History of the New Orleans Saints This article is about the history of the New Orleans Saints NFL football team . 1960s . The city of New Orleans , Louisiana , was awarded an NFL franchise on November 1 , 1966 . In December John W . Mecom , Jr . became the majority shareholder and thus president of the team ; later that month Tom Fears was named head coach . In December the team was named " Saints " due to its birthday on the Roman Catholic Church ' s All Saints Day - - a fitting nickname for a team in the largely Catholic New Orleans area . The team ' s original stadium was Tulane Stadium , which could seat more than 80 , 000 fans . The team was placed in the Capitol Division of the NFL ' s Eastern Conference ; their division foes were the Dallas Cowboys , Philadelphia Eagles , and Washington Redskins The team started off well , with a 5 - 1 pre - season record ; then , on the first play of the regular season , wide receiver John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown . However , this was not enough for the Saints and they lost their regular season opener to the Los Angeles Rams 27 - 13 . Their first win came on November 5 as they defeated the Eagles 31 - 24 . That would be one of the Saints ' only triumphs in their inaugural campaign ; they ended the season 3 - 11 , the second - worst mark in the league and three - and - a - half games behind Washington in the divisional race . At the time , however , the Saints ' 3 wins tied for the most ever for an expansion team ' s inaugural season . Their next few seasons continued along similar lines . They improved slightly in 1968 , putting up a 4 - 9 - 1 record as they competed in the Century Division against the Cleveland Browns , St . Louis Cardinals , and Pittsburgh Steelers ; in 1969 they returned to the Capitol Division ( featuring the same opponents as 1967 ) and managed to go 5 - 9 . 1970 - 74 . The 1970 season saw yet another realignment for the Saints due to the AFL - NFL merger . The Saints were placed in the NFC West , where they would remain through the 2001 NFL season . Their original NFC West competitors — the Atlanta Falcons , the Los Angeles ( and later , St . Louis ) Rams , and the San Francisco 49ers — would also remain in the division through 2001 ( with the Carolina Panthers joining in the 1995 NFL season ) , leading to the development of long standing rivalries . The season started off poorly for the Saints . After going 1 - 5 - 1 in the first seven games , Fears was fired and replaced by J . D . Roberts on November 3 . In Roberts ' s first game as coach , New Orleans trailed the Detroit Lions 17 - 16 with time winding down , but Tom Dempsey kicked an NFL - record 63 - yard field goal to win the game . Dempsey ' s achievement is made all the more remarkable by the fact that he was born without toes on his right foot ( which he kicked with ) . This Saints victory , however , would be the last for the season ; they lost their next 6 games to finish 2 - 11 - 1 , the worst record in the young history of the franchise . In the 1971 NFL Draft , the Saints owned the second overall pick behind the Boston Patriots . Deciding that a franchise quarterback was necessary , they selected Archie Manning from Ole Miss . In the season opener , Manning did not disappoint ; he passed for 218 yards and a touchdown and ran in another touchdown on the final play to give the Saints a 24 - 20 win over the Rams . Four weeks later , Manning engineered a 24 - 14 upset of the Dallas Cowboys , the same team who would return to Tulane Stadium three months later and win Super Bowl VI over the Miami Dolphins . Throughout the season Manning split the quarterbacking duties with veteran Edd Hargett . Manning ended the season with six passing touchdowns and four rushing touchdowns ; he did well enough to become the team ' s undisputed starter the next season . Despite the promise Manning showed , the Saints ' s misfortunes continued as they finished 4 - 8 - 2 . In 1972 the Saints started 0 - 5 and finished 2 - 11 - 1 . During the 1973 preseason , the Saints fired Roberts and hired John North , who led the Saints to consecutive 5 - 9 seasons in 1973 and 1974 . 1975 - 79 . In 1975 the Saints moved from Tulane Stadium into the Louisiana Superdome . Despite the new home , they went just 2 - 12 ; North was fired after six games and Ernie Hefferle was named interim head coach for the final eight games of the season . For the 1976 season , Hank Stram was hired as head coach ; he came with a proven track record ( three AFL titles , one Super Bowl win ) from his years with the Kansas City Chiefs ( formerly the Dallas Texans ) . However , his talents proved ineffective in his first season as the Saints went 4 - 10 ; Manning sat out the entire season after undergoing elbow surgery just after Stram ' s hiring , forcing the quarterback duties to be split by backup Bobby Scott and Chicago Bears castoff Bobby Douglass . 