# 2020 New Orleans Saints season

The 2020 season was the New Orleans Saints' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and their 14th under head coach Sean Payton. Although they failed to match their 13–3 records from 2018 and 2019, the Saints defended their NFC South title for the fourth consecutive year following a Week 16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. After beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, they won six straight games for the fourth consecutive season. With a Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints clinched a franchise record fourth consecutive playoff appearance. After Week 17 victory over the division rival, Carolina Panthers, the Saints became the first NFC South member to sweep the division in its history. During the Wildcard round against the Chicago Bears of the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, the Saints made history as one of the first two teams to air in a post-season football game on Nickelodeon, a primarily children-related network. The Saints would defeat the Bears 21–9, advancing to the divisional round, where they were defeated by division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 20–30, despite having swept them in the regular season.
This season marked the end of the Drew Brees era in New Orleans as he would announce his retirement on March 14, 2021, after twenty seasons of playing in the NFL, fifteen of those with the Saints.

## Roster changes
### Free agency
#### Unrestricted

| Position | Player | 2020 team | Date signed | Contract |
| MLB | Stephone Anthony | Arizona Cardinals (PS) | November 16, 2020 | 1 year $84k |
| CB | Eli Apple | Carolina Panthers | May 28, 2020 | 1 year, $3 million |
| CB | Johnson Bademosi | New Orleans Saints | April 23, 2020 | 1 year, $1.1875 million |
| SS | Vonn Bell | Cincinnati Bengals | March 25, 2020 | 3 years, $18 million |
| QB | Drew Brees | New Orleans Saints | March 17, 2020 | 2 years, $50 million |
| QB | Teddy Bridgewater | Carolina Panthers | March 17, 2020 | 3 years, $63 million |
| WR | Ted Ginn Jr. | Chicago Bears | April 30, 2020 | 1 year, $1.1875 million |
| LB | A. J. Klein | Buffalo Bills | March 16, 2020 | 3 years, $18 million |
| OLB | Josh Martin | | | |
| G | Patrick Omameh | New Orleans Saints | May 14, 2020 | 1 year, $1.1875 million |
| G | Andrus Peat | New Orleans Saints | March 20, 2020 | 5 years, $57.5 million |
| DE | Noah Spence | New Orleans Saints | March 23, 2020 | 1 year, $910k |
| S | D. J. Swearinger | New Orleans Saints | March 22, 2020 | 1 year, $1.1 million |
| MLB | Manti Te'o | Chicago Bears (PS) | October 20, 2020 | 1 year, $132k |
| RB | Dwayne Washington | New Orleans Saints | April 16, 2020 | 1 year, $1.0475 million |
| CB | P. J. Williams | New Orleans Saints | April 2, 2020 | 1 year, $2 million |

#### Restricted

| Position | Player | 2020 team | Date signed | Contract |
| WR | Austin Carr | New Orleans Saints | May 7, 2020 | 1 year, $825k |
| CB | Justin Hardee | New Orleans Saints | March 20, 2020 | 1 year, $1.5 million |
| QB | Taysom Hill | New Orleans Saints | March 16, 2020 | Assigned 1st Round Tender, 1 year, $4.641 million |
| C | Cameron Tom | New Orleans Saints | April 9, 2020 | 1 year, $887.5k |

#### Exclusive Rights FA

| Position | Player | 2020 team | Date signed | Contract |
| LB | Colton Jumper | | | |
| WR | Keith Kirkwood | Carolina Panthers | March 19, 2020 | 1 year, $800k |

### Signings

| Position | Player | 2019 team | Date signed | Contract |
| S | Malcolm Jenkins | Philadelphia Eagles | March 18, 2020 | 4 years, $32 million |
| FB | Michael Burton | Washington Redskins | March 18, 2020 | 1 year, $1.0475 million |
| WR | Emmanuel Sanders | San Francisco 49ers | March 20, 2020 | 2 years, $16 million |
| DB | Deatrick Nichols | Houston Roughnecks (XFL) | March 23, 2020 | 1 year, $675k |
| QB | Jameis Winston | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | April 28, 2020 | 1 year, $1.1 million |
| DT | Margus Hunt | Indianapolis Colts | April 30, 2020 | 1 year, $1.05 million |
| RB | Ty Montgomery | New York Jets | May 15, 2020 | 1 year, $1.0475 million |
| OLB | Anthony Chickillo | Pittsburgh Steelers | May 21, 2020 | 1 year, $1.0475 million |
| T | James Hurst | Baltimore Ravens | May 27, 2020 | 1 year, $1.0475 million |
| OLB | Nigel Bradham | Philadelphia Eagles | July 30, 2020 | 1 year, TBC |
| WR | Bennie Fowler | New York Giants | July 30, 2020 | 1 year, $910k |
| TE | Ethan Wolf | Los Angeles Rams | August 19, 2020 | 1 year, $610k |
| CB | Kemon Hall | Minnesota Vikings | August 25, 2020 | 1 year, $610k |
| LB | Wynton McManis | Calgary Stampeders (CFL) | August 28, 2020 | 1 year, $610k |
| DE | Anthony Lanier | Kansas City Chiefs | August 29, 2020 | 1 year, $825k |
| DE | T. J. Carter | Arizona Cardinals | August 29, 2020 | 1 year, $610k |
| CB | Ken Crawley | Practice Squad | October 12, 2020 | 1 year, $910k |
| WR | Tommylee Lewis | Practice Squad | October 31, 2020 | 1 year, $910k |
| QB | Trevor Siemian | Tennessee Titans | November 21, 2020 | 1 year, $910k |
| G | Patrick Omameh | Las Vegas Raiders | December 15, 2020 | 1 year, $1.05 million |
| WR | Jake Kumerow | Buffalo Bills | December 25, 2020 | 1 year, $750k |

