# 1979 New Orleans Saints season

The 1979 New Orleans Saints season was the team's thirteenth season in the National Football League. The Saints finished the season at 8–8, the franchise's first non-losing season. After starting 0–3, New Orleans won seven of its next 10 and was tied for first place with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West with three weeks to play, but the season unraveled in a Monday Night Football contest at home vs. the Oakland Raiders, when the Saints squandered a 35–14 lead and lost, 42–35. The Raiders returned to the Superdome a little over a year later and won Super Bowl XV.
The Saints were eliminated from playoff contention in week 15 when they were blown out 35–0 at home by the San Diego Chargers, but defeated the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams in the regular season finale in what was the Rams' last game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 2016. While the Rams went on to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XIV, the Saints ended their season with a record of 8-8, the first time in the history of the franchise that the team finished with a non-losing record. Not counting the 1976 expansion Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans was one of three franchises which failed to make the playoffs in the 1970s, joined by the Giants and the Jets (the other 1976 expansion team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, won the NFC Central Division in 1979).
Following the season, running back Chuck Muncie was named Most Valuable Player of the ensuing Pro Bowl.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1979 New Orleans Saints draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 11 | Russell Erxleben | Punter | Texas |
| 2 | 38 | Reggie Mathis | Linebacker | Oklahoma |
| 4 | 93 | Jim Kovach | Linebacker | Kentucky |
| 5 | 120 | Harlan Huckleby | Linebacker | Michigan |
| 6 | 146 | Ricky Ray | Cornerback | Norfolk State |
| 7 | 176 | Stan Sytsma | Linebacker | Minnesota |
| 8 | 202 | Doug Panfil | Guard | Tulsa |
| 11 | 285 | David Hall | Wide receiver | Missouri-Rolla |
| 12 | 311 | Kelsey Finch | Running back | Tennessee |
| Made roster ||||||

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 2 | Atlanta Falcons | L 34–40 | 0–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 70,940 |
| 2 | September 9 | at Green Bay Packers | L 19–28 | 0–2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,184 |
| 3 | September 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–26 | 0–3 | Louisiana Superdome | 54,212 |
| 4 | September 23 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 30–21 | 1–3 | Candlestick Park | 39,727 |
| 5 | September 30 | New York Giants | W 24–14 | 2–3 | Louisiana Superdome | 51,543 |
| 6 | October 7 | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–35 | 2–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,986 |
| 7 | October 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 42–14 | 3–4 | Tampa Stadium | 67,640 |
| 8 | October 21 | Detroit Lions | W 17–7 | 4-4 | Louisiana Superdome | 57,428 |
| 9 | October 28 | at Washington Redskins | W 14–10 | 5–4 | RFK Stadium | 52,133 |
| 10 | November 4 | at Denver Broncos | L 3–10 | 5–5 | Mile High Stadium | 74,482 |
| 11 | November 11 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–20 | 6–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 65,551 |
| 12 | November 18 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 24–38 | 6–6 | Kingdome | 60,055 |
| 13 | November 25 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 37–6 | 7–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 42,815 |
| 14 | December 3 | Oakland Raiders | L 35–42 | 7–7 | Louisiana Superdome | 65,541 |
| 15 | December 9 | San Diego Chargers | L 0–35 | 7–8 | Louisiana Superdome | 61,059 |
| 16 | December 16 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 29–14 | 8–8 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 53,879 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Standings

NFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Los Angeles Rams$^{(3)}$ | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | 323 | 309 | L1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 370 | 360 | W1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 5–7 | 300 | 388 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 308 | 416 | L1 |

### Season summary

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 0 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 30 |
| 49ers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 4:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 39,727
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
SF – Freddie Solomon 17-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Ray Wersching kick). 49ers 7–0.
Second quarter
NO – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (kick failed). 49ers 7–6.
NO – Wes Chandler 5-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). Saints 13–7.
SF – Freddie Solomon 25-yard pass from Steve DeBerg (Ray Wersching kick). 49ers 14–13.
Third quarter
NO – Larry Hardy 3-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). Saints 20–14.
NO – Tony Galbreath 1-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). Saints 27–14.
Fourth quarter
SF – Paul Hofer 2-yard run (Ray Wersching kick). Saints 27–21.
NO – Garo Yepremian 18-yard field goal. Saints 30–21.
Top passers
NO – Archie Manning – 20/28, 355 yards, 2 TD
SF – Steve DeBerg – 18/33, 263 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
NO – Chuck Muncie – 18 rushes, 98 yards
SF – O. J. Simpson – 7 rushes, 25 yards Wilbur Jackson – 6 rushes, 25 yards
Top receivers
NO – Wes Chandler – 4 receptions, 127 yards, TD
SF – Freddie Solomon – 8 receptions, 144 yards, 2 TD :

#### Week 14

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Raiders | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 42 |
| Saints | 0 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: December 3, 1979
* Game time: 8:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Game attendance: 71,323
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and Howard Cosell
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
First quarter
OAK – Raymond Chester 3-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Raiders 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards.
Second quarter
NO – Tony Galbreath 2-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). – Tie 7–7. Drive: 13 plays, 89 yards.
NO – Tony Galbreath 17-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 19 yards.
NO – Chuck Muncie 1-yard run (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 21–7. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards.
NO – Henry Childs 28-yard pass from Archie Manning (Garo Yepremian kick). – Saints 28–7. Drive: 1 play, 28 yards.
OAK – Arthur Whittington 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 28–14. Drive:
Third quarter
NO – Ken Bordelon 19-yard interception return (Garo Yepremian kick), 6:24. – Saints 35–14.
OAK – Mark van Eeghen 1-yard run (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 35–21. Drive:
Fourth quarter
OAK – Derrick Ramsey 17-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Saints 35–28. Drive:
OAK – Cliff Branch 66-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick). – Tie 35–35. Drive:
OAK – Cliff Branch 8-yard pass from Ken Stabler (Jim Breech kick), 1:54. – Raiders 42–35. Drive: 3 plays, 13 yards.
Top passers
OAK – Ken Stabler – 26/44, 295 yards, 4 TD, 2 INT
NO – Archie Manning – 12/23, 154 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
OAK – Arthur Whittington – 14 rushes, 67 yards, TD
NO – Chuck Muncie – 21 rushes, 128 yards, TD
Top receivers
OAK – Cliff Branch – 7 receptions, 126 yards, 2 TD
NO – Tony Galbreath – 7 receptions, 106 yards, TD :

## Awards and records

* Chuck Muncie, Pro Bowl Most Valuable Player