2008 New Orleans Saints season The 2008 New Orleans Saints season is the 42nd season for the team in the National Football League ( NFL ) . The Saints entered the season in an attempt improve their 7 - 9 record from the 2007 season . 2008 schedule . Regular season . < nowiki > * < / nowiki > New Orleans was the designated home team for the game in London . Week 1 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . The Saints began their 2008 campaign at home against their NFC South foe , the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In the first quarter , New Orleans drew first blood as QB Drew Brees completed a 39 - yard TD pass to WR David Patten . The Buccaneers would reply with CB Phillip Buchanon returning an interception 26 yards for a touchdown . In the second quarter , Tampa Bay took the lead with kicker Matt Bryant getting a 37 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Saints responded with kicker Martín Gramática getting a 34 - yard field goal . The Buccaneers would answer with Bryant nailing a 33 - yard field goal , yet New Orleans regained the lead with Brees completing an 84 - yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson . In the fourth quarter , Tampa Bay jumped ahead again as QB Jeff Garcia completed a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Ike Hilliard . Fortunately , the Bayou faithful got the last laugh as Brees completed the game - winning 42 - yard TD pass to RB Reggie Bush . Bush ' s girlfriend Kim Kardashian would later state in a 2009 episode of " Keeping Up with the Kardashians " ( " Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder " , aired 3 May 2009 . ) that she and her sister Kourtney attended the game . Kardashian and Bush later celebrated their victory at Morton ' s Steakhouse . With the win , the Saints began their season at 1 - 0 . Week 2 : at Washington Redskins . Coming off their divisional home win over the Buccaneers , the Saints flew to FedEx Field for a Week 2 duel with the Washington Redskins . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham got a 22 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Washington increased its lead with Suisham ' s 36 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Saints took the lead with RB Pierre Thomas getting a 1 - yard TD run and kicker Martín Gramática nailing a 49 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New Orleans increased its lead with QB Drew Brees completing a 19 - yard TD pass to WR Robert Meachem . The Redskins started to fight back as RB Clinton Portis got a 9 - yard TD run ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) . New Orleans would respond with RB Reggie Bush returning a punt 55 yards for a touchdown . However , Washington rallied with Portis ' 8 - yard TD run and QB Jason Campbell ' s 67 - yard TD pass to WR Santana Moss . With the surprising loss , the Saints fell to 1 - 1 . Week 3 : at Denver Broncos . Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Redskins , the Saints flew to Invesco Field at Mile High for a Week 3 interconference duel with the Denver Broncos . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Broncos QB Jay Cutler completed a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Nate Jackson . The Saints answered with kicker Martín Gramática getting a 43 - yard field goal . Denver replied with Cutler completing a 35 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . In the second quarter , New Orleans continued to struggle as Broncos LB Nate Webster returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown . The Saints started to rally as RB Pierre Thomas got a 5 - yard TD run , while RB Reggie Bush got a 23 - yard TD run . Denver answered with kicker Matt Prater getting a 27 - yard field goal . New Orleans closed out the half with DE Charles Grant tackling RB Andre Hall in his endzone for a safety . In the third quarter , the Broncos replied with RB Michael Pittman getting a 2 - yard TD run . The Saints answered with QB Drew Brees completing a 6 - yard TD pass to Bush , yet Denver responded with Prater nailing a 34 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans tried to rally as Thomas got a 10 - yard TD run ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) . They even recovered a fumble and got into field goal position . However , Gramática ' s 43 - yard attempt went wide right , ending any hope of a comeback . With yet - another last - moment loss , the Saints fell to 1 - 2 . Week 4 : vs . San Francisco 49ers . Trying to snap a two - game losing streak , the Saints went home for a Week 4 duel with the San Francisco 49ers . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as 49ers kicker Joe Nedney got a 47 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Saints responded with QB Drew Brees completing a 5 - yard and a 33 - yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore . San Francisco tried to catch up as Nedney kicked a 49 - yard field goal , yet New Orleans continued its dominance as Brees completed a 47 - yard TD pass to WR Robert Meachem . In the third quarter , the 49ers tried to rally as Nedney got a 38 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Saints continued its victory march as RB Deuce McAllister got a 1 - yard TD run . San Francisco tried to come back as QB J . T . O ' Sullivan completed a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Isaac Bruce , yet New Orleans sealed the deal with kicker Martín Gramática nailing a 31 - yard field goal . With the win , the Saints improved to 2 - 2 . Week 5 : vs . Minnesota Vikings . Coming