### Practice squad additions

| Position | Player | Last team | Date signed | Contract |
| DE | Anthony Zettel | Minnesota Vikings | September 19, 2020 | 1 year, $192k |
| CB | Grant Haley | New York Giants | September 20, 2020 | 1 year, $134.4k |
| CB | Ken Crawley | Arizona Cardinals | September 28, 2020 | 1 year, $168k |
| WR | Malik Henry | Indianapolis Colts | September 30, 2020 | 1 year, $117.6k |
| WR | Tommylee Lewis | Carolina Panthers | October 8, 2020 | 1 year, $156k |
| DE | Will Clarke | Detroit Lions | October 22, 2020 | 1 year, $132k |
| DT | Christian Ringo | Cincinnati Bengals | November 11, 2020 | 1 year, $96k |
| DT | Ryan Glasgow | New England Patriots | November 17, 2020 | 1 year, $84k |
| WR | Jake Lampman | Tampa Bay Vipers (XFL) | December 23, 2020 | 1 year, $16.8k |
| LS | John Denney | Miami Dolphins | January 11, 2021 | 1 year, TBC |
| K | Blair Walsh | Atlanta Falcons | January 11, 2021 | 1 year, TBC |

### Released/waived

| Position | Player | 2020 team | Date released |
| G | Larry Warford | N/A (Opt-out) | May 8, 2020 |
| TE | Mitchell Loewen | | May 15, 2020 |
| WR | Tim White | | May 28, 2020 |
| DE | Gus Cumberlander | | August 2, 2020 |
| WR | Maurice Harris | | August 2, 2020 |
| WR | Krishawn Hogan | Tennessee Titans | August 2, 2020 |
| S | Chris Johnson | | August 2, 2020 |
| WR | Tommylee Lewis | Carolina Panthers | August 2, 2020 |
| G | Adrian Magee | | August 2, 2020 |
| RB | Taquan Mizzell | New York Giants (PS) | August 2, 2020 |
| CB | Deatrick Nichols | Miami Dolphins | August 2, 2020 |
| FB | Ricky Ortiz | | August 2, 2020 |
| DT | Taylor Stallworth | Indianapolis Colts | August 3, 2020 |
| OLB | Nigel Bradham | Denver Broncos (PS) | August 24, 2020 |
| CB | Tino Ellis | Miami Dolphins (PS) | August 26, 2020 |
| OL | Darrin Paulo | Denver Broncos | August 29, 2020 |
| LB | Joe Bachie | Philadelphia Eagles | September 5, 2020 |
| WR | Emmanuel Butler | | September 5, 2020 |
| WR | Austin Carr | Resigned | September 5, 2020 |
| DE | T. J. Carter | | September 5, 2020 |
| OLB | Anthony Chickillo | Denver Broncos | September 5, 2020 |
| OLB | Andrew Dowell | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| DT | Mario Edwards Jr. | Chicago Bears | September 5, 2020 |
| WR | Bennie Fowler | Resigned | September 5, 2020 |
| TE | Garrett Griffin | Resigned | September 5, 2020 |
| CB | Kemon Hall | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| WR | Lil'Jordan Humphrey | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| DT | Margus Hunt | Resigned | September 5, 2020 |
| WR | Juwan Johnson | Resigned | September 5, 2020 |
| RB | Tony Jones | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| LB | Wynton McManis | | September 5, 2020 |
| G | Patrick Omameh | Las Vegas Raiders | September 5, 2020 |
| OL | Jordan Steckler | New England Patriots (PS) | September 5, 2020 |
| TE | Tommy Stevens | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| OL | Calvin Throckmorton | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| C | Cameron Tom | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| CB | Keith Washington | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| TE | Ethan Wolf | Practice Squad | September 5, 2020 |
| DE | Anthony Lanier | | September 11, 2020 |
| FS | Saquan Hampton | New York Jets | September 14, 2020 |
| C | Will Clapp | Resigned | September 26, 2020 |
| C | Will Clapp | Resigned | October 8, 2020 |
| DT | Margus Hunt | Cincinnati Bengals | October 12, 2020 |
| WR | Tommylee Lewis | Resigned | November 3, 2020 |
| OLB | Chase Hansen | Practice Squad | November 24, 2020 |
| TE | Garrett Griffin | Practice Squad | December 19, 2020 |
| QB | Trevor Siemian | Practice Squad | December 19, 2020 |
| WR | Tommylee Lewis | Practice Squad | December 24, 2020 |
| G | Patrick Omameh | Kansas City Chiefs (PS) | December 24, 2020 |
| WR | Jake Kumerow | Practice Squad | January 9, 2021 |
| WR | Austin Carr | Practice Squad | January 11, 2021 |

### Practice squad releases

| Position | Player | 2020 team | Date released |
| CB | Kemon Hall | Dallas Cowboys (PS) | September 19, 2020 |
| WR | Malik Henry | | October 10, 2020 |
| TE | Tommy Stevens | Carolina Panthers | November 10, 2020 |
| DE | Will Clarke | | November 17, 2020 |
| DT | Christian Ringo | | January 11, 2021 |
| DE | Anthony Zettel | Practice Squad | January 11, 2021 |
| LS | John Denney | Practice Squad | January 13, 2021 |
| WR | Jake Lampman | | January 13, 2021 |
| K | Blair Walsh | Practice Squad | January 13, 2021 |
| WR | Tommylee Lewis | | January 16, 2021 |
| DE | Anthony Zettel | | January 16, 2021 |

### Contract extensions

| Position | Player | Date signed | Contract |
| DT | David Onyemata | March 16, 2020 | 3 years, $27 million |
| LS | Zach Wood | March 16, 2020 | 4 years, $4.78 million |
| CB | Janoris Jenkins | March 25, 2020 | 2 years, $16.75 million |
| QB | Taysom Hill | April 26, 2020 | 2 years, $20.941 million |

### Retirements

| Position | Player | Date retired |
| FB | Zach Line | January 15, 2020 |

### Player trades

| Position | Player | From/to | Date traded | For |
| LB | Kwon Alexander | San Francisco 49ers | November 2, 2020 | Kiko Alonso, 2021 Conditional Fifth-round selection to 49ers |
| LB | Kiko Alonso | San Francisco 49ers | November 2, 2020 | Kwon Alexander, 2021 Conditional Fifth-round selection to 49ers |

## Draft

2020 New Orleans Saints Draft :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 24 | Cesar Ruiz | C | Michigan |
| 3 | 74 | Zack Baun | LB | Wisconsin |
| 3 | 105 | Adam Trautman | TE | Dayton |
| 7 | 240 | Tommy Stevens | QB | Mississippi State |
Notes
* The Saints traded their second-round selection (No. 56 overall) to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for the Dolphins' 2019 second-round selection.
* The Saints traded their seventh-round selection, along with their 2019 fourth-round selection to the New York Giants in exchange for cornerback Eli Apple.
* The Saints traded their third-round selection (No. 88 overall) and their 2021 third-round selection to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for the Browns' 2020 third-round selection (No. 74 overall) and the Browns' seventh-round selection (No. 244 overall).
* The Saints traded their fourth-round selection (No. 130 overall), fifth-round selection (No. 169 overall), sixth-round selection (No. 203 overall) and their seventh-round selection (No. 244 overall) to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for the Vikings' 2020 third-round selection (No. 105 overall).
* The Saints traded their 2021 sixth-round selection to the Houston Texans in exchange for the Texans' 2020 seventh-round selection (No. 240 overall).