1977 was not much better as the Saints went 3 - 11 , including a humiliating 33 - 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 11 , the Bucs ' first victory in the NFL after 26 consecutive losses . In 1978 Stram was replaced by Dick Nolan . The season saw an improvement in the Saints ' fortunes ; Manning had the best season of his career up to that point , passing for 3 , 416 yards and 17 touchdowns . He was named to the NFC Pro Bowl squad for the first time and was also named the NFC ' s Most Valuable Player by The Sporting News and UPI . The Saints put together a record of 7 - 9 , their best ever mark . The Saints might have made the playoffs if not had been for a pair of losses to the hated Atlanta Falcons where the Falcons used the " Big Ben " play to score the winning touchdown in the final seconds of each contest , as well as a last - minute loss to the eventual World Champion Pittsburgh Steelers . In 1979 the Saints built on the success of the previous year . After an 0 - 3 start ( including a 40 - 34 overtime loss to the Falcons on opening day ) , the Saints won five of their next six games to take sole possession of the NFC West lead after nine games . The Saints were 7 - 6 heading into a Monday night game with the Oakland Raiders ; their rivals for the NFC West title , the Rams , were 8 - 6 . The Saints jumped out to a 35 - 14 lead and seemed certain to gain a share of first place with their win . But the Saints blew the lead and lost 42 - 35 . The next week they were blown out 35 - 0 at the Superdome by the San Diego Chargers , ending their playoff hopes . The Saints , however , did manage to beat the Super Bowl - bound Rams ( playing their last game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ) in the final game of the regular season . This gave them an 8 - 8 record , the first non - losing season in team history . 1980 - 1985 . In 1980 , the Saints had high hopes after their two relatively successful seasons . Instead , the bottom fell out , where despite a strong offense , their defense was almost nonexistent . The team started 0 - 12 and Dick Nolan was fired ; he was replaced by Dick Stanfel , who lost two games ( including one in San Francisco where the Saints blew a sizable lead ) , they managed to win against the New York Jets , who finished with the league ' s second worst record at 4 - 12 , by a point . This game was also noteworthy for an episode where Archie Manning was signing autographs after the game . A boy ran up to him and stole his ( unfastened ) necktie , after which he was fined for violating the NFL ' s dress code . The Saints then lost their last game of the season to the New England Patriots to finish 1 - 15 , the worst mark in team history and ( at the time ) the worst for a 16 - game schedule , since eclipsed by the 2008 Detroit Lions ( 0 - 16 ) . A local journalist and radio / TV personality , Buddy Diliberto , wore a paper grocery bag over his head to promote the brown bag special of Sonic , the Saint ' s sponsor at the time . Many fans took to wearing bags over their heads when attending games . The moniker " Aint s " was also born due to the ineptitude of the 1980 Saints . In 1981 , ex - Oilers coach Bum Phillips was put in charge . The dismal 1980 season meant that the Saints would get the first pick in the 1981 NFL Draft . They selected Heisman - winning running back George Rogers out of South Carolina . Rogers was the team ' s workhorse , playing in all but one game and averaging more than 25 carries a game . He ran for a total of 1 , 674 yards , making him the NFL rushing champion . However , his fine performances were not enough to make the Saints a winning club . They finished the season 4 - 12 , but two of those wins came over the Rams , New Orleans ' first regular - season sweep of the Rams since the two teams were placed in the NFC West by the AFL - NFL merger in 1970 . In 1982 the Saints signed former Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers quarterback Ken Stabler and traded Archie Manning to the Oilers . Two games into the season the Saints were 1 - 1 , but a strike by the players led to the cancellation of seven games . When the season resumed , the Saints won two games in a row to take their record to 3 - 1 , but they lost four games in a row before winning their last game . They finished 4 - 5 , but missed out on qualifying for the playoffs ( expanded to 16 teams due to the strike ) on a tiebreaker . 1983 saw the Saints improve on the previous season once again . They hovered at or above . 500 for most of the season , but lost a golden opportunity to stay one step ahead in the playoff race by giving up 17 points in the fourth quarter of a 31 - 28 loss to the New York Jets on " Monday Night Football " . Their playoff hopes came down to the final game of the season , when they hosted the Rams . Los Angeles scored two touchdowns on interception returns and another on a punt return , and Mike Lansford kicked a 42 - yard field goal with six seconds remaining to give the Rams the victory and a playoff berth and end the Saints ' season . The Saints finished 8 - 8 , tying their previous best season record . Eight weeks after the conclusion of the 1983 season , the Saints traded their number one pick in the 1984 NFL Draft to the New York Jets for quarterback Richard Todd , who had worn out his welcome in the Big Apple by throwing too many interceptions and was being phased out in favor of rookie Ken O ' Brien . During the 1984 season , New Orleans traded for former Heisman Trophy winner and future Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Earl Campbell , who won the NFL rushing championship in each of his first three seasons with the Houston Oilers , when Bum Phillips coached the club . The Saints won for the first