Arrivederci Aroma: Game Stinks : AFC: In probably final NFL contest at Astrodome, Oilers manage an ugly 23-6 victory over Jets.

HOUSTON — A game that was supposed to be memorable turned out forgettable.

What likely will be the final NFL game in the Astrodome was played before 35,872 and offered little excitement. Steve McNair made his first NFL start and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass, leading the Houston Oilers to a drab 23-6 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

McNair’s 35-yard touchdown pass to Haywood Jeffires with 38 seconds left in the first quarter and a 53-yard pass play to Chris Sanders in the fourth quarter that set up a touchdown drew cheers.

McNair was glad to see it happen for the veterans.

“A lot of these guys have been here a long time and they wanted to go out winners,” McNair said. “That’s what I went out there to do. We worked hard all week and that’s something we took pride in.”

Fans booed several times at the Oilers’ conservative game plan in the defense-dominated game, and during a quiet moment a fan yelled, “See you later Bud,” to owner Bud Adams. The crowd clapped.

Al Del Greco kicked field goals of 49, 53 and 24 yards as the Oilers (6-9) played what likely was their final game in Houston before moving to Tennessee. The Oilers’ lease runs through the 1997 season, but Adams is expected to buy out the remaining portion and complete the move to Tennessee next season.

Despite the crowd’s unhappiness at times, Oiler Coach Jeff Fisher felt the fans were a part of the victory.

“I think fans had something to do with it,” Fisher said. “I appreciate the support of the fans. There is a lot of uncertainty right now. If this is the last game, I can’t think of a better way than to finish up with a victory.”

The Oilers rotated four running backs to take advantage of the Jets’ 27th-ranked run defense. That gave McNair comfortable room to work.

McNair completed 13 of 27 passes for 198 yards with no interceptions against the Jets’ No. 1-rated pass defense.

“This offense is built around the quarterback and you’ve got to take control of that,” McNair said. “I’ve still got a lot to learn in this offense, but these guys really rallied around me.”

The Oilers took a 13-0 halftime lead and had a shutout against the Jets (3-12) until Boomer Esiason threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Johnny Mitchell with 2:27 left.

McNair, who got excellent protection, noticed that Jeffires had outflanked cornerback Otis Smith and delivered a 35-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

Sanders’ 53-yard catch gave the Oilers a first down at the Jets’ 20, setting up a one-yard touchdown run by Marion Butts.

“He [McNair] is a smarter quarterback than we thought,” Jet cornerback Aaron Glenn said. “We blitzed him a lot, but he was able to escape the blitzes. When he’s that young and can do things like that, he has a great future ahead of him.”

The Jets didn’t get over 100 yards in offense until the final minutes of the game.