### Undrafted free agent signings

| Position | Player | College | Date signed | Contract |
| LB | Joe Bachie | Michigan State | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.285 million |
| WR | Marquez Callaway | Tennessee | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.295 million |
| DE | Gus Cumberlander | Oregon | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.2865 million |
| CB | Tino Ellis | Maryland | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.285 million |
| P | Blake Gillikin | Penn State | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.285 million |
| WR | Juwan Johnson | Oregon | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.295 million |
| RB | Tony Jones | Notre Dame | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.285 million |
| OL | Darrin Paulo | Utah | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.285 million |
| DT | Malcolm Roach | Texas | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.295 million |
| OL | Jordan Steckler | Northern Illinois | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.3 million |
| OT | Calvin Throckmorton | Oregon | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.2975 million |
| CB | Keith Washington | West Virginia | April 25, 2020 | 3 years, $2.285 million |
| G | Adrian Magee | LSU | April 26, 2020 | 3 years, $2.285 million |

## Preseason

The Saints' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
| 1 | August 14 | at Los Angeles Rams | SoFi Stadium | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2 | August 23 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 3 | August 29 | Houston Texans | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
| 4 | September 3 | Miami Dolphins | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic |

## Regular season
### Schedule

The Saints' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 34–23 | 1–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 2 | September 21 | at Las Vegas Raiders | L 24–34 | 1–1 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 27 | Green Bay Packers | L 30–37 | 1–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 4 | October 4 | at Detroit Lions | W 35–29 | 2–2 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 5 | October 12 | Los Angeles Chargers | W 30–27 (OT) | 3–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 6 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 7 | October 25 | Carolina Panthers | W 27–24 | 4–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 8 | November 1 | at Chicago Bears | W 26–23 (OT) | 5–2 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 9 | November 8 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 38–3 | 6–2 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 15 | San Francisco 49ers | W 27–13 | 7–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 11 | November 22 | Atlanta Falcons | W 24–9 | 8–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 12 | November 29 | at Denver Broncos | W 31–3 | 9–2 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 13 | December 6 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 21–16 | 10–2 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 13 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 21–24 | 10–3 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
| 15 | December 20 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 29–32 | 10–4 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 16 | December 25 | Minnesota Vikings | W 52–33 | 11–4 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 17 | January 3 | at Carolina Panthers | W 33–7 | 12–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 7 | 0 | 10 | 6 | 23 |
| Saints | 0 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: September 13
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
TB – Tom Brady 2-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 7:27. Buccaneers 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 85 yards, 4:53.
Second quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 12-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 11:39. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 5:38.
NO – Alvin Kamara 6-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 10:09. Saints 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 35 yards, 0:47.
NO – Wil Lutz 29-yard field goal, 0:44,. Saints 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 2:53.
Third quarter
NO – Janoris Jenkins 36-yard interception return (Wil Lutz kick), 13:13. Saints 24–7.
TB – O. J. Howard 9-yards pass from Tom Brady (Ryan Succop kick), 12:20. Saints 24–14. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:53.
TB – Ryan Succop 38-yards field goal, 2:22. Saints 24–17. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:54.
Fourth quarter
NO – Emmanuel Sanders 5-yards pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 11:38. Saints 31–17. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:25.
NO – Wil Lutz 21-yards field goal, 8:01. Saints 34–17. Drive: 7 plays, 15 yards, 3:37.
TB – Mike Evans 2-yards pass from Tom Brady (kick failed), 2:41. Saints 34–23. Drive: 11 plays, 90 yards, 3:18.
Top passers
TB – Tom Brady – 23/36, 239 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
NO – Drew Brees – 18/30, 160 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
TB – Ronald Jones – 17 rushes, 66 yards
NO – Latavius Murray – 15 rushes, 48 yards
Top receivers
TB – Chris Godwin – 6 receptions, 79 yards
NO – Jared Cook – 5 receptions, 80 yards :
With the win, the Saints began the year at 1–0 for the second year in a row.

#### Week 2: at Las Vegas Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 10 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
| Raiders | 0 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 7:15 p.m. CDT/5:15 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Shawn Hochuli
* TV announcers (ESPN/ABC + ESPN2): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters and John Parry; Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit (ESPN2 Megacast)
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 31-yard field goal, 11:01. Saints 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 62 yards, 3:59.
NO – Alvin Kamara 1-yard run (Will Litz kick), 3:51. Saints 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 4:07.
Second quarter
LV – Alec Ingold 3-yard pass from Derek Carr (Daniel Carlson kick), 8:55. Saints 10–7. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 6:18.
NO – Jared Cook 6-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 5:22. Saints 17–7. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 3:33.
LV – Zay Jones 15-yard pass from Derek Carr (Daniel Carlson kick), 1:44. Saints 17–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 3:38.
LV – Daniel Carlson 38-yard field goal, 0:09. Tied 17–17. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 0:39.
Third quarter
LV – Darren Waller 1-yard pass from Derek Carr (Daniel Carlson kick), 9:58. Raiders 24–17. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:02.
Fourth quarter
LV – Jalen Richard 20-yard run (Daniel Carlson kick), 7:43. Raiders 31–17. Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 4:34.
NO – Alvin Kamara 3-yard run (Will Litz kick), 4:33. Raiders 31–24. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 3:10.
LV – Daniel Carlson 54-yard field goal, 1:08. Raiders 34–24. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:26.
Top passers
NO – Drew Brees – 26/38, 312 yards, TD, INT
LV – Derek Carr – 28/38, 282 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
NO – Alvin Kamara – 13 rushes, 79 yards, 2 TD
LV – Josh Jacobs – 27 rushes, 88 yards
Top receivers
NO – Alvin Kamara – 9 receptions, 95 yards
LV – Darren Waller – 12 receptions, 103 yards, TD :
This was the first NFL game in Las Vegas or in the state of Nevada. With the loss, the Saints dropped to 1–1 on the season.

#### Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 3 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 37 |
| Saints | 7 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: September 27
* Game time: 7:20 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Brad Rogers
* TV announcers (NBC): Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya, and Terry McAulay
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
GB – Mason Crosby 52-yard field goal, 7:30. Packers 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 5:38.
NO – Alvin Kamara 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 7:30. Saints 7–3. Drive: 4 plays, 77 yards, 2:23.
Second quarter
GB – Mason Crosby 33-yard field goal, 14:12. Saints 7–6. Drive: 12 plays, 60 yards, 5:55.
GB – Allen Lazard 5-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 10:32. Packers 13–7. Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 1:27.
NO – Wil Lutz 45-yard field goal, 4:28. Packers 13–10. Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards, 6:04.
NO – Emmanuel Sanders 10-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:06. Saints 17–13. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 2:34.
Third quarter
GB – Aaron Jones 1-yard run (Mason Crosby kick), 12:58. Packers 20–17. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 2:02.
NO – Wil Lutz 35-yard field goal, 5:55. Tied 20–20. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 7:03.
GB – Marcedes Lewis 18-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 10:32. Packers 27–20. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:38.
NO – Alvin Kamara 52-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:33. Tied 27–27. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:44.
Fourth quarter
GB – Mason Crosby 47-yard field goal, 8:47. Packers 30–27. Drive: 7 plays, 26 yards, 3:32.
GB – Robert Tonyan 1-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 2:00. Packers 37–27. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 4:36.
NO – Wil Lutz 34-yard field goal, 0:32. Packers 37–30. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 1:28.
Top passers
GB – Aaron Rodgers – 21/32, 283 yards, 3 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 29/36, 288 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
GB – Aaron Jones – 16 rushes, 69 yards, TD
NO – Latavius Murray – 12 rushes, 58 yards
Top receivers
GB – Allen Lazard – 6 receptions, 146 yards, TD
NO – Alvin Kamara – 13 receptions, 139 yards, 2 TD :
With the tough loss, the Saints dropped to 1–2 for the first time since 2017. This also marks their first loss to the Packers since the 2012 season.

#### Week 4: at Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 7 | 21 | 7 | 0 | 35 |
| Lions | 14 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: October 4
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Shawn Smith
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
DET – D'Andre Swift 7-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 11:58. Lions 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 3:02.
DET – Kenny Golladay 15-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 10:23. Lions 14–0. Drive: 3 plays, 18 yards, 1:21.
NO – Latavius Murray 3-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 3:08. Lions 14–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:15.
Second quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 10:10. Tied 14–14. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:42.
NO – Tre'Quan Smith 2-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 3:03. Saints 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:26.
NO – Tre'Quan Smith 20-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:44. Saints 28–14. Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 0:59.
Third quarter
NO – Latavius Murray 6-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 8:52. Saints 35–14. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:08.
DET – T. J. Hockenson 1-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick), 4:19. Saints 35–21. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 4:33.
Fourth quarter
DET – Adrian Peterson 5-yard run (Matthew Stafford–T. J. Hockenson pass), 3:40. Saints 35–29. Drive: 12 plays, 43 yards, 4:21.
Top passers
NO – Drew Brees – 19/25, 246 yards, 2 TD, INT
DET – Matthew Stafford – 17/31, 206 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
NO – Alvin Kamara – 19 rushes, 83 yards, TD
DET – Adrian Peterson – 11 rushes, 36 yards, TD
Top receivers
NO – Emmanuel Sanders – 6 receptions, 93 yards
DET – Kenny Golladay – 4 receptions, 62 yards, TD :
With this win against Detroit, the Saints improve to 2–2.

#### Week 5: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Chargers | 6 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 27 |
| Saints | 3 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 30 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 7:15 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 749
* Referee: Clay Martin
* TV announcers (ESPN): Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters and John Parry
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
LAC – Keenan Allen 17-yard pass from Justin Herbert (kick failed), 6:26. Chargers 6–0. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:33.
NO – Wil Lutz 48-yard field goal, 0:00. Chargers 6–3. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards, 2:41.
Second quarter
LAC – Mike Williams 4-yard pass from Justin Herbert (Michael Badgley kick), 11:01. Chargers 13–3. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:59.
LAC – Hunter Henry 4-yard pass from Justin Herbert (Michael Badgley kick), 4:25. Chargers 20–3. Drive: 3 plays, 1 yard, 1:23.
NO – Drew Brees 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 0:14. Chargers 20–10. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 1:45.
Third quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 53-yard field goal, 4:52. Chargers 20–13. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 3:25.
Fourth quarter
NO – Jared Cook 41-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 11:21. Tied 20–20. Drive: 10 plays, 89 yards, 5:02.
LAC – Mike Williams 64-yard pass from Justin Herbert (Michael Badgley kick), 3:40. Chargers 27–20. Drive: 4 plays, 78 yards, 2:02.
NO – Taysom Hill 9-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 0:52. Tied 27–27. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 2:48.
Overtime
NO – Wil Lutz 36-yard field goal, 5:08. Saints 30–27. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 4:52.
Top passers
LAC – Justin Herbert – 20/34, 264 yards, 4 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 33/47, 325 yards, TD, INT
Top receivers
LAC – Justin Jackson – 15 rushes, 71 yards
NO – Alvin Kamara – 11 rushes, 45 yards
Top rushers
LAC – Mike Williams – 5 receptions, 109 yards, 2 TD
NO – Emmanuel Sanders – 12 receptions, 122 yards :
Drew Brees faced his former team for the fourth time in his career. A potential game-winning 50-yard field goal by Chargers kicker Michael Badgley hit the upright instead, sending the game into overtime. With 5:08 left in the overtime period, Wil Lutz kicked a 36-yard field goal to take a 30–27 lead. But the night belonged to Marshon Lattimore, who stopped Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams on fourth down to seal the victory for New Orleans. They won despite Michael Thomas being out for a fourth straight game. However, this time, it was due to suspension after an altercation with Chauncey Gardner-Johnson during practice.

