ST. LOUIS — Reggie Bush helped the unbeaten New Orleans Saints overcome another bundle of mistakes and get off to the best start in team history.

Bush scored twice for the first time in more than a year and Drew Brees compensated for two interceptions with two touchdown passes in a 28-23 victory over the St. Louis Rams on Sunday.

Courtney Roby opened the second half with a 97-yard kickoff return and Robert Meachem's 27-yard grab early in the fourth quarter gave New Orleans (9-0) just enough breathing room to tie the franchise record with nine straight wins.

Marc Bulger's 19-yard pass to Donnie Avery shaved the deficit to five with 2:44 to go and the Rams (1-8) made it to the New Orleans 32 before Bulger threw incomplete into the end zone on the final play.

The Rams had a season high for points against a defense that played most of the second half without both starting cornerbacks. Tracy Porter limped off with a left knee injury in the opening minute and Jabari Greer was inactive because of a hurt groin.

The Saints turned the ball over three times after losing 10 in their first eight games.

St. Louis got big games from Avery, who caught two touchdown passes, and Steven Jackson, who had 131 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries.

The Rams faced their third straight unbeaten team at home — a first in NFL history. They fared much better against the Saints than against the Colts (42-6) and Vikings (38-10).

Jackson was at his bruising best again for the Rams, who were coming off their bye and a victory over the Lions the week before that ended a 17-game losing streak. He passed Lawrence McCutcheon for third on the franchise career list.

Before exploiting the Rams with 83 yards on six carries and adding two receptions for 15 yards, Bush hadn't done much this season. He scored four touchdowns the first eight games but with only 194 yards rushing.

The Rams saw the electrifying player taken second overall in the 2006 draft, and the two-TD game was his first since Oct. 18, 2008. Bush vaulted over a defender on a 3-yard run for the game's first score and won a footrace to a corner of the end zone on a 15-yard reception.

NOTES: Jackson's run for the tying score was only the Rams' fifth touchdown out of 18 trips inside the 20 all year. ... Rams WR Keenan Burton (right knee) was carted off after getting hurt on an end zone interception by Usama Young. ... The Rams forced a total of nine turnovers in their first eight games.