time on " Monday Night Football " by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Superdome , but a three - game losing streak late in the season dropped the Saints to 7 - 9 . The biggest news of the 1984 season was that John Mecom , the owner of the team for almost 20 years , was putting them up for sale . Speculation was rife that a new owner might move the Saints out of New Orleans , namely Jacksonville , Florida . But on May 31 , 1985 , negotiations were finalized to sell the team to Tom Benson , a native New Orleanian who owned numerous car dealerships throughout the New Orleans area . The team ' s future in New Orleans was safe for the time being . In 1985 the Saints started off 3 - 2 but then lost six games in a row . Bum Phillips resigned twelve games into the season , and his son Wade Phillips , the Saints ' defensive coordinator , was named interim coach . The Saints ended the season 5 - 11 . A bright spot of the campaign was the emergence of Louisiana native Bobby Hebert at quarterback , who led the Saints to victories over the Vikings and Rams late in the season . Hebert previously spent three seasons in the United States Football League with the Michigan Panthers and Oakland Invaders , leading the Panthers to the first USFL championship in 1983 . Jim Mora era : 1986 - 1996 . Before the 1986 season Benson put his stamp on the team by making two important hires : first , he named Jim Finks president and general manager ; then , he named Jim Mora head coach . The Saints ' offense struggled throughout the year after Hebert went down with a knee injury in the third game of the season , but behind a revitalized defense and NFC Rookie of the Year Rueben Mayes , New Orleans improved to 7 - 9 . The 1987 Saints started 1 - 1 ; then , another player strike . This time , however , replacement players were used until the regular players ended their strike . As a result , the season was only one game shorter than usual . The Saints went 2 - 1 with replacement players as they were led by their quarterback , New Orleans native John Fourcade . When the regular players returned , their first game was against the San Francisco 49ers . The Saints lost 24 - 22 , but that would be the last time they would taste defeat that year . They ran off a nine - game winning streak to close out the season - - a remarkable feat considering that the Saints had never before won nine games in a season , let alone nine games in a row . The loss against San Francisco , however , would keep the Saints from being NFC West Champions ; instead , the Saints finished 12 - 3 , behind the 13 - 2 49ers , and had to settle for a wild - card spot in the playoffs despite having a better record than either of the other division champions that year . The Saints hosted the Minnesota Vikings on January 3 , 1988 ; after twenty years , the Saints would finally take part in the NFL playoffs . The game started well for the Saints as they took a 7 - 0 lead , but Minnesota answered by taking a 31 - 10 lead into the half . The Vikings added 13 more points in the 2nd half to make the final score 44 - 10 . Despite the loss , the Saints were recognized for their accomplishments ; six players were selected for the Pro Bowl and Mora and Finks were named NFL Coach and Executive of the Year , respectively . The 1988 Saints looked to return to the playoffs . After starting the season with a loss to their nemesis , the 49ers , the Saints bounced back with a seven - game win streak . After the streak , though , the Saints lost five of their next seven games . They won their last game of the season ( against Atlanta ) , but they missed out on the playoffs due to tiebreakers . The 1989 Saints managed to finish 9 - 7 , but thanks to other strong performances in the NFC they missed the playoffs by two games . In 1990 the Saints started off poorly , going 2 - 5 in their first seven games . However , they turned their season around and close wins in their final two games of the season were enough to give them an 8 - 8 record and a playoff berth in the newly expanded NFL playoffs , which now included six teams from each conference . They traveled to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears , but lost 16 - 6 . In 1991 the Saints started with a seven - game win streak , opening up a four - game lead over the rest of the division . But then the Saints lost five of their next seven games , giving Atlanta and San Francisco a shot at claiming the division title . However , the Saints regrouped in the final two games of the season , and they finished 11 - 5 as the Falcons and 49ers finished 10 - 6 to give the Saints their first - ever division title . The Saints ' first - round playoff game would be at the Superdome against Atlanta . The Falcons came from behind to defeat the Saints 27 - 20 . In 1992 the Saints attempted to defend their division title , but their hated rivals the 49ers swept the season series and finished 14 - 2 to the Saints ' 12 - 4 , meaning that the Saints would once again have to settle for a wild card berth to the NFC playoffs . They hosted the Philadelphia Eagles but once again could not put their home field advantage to good use , losing 36 - 20 for their fourth playoff loss in as many games . The 1993 season would see the Saints start their decline from regular playoff contender to league doormat once