2009 New Orleans Saints season The 2009 New Orleans Saints season is the franchise ' s 43rd season in the National Football League ( NFL ) and the most successful in franchise history in which they won Super Bowl XLIV . The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 victories , an improvement on their 8 – 8 record and fourth place finish in the National Football Conference ( NFC ) ' s southern division from 2008 . As a result , the Saints returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 . For head coach Sean Payton , this was his fourth season with the franchise , commanding a club overall record of 36 – 24 . After becoming 8 – 0 with their win over the Carolina Panthers on November 8 , it marked the Saints ' best start to a season in its franchise history . They would go on to set the record for the longest undefeated season opening ( 13 – 0 ) by an NFC team since the AFL – NFL merger , eclipsing the previous record ( 12 – 0 ) held by the 1985 Chicago Bears . Although losing the last three games of the season to finish 13 – 3 , the team clinched a playoff berth , a bye in the first round of the playoffs , and ( for the first time in Saints franchise history ) the top seed in the NFC . The Saints defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the , and proceeded to host the NFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history . There , they defeated the Minnesota Vikings to face the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLIV in the franchise ' s first - ever Super Bowl appearance , which they won to give the city of New Orleans its first world championship . The Saints are the first team to defeat 3 former Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in a row in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl . Although five Saints were elected to the Pro Bowl ( with two others added as injury replacements ) , since the game was held one week prior to Super Bowl XLIV , they did not participate . Regular season . Schedule . The Saints ' regular season schedule was released on April 14 , 2009 . Game summaries . Week 1 : vs . Detroit Lions . The Saints began their season with a Week 1 duel with the Detroit Lions . New Orleans would get off to a fast start in the first quarter as quarterback Drew Brees completed a 9 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston and a 39 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem . The Lions would answer with kicker Jason Hanson getting a 47 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Detroit came closer as running back Kevin Smith got a 4 - yard touchdown run . The Saints would reply with Brees completing a 1 - yard and a 15 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeremy Shockey . The Lions tried to catch up in the third quarter as quarterback Matthew Stafford got a 1 - yard touchdown run , yet New Orleans answered with kicker John Carney making a 39 - yard field goal . Detroit would respond with Hanson nailing a 24 - yard field goal , while the Saints kept pounding away as Brees completed a 58 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Devery Henderson . The Lions would close out the period with safety Louis Delmas returning a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans closed out the game as Brees completed a 13 - yard touchdown pass to fullback Heath Evans . With the win , not only did the Saints begin their season at 1 – 0 , but Brees ( 26 - of - 34 , 358 yards , 6 TDs , 1 INT ) became the very first quarterback to throw 6 TD passes in an opening day game , as well as tying Billy Kilmer ' s franchise record for touchdown passes in a game . Week 2 : at Philadelphia Eagles . Coming off their win over the Lions , the Saints flew to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 2 duel with the Philadelphia Eagles . In the first quarter , New Orleans drew first blood as quarterback Drew Brees completed a 15 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston . The Eagles answered with quarterback Kevin Kolb ( in his first start as the Eagles ' quarterback ) completing a 71 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson , yet the Saints replied with kicker John Carney making a 23 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Philadelphia tied the game as kicker David Akers got a 23 - yard field goal . New Orleans answered with Brees completing a 25 - yard touchdown pass to Colston . The Eagles closed out the half as Akers made a 32 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Saints began to take command as Brees completed an 11 - yard touchdown pass to fullback Heath Evans , along with running back Mike Bell getting a 7 - yard touchdown run and Carney nailing a 25 - yard field goal . The Eagles answered with Kolb completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jason Avant . