NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Jake Delhomme did something no other New Orleans quarterback has been able to do this season by rallying the Saints to victory.

Then the defense did something it hasn't been able to do by preserving a 31-24 upset over the Dallas Cowboys on Friday.

	Dallas' Troy Aikman found himself swarmed by Saints defenders at times Friday and threw a pair of interceptions.

Delhomme, playing in his first NFL game, passed for two touchdowns and ran for one while completing 16-of-27 for 278 yards. Keith Mitchell and Mark Fields teamed up for an interception in the end zone that clinched victory for the Saints (3-12) and at least seriously damaged Dallas' playoff chances.

"I stayed loose all week," Delhomme said. "I think maybe the biggest thing that I might have done was stay calm and be relaxed. I thing the players felt that. We were 2-12, we had nothing to lose. We might as well have fun."

"He sure made some plays," Cowboys coach Chan Gailey said. "He threw it up and gave his receivers a chance to make a play for him. He got out of some tight spots. You've got to give him credit for the way he played."

"They haven't played well all season," Dallas defensive back Darren Woodson said. "We didn't know the quarterback. We figured he wouldn't be that good. But he was."

Delhomme may have gotten Saints coach Mike Ditka out of a tight spot as well.

Ditka, wrapping up his third losing season with New Orleans, admitted he had told his offense on Tuesday that he would return next season, despite owner Tom Benson's vow to shake up the losing team.

"I'll be back," Ditka said after Friday's game. "I've said that all the way, all along."

New Orleans, which beat the Cowboys 22-3 last season, led in 10 of its 12 losses this season, but failed to hold on as the offense was unable to score points. The most productive outing previously was a 24-6 victory over San Francisco. Against Baltimore last week, New Orleans scored only eight points and made just eight first downs.

Delhomme, who played in the NFL Europe the last two springs but had never even suited up since the Saints re-signed him four weeks ago, showed poise and a strong arm.

Delhomme's first NFL pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted and he also lost a fumble when blindsided in the third quarter.

The Cowboys (7-8) seemed to have the upper hand early in the third quarter. Troy Aikman hit Jason Tucker with a 20-yard touchdown pass on Dallas' first possession for a 14-10 lead and Eddie Murray's field goal stretched the lead to 17-10.

Delhomme found Eddie Kennison with a 51-yard scoring pass that tied it at 17-17. Dallas came back quickly on David LaFleur's 3-yard reception to retake the lead 24-17.

GAME NOTES

The Saints' victory makes it possible for the Washington Redskins to clinch the NFC East title with a victory Sunday night at San Francisco, but the Redskins no longer are the front-runners for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Washington owns the Saints' top pick, which would have been first overall had the Saints lost their last two games. Now that the Saints have won, the Clevleand Browns, who play Indianapolis Sunday, are in line to get the No. 1 pick.The Cowboys have lost 11 straight on the road to non-division teams. Jake Delhomme is the seventh quarterback to start for the Saints in the last three years. Delhomme's TD pass to Keith Poole marked the first time this season that the Cowboys had given up a first-quarter TD. Troy Aikman threw his 155th career TD pass, a Cowboys record. Saints defensive tackle Wayne Martin had one tackle, giving him 595 for his career. Jason Tucker set a Cowboys record with 206 kick-return yards.

The Saints didn't crumble. Delhomme tied the game on a 4-yard quarterback draw in the fourth quarter and Fred Weary put the Saints up 31-24 when he grabbed Emmitt Smith's fumble and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown.

New Orleans, victimized by long passes this year, held on this time as Mitchell batted Aikman's pass in the end zone into Fields' hands with less than a minute left.

Aikman was 23-of-39 for 246 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions.

Delhomme's inexperience didn't seem to hurt him. His first pass was picked off by Woodson, but Delhomme came back on the next series to take the Saints 66 yards, setting up a 32-yard field goal that gave New Orleans a 3-0 lead.

On the next possession, Delhomme scrambled free to hit Keith Poole with an 8-yard touchdown pass for a 10-0 lead after one quarter.

Smith ran for a yard in the second quarter to make it 10-7 at halftime. Smith finished with 110 yards on 23 carries.

The Cowboys had 11 penalties, including a holding call that nullified what would have been a 97-yard kickoff return by Tucker in the first quarter.

The Saints have not sold out a game in the 70,000-seat Superdome this year, and only 47,835 tickets sold for the Christmas Eve game. Actual attendance was at least 10,000 lower than that but the small crowd had a good time and stayed to the end.