again . They started off 5 - 0 but lost eight of their last eleven games to finish 8 - 8 , one game out of the playoffs . After seven straight years without a losing record , the team returned to the losing ways of the pre - Mora era in 1994 . The Saints started 4 - 8 on their way to a 7 - 9 record . In 1995 the Saints again finished 7 - 9 in the NFC West , which was newly expanded to include the Carolina Panthers . Due to tiebreakers , the Saints had the disgrace of finishing in last place in the division behind even the expansion team . In 1996 , after the Saints started 2 - 6 , Mora resigned after more than ten years with the franchise . He finished his Saints tenure with 93 wins and 78 losses , making him far and away the most successful Saints coach ever - - in fact , the only one ( up to then ) ever to have a winning record during his Saints tenure . Rick Venturi was named interim head coach , but he had even less success than Mora did that season , going 1 - 7 to bring the Saints ' final record to 3 - 13 , their worst record since 1980 . The Ditka era : 1997 - 99 . Before the 1997 season Tom Benson named legendary Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka as the Saints coach , leading to optimism that he would be able to win a Super Bowl with the Saints as he had done with the Bears . However , the Ditka era would be a tumultuous time for the organization . In 1997 Ditka led the team to a 6 - 10 record , a three - game improvement from the previous season ; the team was marked by strong defense ( anchored by defensive end Joe Johnson , middle linebacker Winfred Tubbs , and veteran cornerback Eric Allen , among others ) and inconsistent offense . The 1998 season was even more chaotic . Starting quarterback Billy Joe Hobert was lost for the year in the season - opening win against the St . Louis Rams . Later in the season , the team claimed quarterback Kerry Collins off the waiver wire ; Collins had been released by the Carolina Panthers earlier in the season after he informed the team his heart wasn ' t in the game anymore . Collins was inconsistent as a starter , including a 31 - 17 loss to a previously winless Panthers team , but he was also at the helm for a 22 - 3 upset of the Dallas Cowboys , the high point of the season , before being benched against the Buffalo Bills in week 17 . His lackluster performance , coupled with a highly publicized DUI arrest , led Ditka to state that the team would not seek to re - sign Collins . The Saints finished 6 - 10 once again . In the months before the 1999 NFL Draft , Ditka became enamored with Texas running back Ricky Williams , the Heisman Trophy winner who ' d set an NCAA record for career rushing yards with the Longhorns . Ditka ' s remarks that he ' d " trade his entire draft " for the standout runner were well - publicized ; holding the # 13 overall pick , the Saints would need to trade up to have a chance at selecting Williams . They got their chance to do so when the Indianapolis Colts selected Miami running back Edgerrin James with the # 4 overall pick . The Saints orchestrated a three - way trade with the Washington Redskins and the Chicago Bears that involved the Saints ' taking Washington ' s # 5 overall pick — and , therefore , Williams — in exchange for all the Saints ' remaining 1999 draft picks " and " their first - and third - rounders in 2000 . The trade drew mixed reactions from Saints fans . In the days after the draft , Ditka boldly predicted that the Saints would go to the Super Bowl . Fan opinion began to solidify against Ditka when it became clear that his prediction would not come true . The Saints ' 1999 season was marked by yet more inconsistency at quarterback , a porous defense , and a hobbled Williams , who struggled with a high ankle sprain and an elbow injury in his rookie year . The Saints finished 3 - 13 . Owner Tom Benson had had enough ; soon after the season ended , he fired Ditka , the entire coaching staff , and general manager Bill Kuharich . The Ditka era in New Orleans saw seven different starters at quarterback in three seasons ( Heath Shuler , Danny Wuerffel , Doug Nussmeier , Billy Joe Hobert , Billy Joe Tolliver , Kerry Collins , and Jake Delhomme ) and a defense which went from top - ten to near the bottom of the league in nearly every statistical category . 2000 - present . To replace Ditka and Kuharich , Benson settled on Randy Mueller , formerly of the Seattle Seahawks , as general manager , and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator Jim Haslett as head coach . Mueller shook up the roster , bringing in a squad of fresh talent via free agency : wide receivers Jake Reed and Joe Horn , quarterback Jeff Blake , tight end Andrew Glover , defensive tackle Norman Hand , cornerback Fred Thomas , safety Chris Oldham , and linebacker Darrin Smith , among others . Lacking their top draft pick because of the Williams trade ( a pick the Redskins would use to draft linebacker LaVar Arrington ) , New Orleans selected defensive end Darren Howard early in the second round . Inspired by Terrell Davis and the Denver Broncos offense , new offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy implemented a form of the West Coast Offense with Ricky Williams as the focal point : a run - first attack designed to open up passing lanes and create opportunities for the