# 1988 New Orleans Saints season

The 1988 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 22nd as a member of the National Football League (NFL). They were unable to match their previous season's output of 12–3, winning only ten games and missing the playoffs (and losing the division) by a tiebreaker, going 6–6 vs. NFC opponents compared to 8–4 for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Road losses to the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings, as well as a sweep by San Francisco, ended up being the difference in New Orleans staying home and the California teams advancing.
With the Louisiana Superdome hosting the 1988 Republican National Convention; all but the last pre-season game (against the Pittsburgh Steelers) for the Saints were played on the road.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1988 New Orleans Saints draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 24 | Craig Heyward * | Running back | Pittsburgh |
| 2 | 52 | Brett Perriman | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) |
| 3 | 81 | Tony Stephens | Defensive tackle | Clemson |
| 4 | 106 | Lydell Carr | Running back | Oklahoma |
| 5 | 112 | Greg Scales | Tight end | Wake Forest |
| 5 | 134 | Keith Taylor | Defensive back | Illinois |
| 6 | 162 | Bob Sims | Guard | Florida |
| 7 | 190 | Brian Forde | Linebacker | Washington State |
| 8 | 218 | Glenn Derby | Offensive tackle | Wisconsin |
| 9 | 246 | Clarence Nunn | Defensive back | San Diego State |
| 10 | 274 | Todd Santos | Quarterback | San Diego State |
| 10 | 276 | Vincent Fizer | Linebacker | Southern |
| 11 | 302 | Gary Couch | Wide receiver | Minnesota |
| 12 | 330 | Paul Jurgensen | Defensive end | Georgia Tech |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

### Training Camp

Prior to the start of the 1988 season, the Saints held training camp for the first time at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The team would hold training camp in La Crosse through the 1999 season.

## Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Time | TV | Result | Record | Game Site | Attendance |
| 1 | September 4 | San Francisco 49ers | 12 Noon CDT | CBS | L 33–34 | 0–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,357 |
| 2 | September 11 | at Atlanta Falcons | 12 Noon CDT | CBS | W 29–21 | 1–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 48,901 |
| 3 | September 18 | at Detroit Lions | 12 Noon CDT | CBS | W 22–14 | 2–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 32,943 |
| 4 | September 25 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 12 Noon CDT | CBS | W 13–9 | 3–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,671 |
| 5 | October 3 | Dallas Cowboys | 8:00 p.m. CDT | ABC | W 20–17 | 4–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,474 |
| 6 | October 9 | at San Diego Chargers | 3:00 p.m. CDT | CBS | W 23–17 | 5–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 42,693 |
| 7 | October 16 | at Seattle Seahawks | 3:00 p.m. CDT | CBS | W 20–19 | 6–1 | Kingdome | 63,569 |
| 8 | October 23 | Los Angeles Raiders | 12 Noon CDT | NBC | W 20–6 | 7–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,249 |
| 9 | October 30 | Los Angeles Rams | 12 Noon CST | CBS | L 10–12 | 7–2 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,238 |
| 10 | November 6 | at Washington Redskins | 3:00 p.m. CST | CBS | L 24–27 | 7–3 | RFK Stadium | 54,183 |
| 11 | November 13 | at Los Angeles Rams | 3:00 p.m. CST | CBS | W 14–10 | 8–3 | Anaheim Stadium | 63,305 |
| 12 | November 20 | Denver Broncos | 3:00 p.m. CST | NBC | W 42–0 | 9–3 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,075 |
| 13 | November 27 | New York Giants | 7:00 p.m. CST | ESPN | L 12–13 | 9–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 66,526 |
| 14 | December 4 | at Minnesota Vikings | 3:00 p.m. CST | CBS | L 3–45 | 9–5 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 61,215 |
| 15 | December 11 | at San Francisco 49ers | 3:00 p.m. CST | CBS | L 17–30 | 9–6 | Candlestick Park | 62,977 |
| 16 | December 18 | Atlanta Falcons | 12 Noon CST | CBS | W 10–9 | 10–6 | Louisiana Superdome | 60,566 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. ||||||||||