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans kept up its domination as running back Reggie Bush got a 19 - yard touchdown . Philadelphia drove to the Saints ' 5 yard line but could not score and the drive ended on downs ; the Saints were then unable to move the ball , and rather than punting out of their own end zone , they opted to have Brees throw the ball out of the end zone for an intentional safety . After the ensuing free kick , the Eagles again drove deep into Saints territory , but again failed to score , as Kolb threw an interception which safety Darren Sharper returned 97 yards for a touchdown . With the win , the Saints improved to 2 – 0 . Week 3 : at Buffalo Bills . Coming off their win over the Eagles , the Saints flew to Ralph Wilson Stadium for a Week 3 interconference duel with the Buffalo Bills . New Orleans would make an immediate impact in the first quarter with running back Lynell Hamilton ' s 1 - yard touchdown run . The Bills would answer in the second quarter when a fake field goal attempt , punter Brian Moorman would complete a 25 - yard touchdown pass to defensive end Ryan Denney . The Saints would close out the half with kicker John Carney ' s 27 - yard field goal . After a scoreless third quarter , New Orleans would take control in the fourth quarter with running back Pierre Thomas ' 34 - yard touchdown run , Carney ' s 35 - yard field goal , and Thomas ' 19 - yard touchdown run . With the win , the Saints improved to 3 – 0 . Week 4 : vs . New York Jets . Coming off their road win over the Bills , the Saints went home for a Week 4 interconference duel with the New York Jets . New Orleans would deliver the game ' s first points as kicker John Carney got a 34 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the defense went to work . Safety Darren Sharper would return an interception 99 yards for a touchdown , followed by defensive end Will Smith forcing an endzone fumble by sacking Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez , which allowed defensive tackle Remi Ayodele to land on the ball for a touchdown . Afterwards , New York closed out the half with kicker Jay Feely ' s 38 - yard field goal . The Jets would begin a comeback attempt in the third quarter with running back Thomas Jones getting a 15 - yard touchdown run . Afterwards , the Saints would close out the game with running back Pierre Thomas ' 1 - yard touchdown and the defense making an impressive stand . With the win , New Orleans would enter its bye week at 4 – 0 . Week 6 : vs . New York Giants . Coming off their bye week , the Saints stayed at home for a huge Week 6 game in a " Battle of The Unbeatens " against the New York Giants . New Orleans ' offense would roar out of the gates in the first quarter with running back Mike Bell ' s 2 - yard touchdown run and quarterback Drew Brees ' 1 - yard touchdown pass to former Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey . New York would then close out the opening quarter with a 49 - yard field goal from kicker Lawrence Tynes . The Saints ' high - powered offense continued to heat up in the second quarter as Brees completed a 36 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem . The Giants would try to keep up as running back Ahmad Bradshaw got a 10 - yard touchdown run , yet New Orleans answered with Brees hooking up with wide receiver Lance Moore on a 12 - yard touchdown run . New York continued to stay persistent as quarterback Eli Manning completed a 15 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham , yet the Saints closed out the half with a 7 - yard touchdown run from running back Reggie Bush . New Orleans would solidify its lead in the third quarter with Brees finding wide receiver Marques Colston on a 12 - yard touchdown pass . The Giants opened the fourth quarter with Tynes booting a 38 - yard field goal , yet the Saints ended its dominating run with fullback Heath Evans getting a 2 - yard touchdown run . New York would then close out the game ' s scoring with quarterback David Carr completing a 37 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks . With the win , New Orleans improved to 5 – 0 . Week 7 : at Miami Dolphins . In Week 7 , the Saints traveled to South Florida to continue