#### Week 7: vs. Carolina Panthers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 3 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Saints | 7 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: October 25
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 3,000
* Referee: Craig Wrolstad
* TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Kugler, Chris Spielman and Laura Okmin
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Jared Cook 4-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 6:34. Saints 7–0. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 8:26.
CAR – Joey Slye 43-yard field goal, 1:54. Saints 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:40.
Second quarter
NO – Drew Brees 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 12:13. Saints 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 4:41.
CAR – D. J. Moore 74-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Joey Slye kick), 10:56. Saints 14–10. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 1:17.
CAR – D. J. Moore 7-yard pass from Teddy Bridgewater (Joey Slye kick), 1:37. Panthers 17–14. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 5:21.
NO – Deonte Harris 4-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:02. Saints 21–17. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 1:35.
Third quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 41-yard field goal, 4:24. Saints 24–17. Drive: 13 plays, 58 yards, 6:53.
CAR – Curtis Samuel 5-yard run (Joey Slye kick), 0:08. Tied 24–24. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:16.
Fourth quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 43-yard field goal, 7:55. Saints 27–24. Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 7:13.
Top passers
CAR – Teddy Bridgewater – 23/28, 254 yards, 2 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 29/36, 287 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
CAR – Mike Davis – 7 rushes, 12 yards
NO – Alvin Kamara – 14 rushes, 83 yards
Top receivers
CAR – D. J. Moore – 4 receptions, 93 yards, 2 TD
NO – Marquez Callaway – 8 receptions, 75 yards :
The Saints meet the Panthers and Teddy Bridgewater in this game. Bridgewater accidentally fell into the Saints sideline, but he reunited with his old friend Drew Brees who did the quarterback sneak earlier. The Saints were still able to beat the Panthers by 3.

#### Week 8: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Saints | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
| Bears | 3 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: November 1
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 40 °F (4 °C)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 38-yard field goal, 8:13. Saints 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 55 yards, 6:47.
CHI – Cairo Santos 44-yard field goal, 1:13. Tied 3–3. Drive: 14 plays, 49 yards, 7:00.
Second quarter
CHI – Allen Robinson 24-yard pass from Nick Foles (Cairo Santos kick), 8:10. Bears 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 2:28.
CHI – Cairo Santos 29-yard field goal, 1:39. Bears 13–3. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 2:13.
NO – Jared Cook 16-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:03. Bears 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 68 yards, 1:36.
Third quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 27-yard field goal, 9:19. Tied 13–13. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:32.
NO – Wil Lutz 39-yard field goal, 5:04. Saints 16–13. Drive: 8 plays, 19 yards, 3:30.
Fourth quarter
NO – Taysom Hill 20-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:57. Saints 23–13. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 4:14.
CHI – Darnell Mooney 3-yard pass from Nick Foles (Cairo Santos kick), 3:32. Saints 23–20. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:25.
CHI – Cairo Santos 51-yard field goal, 0:13. Tied 23–23. Drive: 12 plays, 35 yards, 1:38.
Overtime
NO – Wil Lutz 35-yard field goal, 1:36. Saints 26–23. Drive: 7 plays, 52 yards, 2:12.
Top passers
NO – Drew Brees – 31/41, 280 yards, 2 TD
CHI – Nick Foles – 28/41, 272 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
NO – Alvin Kamara – 12 rushes, 67 yards
CHI – David Montgomery – 21 rushes, 89 yards
Top receivers
NO – Alvin Kamara – 9 receptions, 96 yards
CHI – Allen Robinson – 6 receptions, 87 yards, TD :
The Saints meet Chicago again in the regular season at Soldier Field. During the 3rd Quarter, a fight broke out between C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Javon Wims, resulting in flags on the play. This also resulted in Wims getting ejected from the game. Again, the Saints go into overtime and won with a 35-yard field goal, improving them to 5-2.

#### Week 9: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 14 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 38 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
* Date: November 8
* Game time: 8:20 p.m. EST/7:20 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 77 °F (25 °C)
* Game attendance: 15,740
* Referee: John Hussey
* TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth, Michele Tafoya and Terry McAulay
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Tre'Quan Smith 14-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:34. Saints 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 56 yards, 4:32.
NO – Adam Trautman 7-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:00. Saints 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 2:38.
Second quarter
NO – Emmanuel Sanders 12-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 11:44. Saints 21–0. Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 2:23.
NO – Alvin Kamara 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 8:45. Saints 28–0. Drive: 5 plays, 27 yards, 2:12.
NO – Wil Lutz 36-yard field goal, 1:49. Saints 31–0. Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:08.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
NO – Josh Hill 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:07. Saints 38–0. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 6:50.
TB – Ryan Succop 48-yard field goal, 5:52. Saints 38–3. Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:15.
Top passers
NO – Drew Brees – 26/32, 222 yards, 4 TD
TB – Tom Brady – 22/38, 209 yards, 3 INT
Top rushers
NO – Taysom Hill – 7 rushes, 54 yards
TB – Ronald Jones II – 3 rushes, 9 yards
Top receivers
NO – Michael Thomas – 5 receptions, 51 yards
TB – Mike Evans – 4 receptions, 64 yards :
The Saints visit Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The Saints scored touchdowns and field goals. This includes those turnovers notched by David Onyemata and Marcus Williams. The Saints beat their rivals by 35 points, marking the second straight season to sweep them in the NFC South division.

#### Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Saints | 0 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: November 15
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 5,979
* Referee: Brad Rogers
* TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Lindsay Czarniak
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
SF – Brandon Aiyuk 4-yard pass from Nick Mullens (Robbie Gould kick), 7:43. 49ers 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 7:17.
Second quarter
SF – Robbie Gould 32-yard field goal, 14:56. 49ers 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 4:44.
NO – Wil Lutz 49-yard field goal, 13:48. 49ers 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, -6 yards, 1:08.
NO – Alvin Kamara 2-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 6:48. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 2:33.
NO – Alvin Kamara 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 1:15. Saints 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 0:35.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 23-yard field goal, 12:15. Saints 20–10. Drive: 12 plays, 59 yards, 6:06.
NO – Alvin Kamara 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 7:29. Saints 27–10. Drive: 3 plays, 22 yards, 1:30.
SF – Robbie Gould 40-yard field goal, 5:54. Saints 27–13. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 1:35.
Top passers
SF – Nick Mullens – 24/38, 247 yards, TD, 2 INT
NO – Drew Brees – 8/13, 76 yards, TD
Top rushers
SF – Jerick McKinnon – 18 rushes, 33 yards
NO – Latavius Murray – 9 rushes, 57 yards
Top receivers
SF – Brandon Aiyuk – 7 receptions, 75 yards, TD
NO – Alvin Kamara – 7 receptions, 83 yards, TD :
Drew Brees suffered a collapsed lung and broken ribs. He would be out until Week 15 against the Chiefs. Despite Brees being injured and sidelined, the Saints held on with the win over the 49ers. It also marked their first victory over San Francisco since the 2016 season.

