# 1993 New Orleans Saints season

The 1993 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 27th as a member of the National Football League (NFL). They were unable to match their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eight games despite starting the season 5–0. The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Quarterback Bobby Hebert, who was the Saints' starter from late 1985 through 1992, save for a season-long holdout in 1990, signed as a free agent with the division rival Atlanta Falcons. Wade Wilson, who had fallen out of favor with the Minnesota Vikings after the hiring of coach Dennis Green in 1992, was signed as Hebert's replacement.
During a loss to the New York Giants on Monday Night Football, fans in the Louisiana Superdome let out a sarcastic cheer when Wilson was injured. The incident enraged coach Jim Mora, who let loose with a tirade during his post-game press conference.

## Offseason
### Organizational changes

Jim Finks, the club's president and general manager since January 1986, was diagnosed with lung cancer in April. He was limited to consulting with team officials by telephone since undergoing chemotherapy. During his absence, most of Finks' day-to-day duties were handled by vice president of administration Jim Miller. On July 14, Finks resigned from all his duties to concentrate on the treatment of his illness.

### NFL Draft

1993 New Orleans Saints draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 8 | Willie Roaf * $^†$ | Offensive tackle | Louisiana Tech |
| 1 | 20 | Irv Smith | Tight end | Notre Dame |
| 2 | 53 | Reggie Freeman | Linebacker | Florida State |
| 4 | 89 | Lorenzo Neal * | Fullback | Fresno State |
| 4 | 109 | Derek Brown | Running back | Nebraska |
| 5 | 137 | Tyrone Hughes * | Cornerback | Nebraska |
| 6 | 165 | Ronnie Dixon | Defensive tackle | Cincinnati |
| 7 | 193 | Othello Henderson | Defensive back | UCLA |
| 8 | 221 | Jon Kirksey | Defensive tackle | Sacramento State |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 5 | Houston Oilers | W 33–21 | 1–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 69,029 |
| 2 | September 12 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 34–31 | 2–0 | Georgia Dome | 64,287 |
| 3 | September 19 | Detroit Lions | W 14–3 | 3–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 69,039 |
| 4 | September 26 | San Francisco 49ers | W 16–13 | 4–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 69,041 |
| 5 | October 3 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 37–6 | 5–0 | Anaheim Stadium | 50,709 |
| 6 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 7 | October 17 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–37 | 5–1 | Three Rivers Stadium | 56,056 |
| 8 | October 24 | Atlanta Falcons | L 15–26 | 5–2 | Louisiana Superdome | 69,043 |
| 9 | October 31 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 20–17 | 6–2 | Sun Devil Stadium | 36,778 |
| 10 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 11 | November 14 | Green Bay Packers | L 17–19 | 6–3 | Louisiana Superdome | 69,043 |
| 12 | November 22 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 7–42 | 6–4 | Candlestick Park | 66,500 |
| 13 | November 28 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 17–14 | 7–4 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 53,030 |
| 14 | December 5 | at Cleveland Browns | L 13–17 | 7–5 | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 60,388 |
| 15 | December 12 | Los Angeles Rams | L 20–23 | 7–6 | Louisiana Superdome | 69,033 |
| 16 | December 20 | New York Giants | L 14–24 | 7–7 | Louisiana Superdome | 69,036 |
| 17 | December 26 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 26–37 | 7–8 | Veterans Stadium | 50,085 |
| 18 | January 2, 1994 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–13 | 8–8 | Louisiana Superdome | 58,036 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: at New Orleans Saints

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Oilers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
| Saints | 3 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 33 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: September 5
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 69,029
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Haywood Jeffires 6-yard pass from Warren Moon (Al Del Greco kick). Oilers 7–0.
NO – Morten Andersen 28-yard field goal. Oilers 7–3.
Second quarter
NO – Dalton Hilliard 2-yard run (Morten Andersen kick). Saints 10–7.
NO – Morten Andersen 37-yard field goal. Saints 13–7.
Third quarter
NO – Morten Andersen 18-yard field goal. Saints 16–7.
NO – Morten Andersen 47-yard field goal. Saints 19–7.
Fourth quarter
NO – Frank Warren 47-yard fumble return (Morten Andersen kick). Saints 26–7.
NO – Derek Brown 2-yard run (Morten Andersen kick). Saints 33–7.
HOU – Cody Carlson 1-yard run (Al Del Greco kick). Saints 33–14.
HOU – Marcus Robertson 80-yard fumble return (Al Del Greco kick). Saints 33–21.
Top passers
HOU – Warren Moon – 21/32, 241 yards, TD, INT
NO – Wade Wilson – 16/25, 206 yards
Top rushers
HOU – Lorenzo White – 15 rushes, 59 yards
NO – Lorenzo Neal – 13 rushes, 89 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Curtis Duncan – 4 receptions, 90 yards
NO – Eric Martin – 7 receptions, 111 yards :

### Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 473 | 295 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 317 | 343 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 316 | 385 | L3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 221 | 367 | W1 |