started five when Shockey was hurt, had to be helped off the field. The 10-year veteran was clearly upset, covering his face several times while sitting on a trainer's table. Several teammates, including Shockey and Bush, sought to console him.

The injury left the Saints with three healthy tight ends: Shockey, Buck Ortega and Martrez Milner.

Miami backup quarterback Chad Henne came back strong from a disappointing outing last week in which he completed only two of eight passes. He connected on 10 of his first 12 throws for 81 yards, including a 23-yarder to Ted Ginn to set up Cobbs' scoring run in the second quarter.

Second-year running back Lynell Hamilton, vying for a backup running back spot with New Orleans, also stood out with 122 total yards from scrimmage. He caught six passes out of the backfield for 88 yards, including 43-yard gain on a screen. He rushed nine times for 34 yards.

Mark Brunell started for the Saints but threw only five passes, completing three. His first drive ended when Jason Taylor batted down his fourth-down pass. His second series ended on Sean Smith's spectacular one-handed interception in the end zone, right along the sideline. It was Brunell's third interception of the preseason.

Joey Harrington played most of the game with mixed results. Late in the first half, he led New Orleans deep into Miami territory, but John Carney pushed a 34-yard field goal attempt just wide right with 5 seconds left.

He did not turn the ball over, but looked indecisive on a number of plays and was sacked eight times for minus-36 yards. He finished 13 of 19 for 115 yards.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

__________________