their interconference series against the Dolphins . Miami jumped out to a 24 – 3 lead by the second quarter , with former Saint first - rounder and Heisman winner Ricky Williams scoring on runs of 4 and 68 yards , and Ronnie Brown added a touchdown run of 8 yards in the second quarter . Despite being behind for the first time in the season , the Saints gained momentum when Drew Brees scored on a quarterback sneak to end the first half and cap a 1 : 36 drive of 51 yards . In the second half , the Saints scored on a 42 yard interception return by Darren Sharper in the third , but Dan Carpenter added a second field goal to push the lead back to ten points . The Saints responded with a 10 yard Brees - Colston connection , but Ricky Williams answered with another 4 yard rushing score to make the score 34 – 24 . The Saints completed their comeback in the fourth quarter , first with Reggie Bush scoring on a reverse from 10 yards out , then with Brees scoring his second rush TD from 2 . Though John Carney missed the extra point , he later hit a field goal from 20 yards , and Tracy Porter sealed the comeback with a 54 yard interception return . The Saints outscored Miami 22 – 0 in the fourth quarter , and 36 – 10 for the second half . The Saints improved to 6 – 0 with the win . Week 8 : vs . Atlanta Falcons . Coming off their comeback road win over the Dolphins , the Saints went home for a Week 8 NFC South duel with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night . New Orleans would initially trail in the first quarter as Falcons running back Michael Turner got a 13 - yard touchdown run , yet the Saints answered with running back Pierre Thomas getting a 22 - yard touchdown run . Atlanta would come right back as quarterback Drew Brees was sacked by free safety Thomas DeCoud , causing him to fumble and allow defensive end Kroy Biermann to return the ball 4 yards for a touchdown . In the second quarter , New Orleans would go on a rampage with Brees ' 18 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston , running back Reggie Bush ' s 1 - yard touchdown run , and cornerback Jabari Greer ' s 48 - yard interception return for a touchdown . However , the Falcons began to get back into the game with quarterback Matt Ryan finding wide receiver Roddy White on a 68 - yard touchdown pass in the third quarter , followed by kicker Jason Elam booting a 25 - yard field goal . Fortunately , cornerback Tracy Porter ' s key interception ( helped from linebacker Jonathan Vilma ' s tip ) lead to Brees finding Thomas on a 1 - yard touchdown pass . Even though Atlanta crept closer with Elam nailing a 40 - yard field goal and recovering an onside kick , free safety Darren Sharper ' s interception sealed the tight victory . With the win , the Saints improved to 7 – 0 ( tying their best start in 1991 ) . Week 9 : vs . Carolina Panthers . Coming off their Monday night win over the Falcons , the Saints stayed at home for a Week 9 NFC South duel with the Carolina Panthers . New Orleans would trail in the first quarter as Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams got a 66 - yard and a 7 - yard touchdown run . In the second quarter , the Saints got on the board with a 23 - yard field goal from kicker John Carney . Carolina would reply with kicker John Kasay getting a 32 - yard field goal , yet New Orleans would close out the half with Carney ' s 25 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Saints crept closer with a 10 - yard touchdown by running back Pierre Thomas . The Panthers would reply with Kasay nailing a 25 - yard field goal , yet New Orleans would close out the period with quarterback Drew Brees ' 54 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem . Afterwards , the Saints took command in the fourth quarter as Carney booted a 40 - yard field goal , followed by defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove forcing Williams into a fumble and recovering it for a 1 - yard touchdown run . With the win , the Saints improved to 8 – 0 , which is the team ' s best start in franchise history . Week 10 : at St . Louis Rams . Coming off their divisional home win over the Panthers , the Saints flew to the Edward Jones Dome for a Week 10 duel with the St . Louis Rams . After a scoreless first quarter , New Orleans got the game ' s inaugural points in the second quarter with running back Reggie Bush getting a 3 - yard touchdown run . The Rams would respond with quarterback Marc Bulger completing a 29 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Donnie