#### Week 11: vs. Atlanta Falcons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 3 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| Saints | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: November 22
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 6,000
* Referee: Brad Allen
* TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston and Pam Oliver
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Younghoe Koo 28-yard field goal, 11:21. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 3:39.
NO – Wil Lutz 22-yard field goal, 2:47. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 66 yards, 4:30.
Second quarter
ATL – Younghoe Koo 51-yard field goal, 13:56. Falcons 6–3. Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards, 3:51.
ATL – Younghoe Koo 52-yard field goal, 4:31. Falcons 9–3. Drive: 8 plays, 36 yards, 2:54.
NO – Alvin Kamara 3-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 1:46. Saints 10–9. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:45.
Third quarter
NO – Taysom Hill 2-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 9:11. Saints 17–9. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:49.
Fourth quarter
NO – Taysom Hill 10-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 12:41. Saints 24–9. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 4:00.
Top passers
ATL – Matt Ryan – 19/37, 232 yards, 2 INT
NO – Taysom Hill – 18/23, 233 yards
Top rushers
ATL – Todd Gurley – 8 rushes, 26 yards
NO – Taysom Hill – 10 rushes, 51 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
ATL – Calvin Ridley – 5 receptions, 90 yards
NO – Michael Thomas – 9 receptions, 104 yards :
Taysom Hill made his first start with Drew Brees sidelined with a rib injury. The Saints would defeat the Falcons by 15 points.

#### Week 12: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 0 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Empower Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
* Date: November 29
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/2:05 p.m. MST
* Game weather: Clear, 38 °F (3 °C)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Craig Wrolstad
* TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Lindsay Czarniak
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
NO – Taysom Hill 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 10:19. Saints 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 74 yards, 8:01.
NO – Taysom Hill 2-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 1:03. Saints 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 13 yards, 1:19.
NO – Wil Lutz 40-yard field goal, 0:00. Saints 17–0. Drive: 2 plays, 19 yards, 0:12.
Third quarter
DEN – Brandon McManus 58-yard field goal, 6:56. Saints 17–3. Drive: 4 plays, 1 yard, 2:07.
NO – Latavius Murray 36-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 2:14. Saints 24–3. Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 4:42.
Fourth quarter
NO – Latavius Murray 8-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 6:03. Saints 31–3. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 6:54.
Top passers
NO – Taysom Hill – 9/16, 78 yards, INT
DEN – Kendall Hinton – 1/9, 13 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
NO – Latavius Murray – 19 rushes, 124 yards, 2 TD
DEN – Royce Freeman – 8 rushes, 50 yards
Top receivers
NO – Michael Thomas – 4 receptions, 50 yards
DEN – Noah Fant – 1 reception, 13 yards :
This was an easy win due to the fact Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles were all ineligible to play following Jeff Driskel testing positive for COVID-19 less than 24 hours before the game, which meant the Broncos named practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton, who played QB at Wake Forest, as starting quarterback for the game. This was also the Saints' first victory over the Broncos since the 1994 season, which also marks their first road game win and Sean Payton's first win over Denver.

#### Week 13: at Atlanta Falcons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Falcons | 3 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: December 6
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 8,713
* Referee: Adrian Hill
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Shannon Spake
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Tre'Quan Smith 15-yard pass from Taysom Hill (Wil Lutz kick), 7:01. Saints 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 87 yards, 3:33.
ATL – Younghoe Koo 53-yard field goal, 3:55. Saints 7–3. Drive: 7 plays, 40 yards, 3:06.
Second quarter
ATL – Younghoe Koo 30-yard field goal, 4:51. Saints 7–6. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 2:49.
NO – Jared Cook 11-yard pass from Taysom Hill (Wil Lutz kick), 1:45. Saints 14–6. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:06.
ATL – Younghoe Koo 28-yard field goal, 0:00. Saints 14–9. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 1:45.
Third quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 11-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 9:01. Saints 21–9. Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 5:59.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Russell Gage 10-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Younghoe Koo kick), 7:43. Saints 21–16. Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 3:26.
Top passers
NO – Taysom Hill – 27/37, 232 yards, 2 TD
ATL – Matt Ryan – 19/39, 273 yards, TD
Top rushers
NO – Alvin Kamara – 15 rushes, 88 yards, TD
ATL – Ito Smith – 8 rushes, 36 yards
Top receivers
NO – Michael Thomas – 9 receptions, 105 yards
ATL – Calvin Ridley – 5 receptions, 108 yards :
Taysom Hill threw his first NFL touchdown pass in the first quarter on a 15-yard pass to receiver Tre'Quan Smith. In the end, Matt Ryan tried to throw a game-winning Hail Mary, but the Saints defense stepped up and made the ball drop to the ground. This marked their first sweep against Atlanta since the 2018 season.

#### Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Eagles | 0 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 13
* Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Clear, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 0
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston and Pam Oliver
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays.
Second quarter
PHI – Alshon Jeffery 15-yard pass from Jalen Hurts (Jake Elliott kick), 13:25. Eagles 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:33.
PHI – Jake Elliott 44-yard field goal, 6:05. Eagles 10–0. Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 0:52.
PHI – Miles Sanders 82-yard run (Jake Elliott kick), 1:35. Eagles 17–0. Drive: 4 plays, 96 yards, 0:38.
Third quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 5-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 7:55. Eagles 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 5:07.
NO – Emmanuel Sanders 37-yard pass from Taysom Hill (Wil Lutz kick), 1:40. Eagles 17-14. Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 1:23.
Fourth quarter
PHI – Miles Sanders 1-yard run (Jake Elliott kick), 6:22. Eagles 24–14. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 3:27.
NO – Jared Cook 20-yard pass from Taysom Hill (Wil Lutz kick), 1:24. Eagles 24-21. Drive: 3 plays, 51 yards, 0:18.
Top passers
NO – Taysom Hill – 28/38, 291 yards, 2 TD, INT
PHI – Jalen Hurts – 17/30, 167 yards, TD
Top rushers
NO – Alvin Kamara – 11 rushes, 50 yards, TD
PHI – Miles Sanders – 14 rushes, 115 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
NO – Michael Thomas – 8 receptions, 84 yards
PHI – Jalen Reagor – 2 receptions, 46 yards :
The Saints nine-game winning streak came to a halt. This also became the first time since the 2015 season to be defeated by the Eagles.