## Game summaries
### Week 1 (Sunday, September 4, 1988): vs. San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers (1–0) | 7 | 3 | 21 | 3 | 34 |
| Saints (0–1) | 7 | 10 | 0 | 16 | 33 |
at Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: September 4, 1988
* Game time: 12:01 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: indoors
* Game attendance: 66,357
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| SF | Passing | Joe Montana | 13/23, 161 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT |
| SF | Rushing | Roger Craig | 18 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD |
| SF | Receiving | Roger Craig | 5 REC, 43 YDS |
| NO | Passing | Bobby Hebert | 22/31, 245 YDS, 4 TDs, 2 INTs |
| NO | Rushing | Dalton Hilliard | 19 CAR, 95 YDS |
| NO | Receiving | Lonzell Hill | 7 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | SF | NO |
| 1 | 8:41 | 13 | 70 | | 49ers | Craig 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | 1:24 | 12 | 67 | | Saints | Martin 2-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | 14:55 | 3 | 28 | | Saints | Clark 21-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good | 7 | 14 |
| 2 | 8:47 | 7 | 24 | | Saints | 20-yard field goal by Andersen | 7 | 17 |
| 2 | 6:55 | 6 | 51 | | 49ers | 25-yard field goal by Cofer | 10 | 17 |
| 3 | 11:05 | 4 | 49 | | 49ers | Frank 9-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good | 17 | 17 |
| 3 | 8:05 | 5 | 35 | | 49ers | Wilson 71-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good | 24 | 17 |
| 3 | 3:07 | 6 | 42 | | 49ers | Frank 17-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good | 31 | 17 |
| 4 | 13:26 | 10 | 79 | | Saints | Hill 18-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good | 31 | 24 |
| 4 | 6:33 | – | – | – | Saints | Swilling tackled Young in end zone for a safety | 31 | 26 |
| 4 | 1:50 | 9 | 29 | | 49ers | 32-yard field goal by Cofer | 34 | 26 |
| 4 | 0:21 | 8 | 70 | | Saints | Perriman 15-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good | 34 | 33 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 34 | 33 |
* Point spread: Saints Pick'em
* Over/Under: 43.0 (over)
* Time of Game: 3 hours, 7 minutes
| 49ers | Game Statistics | Saints |
| 21 | First downs | 23 |
| 32–124 | Rushes–yards | 31–147 |
| 165 | Passing yards | 245 |
| 14–26–1 | Passes | 22–31–2 |
| 0–0 | Sacked–yards | 5–48 |
| 165 | Net passing yards | 197 |
| 289 | Total yards | 344 |
| 128 | Return yards | 310 |
| 1–24.0 | Punts | 3–40.0 |
| 1–1 | Fumbles–lost | 2–1 |
| 2–12 | Penalties–yards | 10–77 |
| 23:50 | Time of possession | 36:10 |
Starting Lineups
| Position | Starting Lineups – Week 1: vs. San Francisco |
| Offense ||
| QB | #3 Bobby Hebert |
| RB | #21 Dalton Hilliard |
| FB | #34 Craig Heyward |
| WR | #87 Lonzell Hill |
| WR | #84 Eric Martin |
| TE | #85 Hoby Brenner |
| LT | #72 Jim Dombrowski |
| LG | #63 Brad Edelman |
| C | #60 Steve Korte |
| RG | #65 Steve Trapilo |
| RT | #67 Stan Brock |
| Defense ||
| LDE | #97 Jumpy Geathers |
| NT | #99 Tony Elliott |
| RDE | #94 Jim Wilks |
| LOLB | #57 Rickey Jackson |
| LILB | #51 Sam Mills |
| RILB | #53 Vaughn Johnson |
| ROLB | #56 Pat Swilling |
| LCB | #44 Dave Waymer |
| RCB | #22 Van Jakes |
| SS | #27 Antonio Gibson |
| FS | #39 Brett Maxie |
Individual stats
Saints Passing :
| | C/ATT$^1$ | Yds | TD | INT | Sk | Yds | LG$^3$ | Rate |
| Hebert | 22/31 | 245 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 48 | 33 | 106.9 |
Saints Rushing :
| | Car$^2$ | Yds | TD | LG$^3$ |
| Hilliard | 19 | 95 | 0 | 22 |
| Heyward | 8 | 27 | 0 | 11 |
| Hebert | 1 | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Hill | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Mayes | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
Saints Receiving :
| | Rec$^4$ | Yds | TD | LG$^3$ |
| Hill | 7 | 74 | 1 | 18 |
| Martin | 7 | 68 | 1 | 19 |
| Clark | 3 | 45 | 1 | 21 |
| Perriman | 2 | 48 | 1 | 33 |
| Tice | 2 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| Hilliard | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Saints Kick Returns :
| | Ret | Yds | Y/Rt | TD | Lng |
| Gray | 6 | 144 | 24.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mayes | 2 | 45 | 22.5 | 0 | 0 |
Saints Punting :
| | Pnt | Yds | Y/P | Lng | Blck |
| Hansen | 3 | 120 | 40.0 | 0 | 0 |
Saints Kicking :
| | XPM–XPA | FGM–FGA |
| Anderson | 4–4 | 1–1 |
Saints Interceptions :
| | Int | Yds | TD | LG | PD |
| Waymer | 1 | 44 | 0 | 44 | |