Avery . New Orleans would answer with quarterback Drew Brees hooking up with Bush on a 15 - yard touchdown pass , yet St . Louis would close out the half with a 2 - yard touchdown run from running back Steven Jackson . The Saints would begin the third quarter with wide receiver Courtney Roby returning the second half ' s opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown . The Rams would stay close with kicker Josh Brown nailing a 32 - yard field goal . New Orleans would extend their lead in the fourth quarter Brees finding wide receiver Robert Meachem on a 27 - yard touchdown pass . St . Louis tried to catch up as Bulger found Avery again on a 19 - yard touchdown pass ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) , yet the defense prevented the Rams from getting any closer . With the win , the Saints improved to 9 – 0 . Week 11 : at Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Coming off a tough road win against the Rams , the Saints went to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 11 duel against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . After a quick first quarter Tampa Bay touchdown from rookie quarterback Josh Freeman to Micheal Clayton to cap a 95 - yard drive , the Bucs showed how the Saints struggled defensively . The Bucs looked to improve on their next drive by moving the ball with running backs Carnell Williams and Ernest Graham . The Saints would answer defensively as they took advantage of numerous mistakes by rookie Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman . Drew Brees passed for 187 yards and three touchdowns . He connected with Robert Meacham for a 4 - yard touchdown catch and a 6 - yard touchdown catch , and to tight end David Thomas for a 11 - yard touchdown . Pressure on the young Freeman from the Saints forced him to throw 3 - interceptions and a fumble , allowing the Saints to take more control during the second half . The Saints would close out the game in the with two scores from running back Mike Bell from 3 yards and one yard out . With the win , the Saints improved to 10 – 0 . Week 12 : vs . New England Patriots . The Saints returned to the Dome for possibly the most hyped game in recent team history , a Monday Night showdown in front of 70 , 768 with the 7 – 3 Patriots , winners of 3 Super Bowls in this decade . The Saints came out firing from the start with a 33 yard completion from Brees to Devery Henderson . The drive resulted in a John Carney FG from 30 yards . The Pats stormed back on the next drive , converting twice on 4th - and - 1 , the second being Laurence Maroney ' s 4 yard TD run to put New England in the lead . On New England ' s next drive , Tom Brady was intercepted by a healthy and re - signed Mike McKenzie , leading to a TD from Brees to Pierre Thomas on a 18 yard swing pass . Forcing the Pats to punt again , Drew Brees found a wide - open Henderson on the next play , who waltzed into the endzone on a 75 yard reception to make it 17 – 7 . The Patriots scored again on a 38 yard FG by Stephen Gostkowski . Drew Brees made it 24 – 10 on a 38 yarder to Robert Meachem , which was set up by a 25 yard catch by former Patriots TE David Thomas , and Gostkowski missed a 50 yard FG wide to close out the half . On the Pats first play of the third quarter , Scott Fujita forced Maroney to fumble , and Sedrick Ellis recovered the ball . However , Maroney forced Ellis to fumble , and Wes Welker recovered the ball on the New England 19 . Brady then drove New England downfield , including a 47 yarder to Randy Moss , and Maroney scored his second rush TD from two yards . On the next offensive play , Marques Colston turns a 10 yard catch into a 68 yard gain to the Patriots 6 , and New Orleans gets another touchdown via a two yard catch by backup TE Darnell Dinkins . In the fourth quarter , Brees hits Colston from 20 yards for his 5th passing TD of the game , and the game was sealed when Sharper got his 8th interception of the year , and Brady is pulled with 5 : 28 to go , replaced by backup Brad Hoyer . With the win , the Saints improve to 11 – 0 . Drew Brees completed 18 of 23 passes for a season - high 371 yards , five touchdowns and his first - ever perfect passer rating of 158 . 