Coming back from his concussion, Rams return specialist Danny Amendola ran east and west instead of north and south with the opening kickoff. As a result, his team started their first drive on their 13-yard line.

After New Orleans helped the Rams with a second-and-10 offside penalty, Steven Jackson broke off a 30-yard game.

Marc Bulger moved the Rams into New Orleans territory with a 7-yard pass to Brandon Gibson, but a false start penalty on Adam Goldberg set them back.

On third-and-four from the New Orleans 46, Bulger fought off a sack . . . but fired an incomplete pass off of the well-covered Jackson a few feet away. (Had Jackson caught the pass, he would have been well short of the first down marker. The play had no chance.)

Donnie Jones followed that with a terrible punt, knocked the ball out of bounds on the Saints 25. That 21-yard punt did not help the Rams cause.

Soon the Saints were matching. Running back Reggie Bush took a pitch and rambled 16 yards to the Saints 44. Rams linebacker Paris Lenon finally dragged him down, getting dinged up in the process. He wobbled out of the game with a rib injury.

Then the Rams ganged up on Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey to force a Saints turnover. Linebacker David Vobora racked Shockey as Drew Brees’ pass arrived and O.J. Atogwe claimed the carom interception.

Bulger got the Rams moving with completions to Jackson and Donnie Avery. Another impressive catch-and-run play by Jackson moved the ball to the Saints 19.

Then disaster struck, as it usually does for the Rams on their infrequent red zone forays. Bulger went for the touchdown, firing the ball toward Keenan Burton in the end zone. Saints safety Usama Young read the pass all the way; he easily picked it off and ran it out to the Saints 22.

Burton went down with what appeared to be a season-ending leg injury on the play. Medical personnel had to cart him off the field.

So we’ll learn a lot more about Brandon Gibson as this game progresses.

Back came the explosive Saints, with Brees connecting with Shockey for one first down and tight end David Thomas for another. Then Bress went up top for Devery Henderson, completing a 21-yard pass to the Rams 14.

As the quarter ended, the game was still scoreless — but New Orleans had a third-and-5 opportunity at the Rams 9.