NEW ORLEANS – The voodoo curse that has afflicted the Saints for so many years finally worked its black magic on another team.

Az-Zahir Hakim’s muffed punt return and Brian Milne’s fumble recovery stopped a St. Louis rally and ensured the first playoff win in New Orleans history as the Saints held off the Rams for a 31-28 victory Saturday in the NFC Wild Card match-up.

&uot;It was a great win for the team, a great win for New Orleans,&uot; said Saints coach Jim Haslett. &uot;I’m excited for the city. It’s a great win for the franchise.&uot;

Entering the game as the only team in the NFL to never win a playoff game, at one point it seemed the Saints would take that monkey off their backs and spike it, especially after the team took a 31-7 fourth-quarter lead over the defending Super Bowl champions.

But the Rams scored 21 points in the final minutes of the game, then forced the Saints to punt with just under two minutes left in the game. Hakim couldn’t handle the catch, however, and Milne’s recovery let the Saints down the ball to expire the clock.

&uot;It’s hard to put into words how I feel,&uot; Milne said. &uot;I’m so happy we won. I just tried to give all I’ve got on every play. I wound up in the right place.&uot;

The Rams’ rally began right after it seemed the Saints had put the game away. Defensive end Willie Whitehead sacked Rams quarterback Kurt Warner and forced a fumble that was snatched up by defensive tackle La’Roi Glover. On the next play, Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks connected with wide out Willie Jackson for a 16-yard TD and a 31-7 lead.

But the Rams’ offense isn’t called &uot;the greatest show on earth&uot; for nothing. Two quick scoring drives cut the Saints’ lead to 31-20. A recovered onsides kick gave the Rams the ball right back, and Warner ran it in himself from 5 yards out.

&uot;It got a little chaotic,&uot; said Saints safety Sammy Knight, who intercepted two Warner passes. &uot;We were disoriented sometimes, and we missed a few calls. But we stayed in there and fought hard.&uot;

As has been the case for the Saints all season, the hero of the game was stepping in for an injured player. The Saints leading receiver, Joe Horn, went down with a right ankle sprain on the third play of the game, promoting another free-agent acquisition, Jackson, to the No. 1 receiver spot.

Jackson responded with six catches for 142 yards and three touchdowns, tying an NFL playoff record.

&uot;We all practice hard every week, because you never know who’s going to have to step up,&uot; Jackson said. &uot;These are things I know I’m capable of. This is what I expect of myself.&uot;

The Rams scored on their first possession, but the Saints answered immediately with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that ended in a 12-yard TD pass to Robert Wilson. A 33-yard Doug Brien field goal gave the Saints a 10-7 halftime lead.

Brooks then threw second-half touchdown strikes of 10, 49 and 16 yards to Jackson. Brooks finished 16-of-29 for 266 yards and four touchdowns. The previous Saints playoff record for passing touchdowns was one.

New Orleans’ big lead was made possible in part by the Saints defense doing what it did not in last week’s season finale against the Rams – stop St. Louis running back Marshall Faulk. The NFL’s MVP was held to 24 yards on 14 carries.

New Orleans next faces a another team with explosive offensive potential in the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings will host the Saints at 11:30 a.m. Saturday in the NFC Divisional Playoff game.