occasional deep ball . After a sputtering 1 - 3 start , the Saints found their groove , winning six straight games behind Williams and an opportunistic defense . The season marked the surprising emergence of Joe Horn , who ' d previously been a backup receiver with the Kansas City Chiefs but was flourishing as Blake ' s main target . Adversity struck , however , with injuries in consecutive games to Williams , and Blake , forcing the team to rely on backups at both positions for the remainder of the season . Blake ' s injury presented an opportunity for quarterback Aaron Brooks , who led the team to two critical road wins : an upset over the defending - champion St . Louis Rams and a late comeback against the San Francisco 49ers , keeping the Saints atop the NFC West . A Week 16 victory over the Atlanta Falcons , coupled with a St . Louis loss the following night , gave the Saints a 10 - 5 record , a playoff berth , and their first division title since 1991 . In the regular season finale the Saints lost to the Rams , setting up a rematch between the two teams in the wild - card playoff round . Though they lost Horn to an injury early in the game , the Saints managed to surge ahead to a 31 - 7 lead early in the fourth quarter behind three touchdowns from Brooks to backup wide receiver Willie Jackson . A late comeback by the Rams was halted in dramatic fashion when St . Louis wide receiver Az - Zahir Hakim fumbled a punt late in the game . Saints fullback Brian Milne fell on the ball and the Saints were able to run out the clock to secure their first - ever playoff win . The final score was 31 - 28 . The return of Ricky Williams the next week could not prevent the injury - hobbled Saints from losing to the Minnesota Vikings . Despite the loss , the 2000 season was viewed as an overwhelming success by the fans and the media . Haslett and Mueller were recognized by the league as Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year , respectively . Five Saints were selected to the Pro Bowl : Horn , left tackle Willie Roaf , defensive linemen Joe Johnson and La ' Roi Glover , and linebacker Keith Mitchell . Horn set a franchise record with 1 , 340 receiving yards and emerged as a playmaker and tenacious possession receiver . Despite his injury , Williams rushed for 1 , 000 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games . The seasons following 2000 have failed to meet the raised expectations of fans and media . The 2001 season established a trend of team inconsistency from week to week : though the Saints engineered a stirring comeback from several touchdowns down to beat the Rams on the road , they also collapsed at the end of the season , losing their last four games by embarrassing margins to finish 7 - 9 . The season was notable for the curious behavior of Albert Connell , a wide receiver acquired in the offseason and intended to be the long - term starter opposite Joe Horn . Connell was accused of , and subsequently admitted to , stealing over $ 4 , 000 from teammate Deuce McAllister , though he claimed the theft was just a prank . Connell caught only 12 passes in 11 games with the Saints ; the team suspended him for the last four games of the season and later terminated his contract . In the offseason , the Saints — having drafted running back Deuce McAllister in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft — traded starter Ricky Williams to the Miami Dolphins . The trade ended up giving the Saints two first - round picks . 2002 . The 2002 season started with promise but finished in familiar fashion . The Saints began the year with impressive wins over three 2001 playoff teams — an overtime win over new division rival Tampa Bay , a 15 - point trouncing of Green Bay , and a come - from - behind win over Chicago on the road . But the season would include a loss to bottom - dweller Detroit , as well as another late - season collapse that included three straight losses to Minnesota , Cincinnati , and Carolina , when a victory in any one of these three games would have all but guaranteed a playoff berth . The Saints , after starting 6 - 1 , would finish at 9 - 7 and would miss the playoffs once again . Haslett and the coaching staff drew criticism for not benching starter Aaron Brooks in any of the season ' s final games . Brooks had been hobbled by a shoulder injury , and though both he and Haslett insisted the injury would not affect his play , the quarterback ' s performance suggested otherwise . Over the last six games of the season , Brooks completed only 47 % of his passes , throwing for six touchdowns and five interceptions and losing six fumbles . His passer rating over those six games was 66 . 7 , far less than his 80 . 1 rating over the entire season . Backing up Brooks in 2002 was fan - favorite Jake Delhomme , who ' d played at nearby UL - Lafayette and had come off the bench to cement a victory over Tampa Bay several weeks earlier . Brooks ' poor performance late in the 2002 season prompted fans to chant " We Want Jake ! " at games , but Haslett ignored these chants . In the offseason Delhomme signed with Carolina , in part because he ' d be able to compete for the starting job . Delhomme would lead the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII in his first season with the Panthers , further rubbing salt in the wounds of Saints fans . 