### Week 2

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Saints | 3 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 29 |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |

### Week 3

The Saints won for the first time in Detroit going 0-4-1 in their previous five trips to Michigan (three to Tiger Stadium and two to the Pontiac Silverdome).
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Saints | 0 | 7 | 12 | 3 | 22 |
| Lions | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |

### Week 4

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
| • Saints | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 |

### Week 5

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| • Saints | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 20 |

### Week 6

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Saints | 0 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
| Chargers | 14 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 17 |

### Week 7

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Saints | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Seahawks | 3 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 19 |

### Week 8

The Saints defeated the Raiders for the first time in six meetings (the 1971 matchup, the first between the teams, ended in a 21-21 tie).
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| • Saints | 3 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 20 |

### Week 11

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Saints | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
| Rams | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |

### Week 12

In the Broncos' first appearance in the Louisiana Superdome since Super Bowl XII 11 years earlier, the Saints defeated Denver for the first time in five tries, and posted their largest margin of victory at the time.
| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| • Saints | 14 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 42 |

### Week 15 (Sunday, December 11, 1988): at San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints (9–6) | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| 49ers (10–5) | 0 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California
* Date: December 11, 1988
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C); (Drizzle) wind 5
* Game attendance: 62,977
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| NO | Passing | Bobby Hebert | 19/30, 170 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| NO | Rushing | Dalton Hilliard | 9 CAR, 35 YDS |
| NO | Receiving | Eric Martin | 7 REC, 61 YDS |
| SF | Passing | Joe Montana | 18/29, 233 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| SF | Rushing | Roger Craig | 22 CAR, 115 YDS, 1 TD |
| SF | Receiving | Jerry Rice | 6 REC, 78 YDS |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | NO | SF |
| 1 | 10:36 | 3 | 3 | | Saints | 38-yard field goal by Andersen | 3 | 0 |
| 2 | 12:17 | 8 | 56 | | 49ers | Craig 1-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | 11:05 | 1 | 27 | | Saints | Hill 27-yard touchdown reception from Hilliard, Andersen kick good | 10 | 7 |
| 2 | 6:05 | 9 | 80 | | 49ers | Montana 2-yard touchdown run, Cofer kick good | 10 | 14 |
| 2 | 3:37 | 1 | 66 | | 49ers | Taylor 66-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Cofer kick good | 10 | 21 |
| 3 | 6:50 | 4 | 31 | | 49ers | 40-yard field goal by Cofer | 10 | 24 |
| 3 | 1:25 | 8 | 80 | | Saints | Scales 6-yard touchdown reception from Hebert, Andersen kick good | 17 | 24 |