3 , and became the first to throw 5 TDs against a Bill Belichick - coached team . The television broadcast of the game on ESPN ' s " Monday Night Football " was the second - most - watched cable telecast of all time . Week 13 : at Washington Redskins . After an emotional Monday night win against the New England Patriots , the Saints traveled to FedEx Field in Landover , Maryland for a Week 13 matchup against the Washington Redskins . In the 1st quarter , the Redskins scored first with Jason Campbell throwing an 8 - yard touchdown to Fred Davis . Shaun Suisham then kicked a 32 - yard field goal to go up 10 – 0 . In the 2nd quarter , the Saints finally scored with a Garrett Hartley 34 - yard field goal . After a defensive stance , Drew Brees threw a 40 - yard touchdown to Marques Colston which tied the game 10 – 10 . The Redskins retook the lead with Jason Campbell connecting with Devin Thomas for a 10 - yard touchdown . With the Saints now down 17 – 10 , Brees and the Saints attempted to drive the field . Brees ’ pass attempt to Jeremy Shockey was intercepted by Kareem Moore . Robert Meachem then ran into Moore , stripped the football , and returned it for a 44 - yard touchdown . In the 3rd quarter , the Redskins kicker Suisham made a 28 - yard field goal . The Redskins then extended their lead with Devin Thomas catching a 13 - yard touchdown pass from Campbell . The Saints ’ Hartley made a 27 - yard field goal . In the 4th quarter , Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley traded field goals . After an ill - advised field goal miss from 23 yards by Shaun Suisham , the Saints , only down by 7 points , now had the opportunity to tie the game . Drew Brees and the Saints offense drove the field in 5 plays , in 33 seconds and capped the drive with a 53 - yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem to tie the game 30 – 30 at the end of regulation . The Saints completed the comeback with Garrett Hartley ’ s 18 - yard field goal for the first lead in the game and the win 33 – 30 in overtime . With the win , the Saints improved to 12 – 0 and clinched the NFC South title . Their 12 wins also tied a single - season franchise record set in the 1987 and 1992 seasons . Week 14 : at Atlanta Falcons . After a tough road win in overtime against the Redskins . The Saints marched into Atlanta with their eyes on a franchise best 13th straight victory . In the first quarter , Atlanta started out fast driving down the field for a Matt Bryant 36 yard field goal . The Saints responded with a Garrett Hartley 33 yard field goal . Atlanta responded with another Matt Bryant 30 yard field goal to take 6 – 3 lead at the end of the first quarter . The Saints would come out strong in the second quarter , when RB Reggie Bush scored on a 6 yard pass from Drew Brees to take a 10 – 6 lead . The Saints continued to move the ball and added on to the lead with a Marques Colston 3 yard touchdown catch from Drew Brees . Garrett Hartley kick failed giving the Saints a 16 – 6 lead in the second quarter . The Falcons troubles would continue . After failing to score a touchdown for the third time in the first half , Atlanta settled for a Matt Bryant 27 yard field goal to get within a touchdown at halftime . The second half looked promising for the Saints but RB Reggie Bush fumbled and recovered the ball . RB Reggie Bush would redeem his performance on the next play with a 21 yard screen pass from Drew Brees to put the Saint up 23 – 9 . Atlanta would make a run and wear down the Saints defense when Michael Jenkins caught a 50 yard touchdown pass from Chris Redman to move within a touchdown . Jason Snelling would add a 4 yard touchdown run to tie the game at 23 . Late in the fourth quarter , the Saints would have a chance to get the lead back with a Garrett Hartley 38 yard field goal . The Saints got a break when Jonathan Vilma intercepted a Chris Redman pass to give the Saints a chance to increase the lead . The Saints would move the ball but only settle for a fake field goal that failed . The results continued in doubt for the Saints until Vilma came up with another defensive fourth - down hit on RB Jason Snelling . Stopping him a yard short of the marker with just over a minute remaining , the Saints ' defense came up big but gave up 392 yards . Drew Brees threw for 296 yards for the season and threw for more than 30 , 000 yards in his career . He also added three touchdowns for the season and tied a club record with 120 in his Saints career . RB Reggie Bush had 47 rushing yards , 33 receiving yards and two touchdowns added for the season . The Saints won 26 – 23 . With the win , they improved to 13 – 0 , clinching a first - round bye in the playoffs . Week 15 : vs . Dallas Cowboys . Coming off yet another close win , this time over the Falcons , the Saints went home for a Week 15 Saturday night duel with