2003 . The 2003 season started off poorly for the Saints , going 1 - 4 in their first five games , including a 55 - 21 blowout loss at home against the Indianapolis Colts as Colts quarterback and New Orleans native Peyton Manning threw six touchdown passes to hand the Saints a humiliating loss on national television . The Saints , however , would rebound somewhat from their poor start and finish the season 8 - 8 . McAllister ran for a career - high 1 , 641 yards . 2004 . The 2004 season saw the Saints struggle out of the gate . They compiled a 4 - 8 record in their first twelve games and Haslett ' s job appeared to be in jeopardy . Then the Saints put together three straight wins ( two of them on the road ) to give them a shot at an 8 - 8 record and a playoff berth . The Saints faced Carolina ( also 7 - 8 ) in Week 17 . The Saints would need to beat the Panthers ; they would also need one of two things to happen : a St . Louis tie or loss ; or a Seattle win or tie and a Minnesota win or tie . The New Orleans , St . Louis , and Minnesota games were all played at 1 p . m . EST that Sunday of Week 17 . The Saints defeated the Panthers 21 - 18 but Minnesota lost to Washington ( by a 21 - 18 score , oddly enough ) , meaning that the Saints ' playoff chances came down to the game between the Rams and the Jets . The game went to overtime with the score tied at 29 . The teams battled back and forth for most of the overtime period . The crucial moment occurred when Jets kicker Doug Brien ( formerly of the Saints ) missed a 53 - yard field goal . The Rams capitalized on the good field position and kicked a field goal of their own to win with just a little over 3 minutes left in overtime , sending the Saints out of the playoffs on the tiebreaker scenarios . Though the Saints had beaten the Rams earlier in the season , their loss to the Vikings and the fact that the Rams did not play the Vikings that season meant that the tiebreaker had to go to best conference record , where the Rams finished ahead of the Saints and Vikings to claim one of the NFC ' s wild card spots . The Vikings then got the final wild card spot thanks to their win over the Saints . While the season finished in heartbreaking fashion , many thought that Haslett would have been fired if not for his team ' s four game win streak to end the season . 2005 . Going into the 2005 season the Saints were optimistic that they could build on their good results at the end of 2004 . But when Hurricane Katrina struck , the Saints were thrown into chaos with the rest of their city . The Saints relocated their headquarters to San Antonio , Texas . The Saints managed to provide an emotional lift for their hometown when they defeated the Panthers 23 - 20 in Week 1 . The NFL decreed that the Saints ' first home game would be played in Giants Stadium , adding insult to injury as the Saints were forced to play a " home " game in front of a hostile crowd . Due to a Jets game scheduled for Giants Stadium that Sunday , the Saints played in a unique Monday Night Football doubleheader , with the game starting at 7 : 30 EDT on ABC before the regularly scheduled game , with the Saints and Giants moving to ESPN ( except in New Orleans and New York ) when the second game started . The Saints struggled and lost 27 - 10 , feeling aggrieved at the situation . The rest of the Saints home games would be played either in San Antonio ' s Alamodome or Baton Rouge ' s Tiger Stadium . The Saints lost to Minnesota in Week 3 but won in the Alamodome the next week over Buffalo to bring their record 2 - 2 . They then proceeded to be blown out 52 - 3 in Green Bay by a team which came into the game 0 - 4 . The Green Bay loss was even worse for the Saints due to the season - ending injury suffered by star RB Deuce McAllister . The Saints would eventually finish the season with a 3 - 13 record ; the last few games of the season saw quarterback Aaron Brooks being benched ( and later traded to the Oakland Raiders ) , playing time for backup quarterback Todd Bouman and even third - stringer Adrian McPherson and , eventually , the season ended with head coach Jim Haslett losing his job . 2006 . The 2006 Saints orchestrated one of the more remarkable turnarounds in NFL history , as they were the first team to go from 3 - 13 to a conference title game the next season . First year coach Sean Payton , who came from Dallas as a Bill Parcells pupil , was hired for a daunting task at hand . In his first move as coach , he released almost half of the roster , most notably inconsistent QB Aaron Brooks . The Saints were aggressive in free agency , signing former San Diego Chargers QB Drew Brees , who was coming off of orthopedic surgery . Brees nearly played for the Miami Dolphins , but the team ' s doctors doubted whether Drew ' s arm could recover in time for the season . The Saints gambled on Drew ' s ability to recover in time for the season and signed him to a major long term contract . Then came April , and the 2006 NFL Draft . On the eve before the draft on April 29th , news broke that the Houston Texans could not reach an agreement with Reggie Bush and instead reached a deal with Mario Williams as the # 1 pick . When the team found out that Reggie would be available , they selected the USC running back with their # 2 pick . In that draft the Saints also picked a player who