| 4 | 11:53 | 9 | 43 | | 49ers | 43-yard field goal by Cofer | 17 | 27 |
| 4 | 9:18 | 4 | 3 | | 49ers | 19-yard field goal by Cofer | 17 | 30 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 17 | 30 |
* Point spread: Saints +6
* Over/Under: 41.0 (over)
* Time of Game: 3 hours, 1 minute
| Saints | Game Statistics | 49ers |
| 15 | First downs | 20 |
| 24–70 | Rushes–yards | 35–152 |
| 197 | Passing yards | 233 |
| 20–35–1 | Passes | 18–29–1 |
| 2–15 | Sacked–yards | 2–12 |
| 182 | Net passing yards | 221 |
| 252 | Total yards | 373 |
| 127 | Return yards | 79 |
| 5–38.2 | Punts | 3–36.7 |
| 2–1 | Fumbles–lost | 1–1 |
| 2–11 | Penalties–yards | 1–0 |
| 26:35 | Time of possession | 33:25 |
Starting Lineups
| Position | Starting Lineups – Week 15: at San Francisco |
| Offense ||
| QB | #3 Bobby Hebert |
| RB | #36 Rueben Mayes |
| RB | #23 Buford Jordan |
| WR | #84 Eric Martin |
| TE | #82 John Tice |
| TE | #85 Hoby Brenner |
| LT | #72 Jim Dombrowski |
| LG | #63 Brad Edelman |
| C | #60 Steve Korte |
| RG | #65 Steve Trapilo |
| RT | #67 Stan Brock |
| Defense ||
| LDE | #73 Frank Warren |
| NT | #97 Jumpy Geathers |
| RDE | #94 Jim Wilks |
| LOLB | #57 Rickey Jackson |
| LILB | #51 Sam Mills |
| RILB | #53 Vaughn Johnson |
| ROLB | #56 Pat Swilling |
| LCB | #44 Dave Waymer |
| RCB | #22 Van Jakes |
| SS | #27 Antonio Gibson |
| FS | #39 Brett Maxie |
Individual stats
Saints Passing :
| | C/ATT$^1$ | Yds | TD | INT | Sk | Yds | LG$^3$ | Rate |
| Hebert | 19/34 | 170 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | 28 | 67.0 |
| Hilliard | 1/1 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 158.3 |
Saints Rushing :
| | Car$^2$ | Yds | TD | LG$^3$ |
| Hilliard | 9 | 35 | 0 | 10 |
| Hebert | 3 | 14 | 0 | 3 |
| Mayes | 8 | 10 | 0 | 4 |
| Heyward | 3 | 8 | 0 | 3 |
| Martin | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Saints Receiving :
| | Rec$^4$ | Yds | TD | LG$^3$ |
| Martin | 7 | 61 | 0 | 20 |
| Hill | 6 | 61 | 1 | 27 |
| Tice | 3 | 44 | 0 | 28 |
| Hilliard | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Pattison | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Perriman | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Scales | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
Saints Kick Returns :
| | Ret | Yds | Y/Rt | TD | Lng |
| Atkins | 4 | 58 | 14.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Gray | 2 | 44 | 22.0 | 0 | 0 |
Saints Punt Returns :
| | Ret | Yds | Y/Rt | TD | Lng |
| Gray | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
| Hill | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
Saints Punting :
| | Pnt | Yds | Y/P | Lng | Blck |
| Hansen | 5 | 191 | 38.2 | 0 | 0 |
Saints Kicking :
| | XPM–XPA | FGM–FGA | MFG |
| Anderson | 2–2 | 1–3 | 40, 32 |
Saints Sacks :
| | Sacks |
| Swilling | 1.0 |
| Wilks | 1.0 |
Saints Interceptions :
| | Int | Yds | TD | LG | PD |
| Waymer | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 | |

### Week 16

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| • Saints | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |

## Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| San Francisco 49ers$^{(2)}$ | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 369 | 294 | L1 |
| Los Angeles Rams$^{(5)}$ | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 407 | 293 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 312 | 283 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 244 | 315 | L3 |