#### Week 15: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 32 |
| Saints | 0 | 9 | 6 | 14 | 29 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: December 20
* Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 3,000
* Referee: Scott Novak
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Gene Steratore
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
KC – Tyreek Hill 5-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 6:18. Chiefs 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:15.
Second quarter
KC – Travis Kelce 1-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 14:58. Chiefs 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 5:01.
NO – Taysom Hill 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 10:21. Chiefs 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 2:40.
NO – Demarcus Robinson fumble forced by Craig Robertson out of bounds in end zone for a Safety, 0:03. Chiefs 14–9.
Third quarter
NO – Latavius Murray 24-yard pass from Drew Brees (pass failed), 13:16. Saints 15–14. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:44.
KC – Mecole Hardman 5-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes (Harrison Butker kick), 8:23. Chiefs 21–15. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:53.
Fourth quarter
KC – Le'Veon Bell 12-yard run (Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce pass), 13:44. Chiefs 29–15. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 4:44.
NO – Alvin Kamara 14-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:43. Chiefs 29–22. Drive: 3 plays, 25 yards, 1:13.
KC – Harrison Butker 22-yard field goal, 4:18. Chiefs 32–22. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 5:25.
NO – Lil'Jordan Humphrey 17-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 2:06. Chiefs 32–29. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:12.
Top passers
KC – Patrick Mahomes – 26/47, 254 yards, 3 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 15/34, 234 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
KC – Clyde Edwards-Helaire – 14 rushes, 79 yards
NO – Alvin Kamara – 11 rushes, 54 yards
Top receivers
KC – Travis Kelce – 8 receptions, 68 yards, TD
NO – Emmanuel Sanders – 4 receptions, 76 yards :
With Brees making his return from injury, a late fourth-quarter rally was not enough as the Saints fell short to the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Patrick Mahomes' first career game in New Orleans and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Cameron Jordan became the first Saints player since Brodrick Bunkley (2012), Steve Gleason (2004), and Kyle Turley (2001) to be ejected from a game.

#### Week 16: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Christmas Day games
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 7 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 33 |
| Saints | 14 | 10 | 7 | 21 | 52 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: December 25
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 3,000
* Referee: Adrian Hill
* TV announcers (Fox/NFLN/Amazon Prime Video): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews, Kristina Pink and Mike Pereira
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 40-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 12:11. Saints 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:49.
MIN – Dalvin Cook 15-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 8:46. Tied 7–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:25.
NO – Alvin Kamara 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 5:20. Saints 14–7. Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:36.
Second quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 30-yard field goal, 14:12. Saints 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 84 yards, 4:36.
MIN – Mike Boone 4-yard run (Dan Bailey kick), 10:14. Saints 17–14. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:58.
NO – Alvin Kamara 5-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 0:38. Saints 24–14. Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 2:37.
Third quarter
MIN – Irv Smith Jr. 2-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (kick failed), 9:41. Saints 24–20. Drive: 3 plays, 18 yards, 1:12.
NO – Alvin Kamara 6-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 4:38. Saints 31–20. Drive: 10 plays, 47 yards, 5:03.
MIN – Irv Smith Jr. 4-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (Dan Bailey kick), 0:22. Saints 31–27. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:16.
Fourth quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 7-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 12:01. Saints 38–27. Drive: 7 plays, 67 yards, 3:21.
NO – Taysom Hill 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 4:00. Saints 45–27. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 6:22.
MIN – Adam Thielen 1-yard pass from Kirk Cousins (pass failed), 2:10. Saints 45–33. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:50.
NO – Alvin Kamara 3-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 1:50. Saints 52–33. Drive: 3 plays, 48 yards, 0:20.
Top passers
MIN – Kirk Cousins – 27/41, 291 yards, 3 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 19/26, 311 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
MIN – Dalvin Cook – 15 rushes, 73 yards, TD
NO – Alvin Kamara – 22 rushes, 155 yards, 6 TD
Top receivers
MIN – Adam Thielen – 8 receptions, 97 yards, TD
NO – Emmanuel Sanders – 4 receptions, 83 yards :
The Saints clinched their fourth consecutive division title as Alvin Kamara rushed for six touchdowns, tying a 91-year-old NFL record set by Hall of fame fullback Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals.

#### Week 17: at Carolina Panthers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 33 |
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: January 3, 2021
* Game time: 4:25 p.m. EST/3:25 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 57 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 1,500
* Referee: John Hussey
* TV announcers (Fox): Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth and Lindsay Czarniak
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Jared Cook 18-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:04. Saints 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 4:24.
CAR – Rodney Smith 1-yard run (Joey Slye kick), 1:40. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards, 4:10.
Second quarter
NO – Emmanuel Sanders 8-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick failed), 8:12. Saints 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:25.
NO – Wil Lutz 33-yard field goal, 0:00. Saints 16–7. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 2:47.
Third quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 48-yard field goal, 11:49. Saints 19–7. Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 3:11.
NO – Taysom Hill 3-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 4:56. Saints 26–7. Drive: 3 plays, 24 yards, 1:06.
Fourth quarter
NO – Austin Carr 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 14:55. Saints 33–7. Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 4:27.
Top passers
NO – Drew Brees – 22/32, 201 yards, 3 TD
CAR – Teddy Bridgewater – 13/23, 176 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
NO – Ty Montgomery – 18 rushes, 105 yards
CAR – Rodney Smith – 10 rushes, 40 yards, TD
Top receivers
NO – Emmanuel Sanders – 9 receptions, 63 yards, TD
CAR – Curtis Samuel – 7 receptions, 118 yards :
The Saints, not only beat the Panthers again, but they also became the first team in the NFC South to sweep their division rivals.
Clay Martin was originally going to officiate this game, but he was hospitalized for COVID-19. Adrian Hill was also unable to officiate this game because he had another game to be in. John Hussey became the referee for this game.