would become a standout from the 7th round : Marques Colston from Hofstra as the 252nd pick . When preseason got underway the Saints started out strong in a victory over the Tennessee Titans , which featured a dazzling run by Reggie Bush where he reversed his direction for a big run . That was the only highlight for the Saints preseason as they finished just 1 - 3 , losing their next 3 preseason games . The season officially began for the Saints with a road win against the Cleveland Browns , with Bush accounting for 129 yards from scrimmage , while Marques Colston caught a TD pass from Brees . The next week the Saints went to Green Bay , where the Saints lost 52 - 3 the previous year , to face the Packers . The start of the game looked bleak for the Saints as they quickly went down 13 - 0 , but Drew Brees led a comeback , throwing for 353 yards and two TDs as the Saints came back to win a shootout 34 - 27 . The Saints were then headed back for the first game in the Superdome since the 2005 preseason , a Monday Night date with the Atlanta Falcons on September 25th . The Saints entered the game 2 - 0 against the 2 - 0 Falcons with many expecting the Falcons powerful running game to overwhelm the team . The game kicked off to fanfare of the Saints ' official return to New Orleans . The game also featured pregame festivities featuring Green Day and U2 performing a song that would become the team ' s unofficial anthem , " The Saints are Coming " . New Orleans dominated the game right from the start when Steve Gleason blocked a punt that was recovered for a TD by Curtis Deloatch . The Saints went on to win 23 - 3 . The next week the Saints lost their first game of the season to divisional rival Carolina Panthers 18 - 21 . The team bounced back in their second game in New Orleans facing divisional rival Tampa Bay . In the game with time winding down and the Saints down by 4 the Saints were set to receive a punt . Reggie Bush returned the punt 65 yards , untouched , for the winning touchdown , and the first of his career . The Saints were 4 - 1 and in control of the division . A week later the Saints upset the favored Eagles in New Orleans 27 - 24 , and the Saints were taken seriously heading into their bye week . New Orleans entered a midseason slump , losing 3 of 4 by week 10 before going on a three - game win streak . They defeated Atlanta , San Francisco , and Dallas in convincing fashion . The Saints concluded the regular season at 10 - 6 , winning the divisional title and , for the first time in the team ' s history , securing a first - round bye in the playoffs . The Saints ' divisional bout would be a week 6 rematch with the Eagles , who were led by backup QB Jeff Garcia this time and riding a six - game winning streak . The game featured several lead changes and a most inspired effort by Deuce McAllister , who rushed for almost 150 yards and 2 TDs , 1 receiving and 1 rushing . New Orleans would win its first divisional playoff game in team history 27 - 24 against the Eagles , and only the second playoff win in franchise history . The Saints then traveled to Chicago to face the Bears in the team ' s first - ever NFC Championship appearance , where they ended up falling short in the title game 39 - 14 . New Orleans led the league in total yards gained and passing yards in the 2006 season . Drew Brees set new Saints ' single - season records in passes completed ( 356 ) , passing rating ( 96 . 2 ) and passing yards ( 4 , 418 ) . The team sent three players to the 2007 Pro Bowl : the aforementioned Brees , DE Will Smith and LT Jammal Brown 2007 - 2008 . The 2007 regular season began with a prime time match against the defending champion Colts , but New Orleans suffered a 41 - 10 pounding . The losses continued as Tampa Bay and Tennessee routed them , followed by a close loss to Carolina . The Saints finally managed a victory in Week 6 by defeated Seattle 28 - 17 . After three more victories , they lost two , beat Carolina , and then fell to the Buccaneers again . The Week 16 defeat against Philadelphia removed New Orleans from playoff contention . After a final loss to the Bears , they ended with a 7 - 9 record . In 2008 , the Saints began by defeating their division rival Buccaneers before losing three of the next four matches . New Orleans was selected for that year ' s international series game in London , where they beat San Diego 37 - 32 . The remainder of the season was an uneven string of games , and after being beat by Carolina on December 28 , the team ended its 2008 campaign with an 8 - 8 record . 