the Dallas Cowboys . In the first quarter , Dallas would get off to a fast start with quarterback Tony Romo completing a 49 - yard TD pass to wide receiver Miles Austin . The Cowboys then increased their lead later in the quarter with a 3 - yard TD run by running back Marion Barber . In the second quarter , the Saints would score their only points of the half with kicker Garrett Hartley nailing a 34 - yard field goal . However , the Cowboys took a 17 – 3 lead at halftime with kicker Nick Folk ' s 44 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Dallas scored the period ' s only points when running back Marion Barber got a 2 - yard TD run . An exciting fourth quarter ensued . New Orleans got the first score of the period when running back Mike Bell scored from one yard out to make a 24 – 10 Dallas lead . Following a Dallas three - and - out , New Orleans made it a one touchdown game when quarterback Drew Brees hit wide receiver Lance Moore for a 7 - yard TD pass . Dallas then marched down the field to the Saints ' eight - yard line , but then kicker Nick Folk ' s potential game - icing 24 - yard field goal hit the right goalpost and went no good , setting up another fourth quarter comeback for the Saints . However , unlike in such games against Washington and Atlanta , quarterback Drew Brees was sacked with 10 seconds left in the contest at the Dallas 48 - yard line , forcing a fumble for the second time in the game by Dallas ' DeMarcus Ware , which was then recovered by nose tackle Jay Ratliff . The Cowboys then took a knee to end the game . With the loss , the Saints fell to 13 – 1 , ending their chance at a perfect season . Week 16 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Saints dominated the first quarter and entered halftime riding on a 17 – 3 lead . Tampa Bay scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter , including a 77 - yard kick return by Micheal Spurlock , to tie the game at 17 . As time expired , Garrett Hartley attempted a 37 yard field goal that would have salvaged the game for the Saints , but the kick hooked left . In overtime , Tampa Bay won the coin toss , received the kickoff , and drove down the field to win the game with a field goal , for a final score of 20 – 17 . With the disappointing loss , the Saints fell to 13 – 2 , and appeared to be at risk of losing homefield advantage in the playoffs to the Vikings . However , the Vikings lost in overtime to the Chicago Bears in Week 16 ' s Monday night game , and the Saints clinched the top seed in the NFC . Week 17 : at Carolina Panthers . After nearly beating the now 3 - 12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers , the New Orleans Saints looked to rest their starters for the remaining game against the Carolina Panthers . In the First Quarter , the Carolina Panthers started out with great runs from Jonathan Stewart who capped off the first drive with a 67 yard run for a touchdown . In the second quarter the Saints got on the board with a Garrett Hartley 35 yard field goal making the score 7 – 3 . Carolina was not done , they continued to go to their play makers like Dwayne Jarrett who caught a 30 yard pass from Matt Moore to go up 14 – 3 . Later John Kasay added a 41 yard field goal to extend the lead to 17 – 3 . In the second half , the Saints could not stop Carolina from scoring twice more on a John Kasay 39 yard field goal and a 37 yard field goal to go up 23 – 3 . The Saints would show promise when Lynell Hamilton ran for a 1 yard touchdown to end the game at 23 – 10 . Game Notes : Mark Brunell was dismal completing 15 of his 29 attempts for 102 yards , 1 interception and a passer rating of 45 . 5 . This marks the first time this season that the Saints did not have a productive quarterback , receiver or running back . This marks the second time the Saints have allowed a Carolina running back to run for over 100 yards in a game ( DeAngelo Williams 149 yards week 9 & Jonathan Stewart 128 yards week 17 ) . Sitting out allowed Drew Brees to break the NFL record for completion percentage in a season with 70 . 60 , beating the previous NFL record of 70 . 