### Standings
#### Division

NFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(2)}$ New Orleans Saints | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–0 | 10–2 | 482 | 337 | W2 |
| $^{(5)}$ Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 492 | 355 | W4 |
| Carolina Panthers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 350 | 402 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | 396 | 414 | L5 |

#### Conference

NFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division leaders ||||||||||||
| 1 | Green Bay Packers | North | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .428 | .387 | W6 |
| 2 | New Orleans Saints | South | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 6–0 | 10–2 | .459 | .406 | W2 |
| 3 | Seattle Seahawks | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .447 | .404 | W4 |
| 4 | Washington Football Team | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .459 | .388 | W1 |
| Wild cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .488 | .392 | W4 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 9–3 | .494 | .484 | W1 |
| 7 | Chicago Bears | North | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .488 | .336 | L1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 8 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .475 | .441 | L2 |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .504 | .366 | W1 |
| 10 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–3 | 4–8 | .549 | .448 | L1 |
| 11 | New York Giants | East | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4–2 | 5–7 | .502 | .427 | W1 |
| 12 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .471 | .333 | L1 |
| 13 | Carolina Panthers | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .531 | .388 | L1 |
| 14 | Detroit Lions | North | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .508 | .350 | L4 |
| 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .537 | .469 | L3 |
| 16 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .551 | .391 | L5 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 New Orleans finished ahead of Seattle based on conference record. 1 2 Chicago finished and clinched the 7th and final playoff spot ahead of Arizona based on better win percentage in common games (against Detroit, the NY Giants, Carolina, and the LA Rams, Chicago finished 3–2, while Arizona finished 1–4). 1 2 San Francisco finished ahead of the NY Giants based on head-to-head victory. Division tie break was initially used to eliminate Dallas (see below). 1 2 NY Giants won tiebreaker over Dallas based on division record. 1 2 Carolina finished ahead of Detroit based on head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division. ||||||||||||

## Postseason
### Schedule

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| Wild Card | January 10, 2021 | Chicago Bears (7) | W 21–9 | 1–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| Divisional | January 17, 2021 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5) | L 20–30 | 1–1 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |

### Game summaries
#### NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (7) Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Saints | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: January 10, 2021
* Game time: 3:40 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 3,000
* Referee: Alex Kemp
* TV announcers (CBS/Nickelodeon): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely; Noah Eagle, Nate Burleson, Gabrielle Nevaeh Green and Lex Lumpkin (Nickelodeon feed)
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
Michael Thomas 11–yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 5:09. Saints 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 4:17.
Second quarter
Cairo Santos 36–yard field goal, 8:06. Saints 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 6 yards, 3:24.
Third quarter
Latavius Murray 6–yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 4:08. Saints 14–3. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 7:29.
Fourth quarter
Alvin Kamara 3–yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 8:50. Saints 21–3. Drive: 15 plays, 64 yards, 8:51
Jimmy Graham 19–yard pass from Mitchell Trubisky, 0:00. Saints 21–9. Drive: 11 plays, 99 yards, 2:19.
Top passers
CHI – Mitchell Trubisky – 19/29, 199 yards, TD
NO – Drew Brees – 28/39, 265 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
CHI – David Montgomery – 12 rushes, 31 yards
NO – Alvin Kamara – 23 rushes, 99 yards, TD
Top receivers
CHI – Allen Robinson – 6 receptions, 55 yards
NO – Deonte Harris – 7 receptions, 83 yards :
For the first time since the 2006 season, the Saints meet the Bears in the playoffs. It also marked their first victory against Chicago in the playoffs, with the Bears having won the 1990 Wild Card game and the 2006 NFC Championship. It was primarily due to the Saints dominating on both sides of the ball for all four quarters. During a 4th down play, Alex Kemp got confused by misreading Cordarrelle Patterson's uniform number, making Patterson curse on the microphone. Anthony Miller threw a punch at Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, resulting in both players getting offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, thus an ejection for Miller. This was not only aired on CBS, it was also the first game to be aired on Nickelodeon.

#### NFC Divisional Playoffs: vs. (5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
| Saints | 6 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 20 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: January 17, 2021
* Game time: 5:40 p.m. CST
* Game weather: None (indoor stadium)
* Game attendance: 3,750
* Referee: Shawn Hochuli
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Game Book
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 23–yard field goal, 11:30. Saints 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 1:48.
NO – Wil Lutz 42–yard field goal, 4:39. Saints 6–0. Drive: 12 plays, 46 yards, 5:07.
Second quarter
TB – Ryan Succop 26–yard field goal, 12:57. Saints 6–3. Drive: 15 plays, 67 yards, 6:42.
TB – Mike Evans 3–yard pass from Tom Brady (Ryan Succop kick), 11:16. Buccaneers 10–6. Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:04.
NO – Tre'Quan Smith 56–yard pass from Jameis Winston (Wil Lutz kick), 8:08. Saints 13–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:08.
TB – Ryan Succop 37–yard field goal, 0:00. Tied 13–13. Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 2:28.
Third quarter
NO – Tre'Quan Smith 16–yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:43. Saints 20–13. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:17.
TB – Leonard Fournette 6–yard pass from Tom Brady (Ryan Succop kick), 2:22. Tied 20–20. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:08.
Fourth quarter
TB – Ryan Succop 36–yard field goal, 9:52. Buccaneers 23–20. Drive: 11 plays, 61 yards, 5:52.
TB – Tom Brady 1–yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 4:57. Buccaneers 30–20. Drive: 4 plays, 20 yards, 2:11.
Top passers
TB – Tom Brady – 18/33, 199 yards, 2 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 19/34, 134 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
TB – Leonard Fournette – 17 rushes, 63 yards
NO – Alvin Kamara – 18 rushes, 85 yards
Top receivers
TB – Cameron Brate – 4 receptions, 50 yards
NO – Tre'Quan Smith – 3 receptions, 85 yards, 2 TD :
Even though the Saints swept them in the regular season, they would meet the Buccaneers in the playoffs. This was Drew Brees' last game and the Saints would lose to Tom Brady. Jared Cook would fumble at the goal line after catching a pass. In this game, Alvin Kamara lined up at quarterback, flipped it to Emmanuel Sanders, and then to Jameis Winston, who threw a 56-yard touchdown which was paused due to an accidental flag thrown by the officials, which referee Shawn Hochuli acknowledged that James Hurst checked in as eligible and lined up at the end of the line of scrimmage, thus calling back the flag to reward the Saints a score.