2009 - The road to the Super Bowl . New Orleans started off 2009 innocently enough with a rout of the hapless Detroit Lions . Afterwards , they traveled to Philadelphia and beat an Eagles team that was missing its quarterback Donovan McNabb due to an injury . The Saints won with a score very close to the one in the Detroit game . They accumulated further easy wins over the Bills and Jets in the next two games . After the bye week , they handily defeated the Giants and then took the Dolphins at Landshark Stadium . In the second half , the Saints overcame an early lead by their opponent . With this impressive win , they moved to 6 - 0 . The next four opponents were comparatively weak ones , and the Saints soon found themselves at 10 - 0 along with the Colts . In Week 12 , they faced New England in the Superdome and inflicted a stunning defeat on the three - time Super Bowl champions . The next game however , the Saints nearly lost it as they played the 3 - 8 Redskins in Fedex Field . The score was tied at 30 - 30 when the fourth quarter ended , and in overtime Washington almost broke their eleven - game winning streak . However , a fumble by the Redskins gave the Saints the ball . They kicked a successful FG , and won the game 33 - 30 . Afterwards , New Orleans faced the Cowboys at home and were finally brought down , the score being 24 - 17 . The next week , the Saints were upset at home by the 2 - 12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime . They had secured the division title after the Redskins game , and secured the # 1 NFC seed when the 11 - 3 Vikings lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 16 . The Saints rested starters during their Week 17 game against the Panthers , finishing their season at 13 - 3 . The re - energized team came back from the first - round bye week and hosted the Arizona Cardinals , crushing them 45 - 14 . Now in the conference championship , the Saints faced the Vikings . The two teams waged an epic struggle through all four quarters . Minnesota QB Brett Favre was hit several times by the New Orleans defensive line and there were multiple penalties , timeouts , and booth reviews of questionable plays . Although the Vikings never trailed by more than a touchdown , they could not gain a lead and as the fourth quarter was drawing to a close , Favre threw an ill - advised pass across the middle which was intercepted by Saints cornerback Tracey Porter . The game went into overtime and New Orleans got possession of the ball after winning the coin toss . They finally kicked a 40 - yard FG , sending them to Super Bowl XLIV . The Super Bowl was played in Miami against the Colts , who had won SB XLI there three years earlier . Indianapolis gained an early lead and the score stood at 10 - 0 to start the second quarter . The Saints were unable to obtain a touchdown and instead went for two long field goals . By halftime , the score was 10 - 6 . The third quarter opened with New Orleans making a surprise onside kick , and both teams got into an argument over who got hold of the ball . The Saints were ultimately ruled to have touched it first . A screen pass by Drew Brees to Pierre Thomas made for a successful touchdown , increasing their lead to 13 - 10 . After another Colts touchdown , the Saints kicked another FG to achieve a 17 - 16 score . The game remained close into the fourth quarter until Colts QB Peyton Manning was intercepted by Tracey Porter and his pass returned for a touchdown . A strong defensive effort by New Orleans halted their opponent ' s attempts at another scoring drive , and the game ended 31 - 17 . The Saints had finally won a championship after decades of futility , sending the city of New Orleans , and the region , into wild celebrations . 2010 . The Saints did not quite live up to their 2009 level of play the following season . Hosting the Vikings in Week 1 , a much - vaunted rematch of the NFC Championship resulted in a meandering 14 - 9 win , the lowest - scoring victory of Sean Payton ' s tenure as HC . After a close win in San Francisco , they went 3 - 3 down the stretch as Drew Brees threw several interceptions and Garrett Hartley ( the hero of the 2009 postseason ) suffered multiple missed field goals that resulted in his being temporarily benched in favor of John Carney , a former kicker who had first played in the NFL back in 1988 . The last remaining active NFL player from the 1980s booted two field goals to help New Orleans beat the 0 - 3 Panthers in Week 3 . After a loss to the Cardinals the following week , he quit and the kicking position returned to Garrett Hartley . Overall , the Saints looked sloppy and out of form during the early season , and they suffered their worst loss when the Cleveland Browns beat them at home in Week 7 . But after the bye week , the team got back on course and won four games in a row before losing to Baltimore in Week 15 . A MNF match with the Falcons saw New Orleans win 17 - 14 . The final game was lost to Tampa Bay 23 - 13 to end the regular season 11 - 5 . New Orleans reached the playoffs , but had to settle for a wild card as their division rival Atlanta had already locked up the NFC South title and the # 1 seed . The # 5 seeded Saints headed to Seattle where their season came to a spectacular end as the 7 - 9 Seahawks overpowered the defending champions 41 - 36 on a 67 - yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch . For the second year in a row , New Orleans would play in the opening game of the season , but this time in Green Bay as guests of the defending champion Packers . The Saints struggled as their opponent quickly marched out to two touchdowns , but regained their composure in a wild shootout match . Green Bay never lost their lead however , and went on to win the game 41 - 34 after blocking a New Orleans scoring drive on the 1 - yard line . Opening at home in Week 2 , the Saints easily beat Chicago 30 - 13 , then won another shootout match with Houston . Although New Orleans ' defense had performed poorly up to Week 3 , they got back in sync by limiting Jacksonville to 10 points in a 23 - point win the following game .