55 by Ken Anderson of Cincinnati set in 1982 . The Saints have home - field throughout the national football conference playoffs . Postseason . Game summaries . NFC Wildcard Round : Bye week . By earning the NFC top - seed , the Saints earned a bye week in the first round of the NFC Playoffs . NFC Divisonal Round : vs . Arizona Cardinals . Entering the postseason as the NFC ' s # 1 seed , the Saints began their playoff run at home in the NFC Divisional Round against the # 4 Arizona Cardinals . New Orleans would immediately trail in the first quarter as Cardinals running back Tim Hightower ran for a 70 - yard touchdown . The Saints would greatly respond with a 1 - yard touchdown run from running back Lynell Hamilton , quarterback Drew Brees finding tight end Jeremy Shockey on a 17 - yard touchdown pass , and running back Reggie Bush ' s 54 - yard touchdown run . Arizona would reply in the second quarter with a 4 - yard touchdown run from running back Chris " Beanie " Wells . Afterwards , New Orleans struck again as Brees found wide receiver Devery Henderson on a 44 - yard touchdown pass , followed by wide receiver Marques Colston for a 2 - yard touchdown pass . In the third quarter , the Saints continued their offensive day as kicker Garrett Hartley kicked a 43 - yard field goal , followed by Bush ' s 83 - yard punt return for a touchdown . For the rest of the game , New Orleans ' defense took control and shut down the Cardinal ' s offense . With the win , the Saints advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the second time in franchise history . NFC Championship Game : vs . Minnesota Vikings . Coming off their divisional home win over the Cardinals , the Saints stayed at home for the NFC Championship Game against the # 2 Minnesota Vikings . New Orleans would initially trail in the first quarter as Vikings running back Adrian Peterson got a 19 - yard touchdown run , yet the Saints responded with quarterback Drew Brees hooking up with running back Pierre Thomas on a 38 - yard touchdown pass . However , Minnesota would answer with quarterback Brett Favre completing a 9 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sidney Rice . New Orleans would tie the game again in the second quarter with Brees finding wide receiver Devery Henderson on a 9 - yard touchdown pass . The Saints would take the lead in the third quarter with Thomas ' 9 - yard touchdown run , but the Vikings would tie the game with a 1 - yard touchdown run from Peterson . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans would regain the lead as Brees found running back Reggie Bush on a 5 - yard touchdown pass , yet Minnesota would tie again with Peterson ' s 2 - yard touchdown run . A key interception late in 4th quarter by Tracy Porter stopped what could have been Minnesota ' s game winning drive , leading to overtime . In overtime , the Saints came out on top as kicker Garrett Hartley booted the game - winning 40 - yard field goal . With the win , not only did the Saints improve their overall record to 15 – 3 , but they would advance to their very first Super Bowl in franchise history . Super Bowl XLIV : vs . Indianapolis Colts . In continuation of a string of firsts , the Saints advanced to their first Super Bowl in franchise history and won it in dramatic fashion . After the coin toss , the Saints wanted the ball first ; however , this didn ' t help their first drive . The Colts drove the ball down the field with an attempt to score the first touchdown but was denied and forced Matt Stover to kick a 38 yard goal . But the Colts were not finished : on their next possession , Pierre Garcon caught a 19 yard TD pass from Peyton Manning , and the Colts led 10 – 0 after fifteen minutes . In the second quarter , the Saints were forced to look upon Garrett Hartley for two field goals – a 46 yarder and a 44 yarder respectively – and the deficit was reduced to four points by halftime . Kicking off the second half , the Saints caught Indy by surprise with the " Ambush " play ( an onside kick in kickoff formation ) , which the Saints recovered , shifting the momentum to them . Pierre Thomas caught a 16 yard screen pass from Drew Brees and NO had their first lead of the game , 13 – 10 after the extra point . The Colts would not be denied from scoring again with the rushing attack of Joseph Addai , capping off the scoring drive with a 4 - yard run . From here , however , the Colts would be denied . The Saints still stood by Hartley to keep the game close with a 47 yard field goal , taking the score to 17 – 16 . In the fourth quarter , Jeremy Shockey caught a two - yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees with Lance Moore catching a two - point conversion and the Saints led 24 – 17 . In the end , it was the defense that came through when Tracy Porter intercepted and returned 74 yards for a touchdown to seal the win and the first Super Bowl title for the New Orleans Saints in their 44 year existence .