off their home win over the 49ers , the Saints stayed at home for a Week 5 Monday Night duel with the Minnesota Vikings . In the first quarter , New Orleans was first out of the gate as QB Drew Brees completed a 17 - yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson . The Vikings responded with CB Antoine Winfield returning a blocked field goal 59 yards for a touchdown . The Saints answered with kicker Martín Gramática getting a 35 - yard field goal . Minnesota would reply with kicker Ryan Longwell getting a 53 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Vikings took the lead as RB Chester Taylor completed a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Visanthe Shiancoe , along with Longwell kicking a 33 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New Orleans began to rally as RB Reggie Bush returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter , the Saints took the lead with Gramática making a 53 - yard field goal and Bush returning a punt 64 yards for a touchdown . However , Minnesota rallied with QB Gus Frerotte completing a 33 - yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian , along with Longwell nailing the game - winning 30 - yard field goal . With the heart - breaking loss , the Saints fell to 2 - 3 . This game was the first time in NFL history that a game had a combination of a blocked field goal , a TD pass by a non - quarterback , two field goals of 50 + yards , and two punts returned for touchdowns . Week 6 : vs . Oakland Raiders . Hoping to rebound from their MNF home loss to the Vikings , the Saints stayed at home for a Week 6 interconference duel with the Oakland Raiders . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Raiders Sebastian Janikowski got a 24 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Saints took the lead as RB Reggie Bush got a 3 - yard TD run , along with kicker Taylor Mehlhaff ( recently signed due to Martín Gramática out for the year ) getting a 44 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New Orleans added on to their lead as QB Drew Brees completed an 8 - yard TD pass to RB Aaron Stecker and a 15 - yard TD pass to Bush . In the fourth quarter , the Saints closed out the game with Mehlhaff nailing a 33 - yard field goal and Brees completing a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Mark Campbell . With the win , New Orleans improved to 3 - 3 . With a 21 - yard reception in the first quarter , Reggie Bush ( 14 att / 27 yds , 3 rec / 40 yards and 2 TDs ) , collected his 200th reception in his NFL career over the span of just 34 games , tying Anquan Boldin for the NFL record fewest games needed to do so . Week 7 : at Carolina Panthers . Coming off their dominating home win over the Raiders , the Saints began their road trip at the Bank of America Stadium for a Week 7 NFC South duel with the Carolina Panthers . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Panthers kicker John Kasay got a 39 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Saints responded with FB Mike Karney getting a 1 - yard TD run . However , Carolina answered with RB Jonathan Stewart getting an 18 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , the Panthers added on to their lead as QB Jake Delhomme completed a 39 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith and a 4 - yard TD pass to WR DeAngelo Williams . In the fourth quarter , Carolina closed out the game with Kasay nailing a 28 - yard field goal . With the embarrassing loss , New Orleans fell to 3 - 4 . Week 8 : vs . San Diego Chargers . Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Panthers , the Saints flew to Wembley Stadium for the 2008 International Series game with quarterback Drew Brees ' former team , the San Diego Chargers . For the game , New Orleans was registered as the home team . In the first quarter , the Saints drew first blood as rookie kicker Taylor Mehlhaff got a 23 - yard field goal . The Chargers responded with kicker Nate Kaeding getting a 33 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , New Orleans got a huge lead as Brees completed a 12 - yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson ( with a failed PAT ) , along with RB Deuce McAllister getting a 1 - yard TD run . San Diego would answer with QB Philip Rivers completing a 12 - yard TD pass to RB LaDainian Tomlinson , yet the Saints increased their lead as Brees completed a 30 - yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore . The Chargers closed out the half as Rivers completed a 12 - yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates . In the third quarter , New Orleans added on to their lead as Brees completed a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Mark Campbell , yet San Diego continued to hang around as Kaeding got a 24 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Saints continued its scoring with FB Mike Karney getting a 1 - yard TD run . The Chargers tried to rally as Kaeding nailed a 31 - yard field goal , Rivers completed a 14 - yard TD run to WR Vincent Jackson , and Brees giving San Diego a safety by throwing an incomplete pass into the back of his own end zone . Fortunately , New Orleans ' defense held on for the victory . With the win , the Saints went into their bye week at 4 - 4 . Week 10 : at Atlanta Falcons . Coming off their bye week , the Saints flew to the Georgia Dome for a Week 10 NFC South duel with the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Falcons QB Matt Ryan completed a 16 - yard TD pass to WR Roddy White . The Saints responded with rookie kicker Garrett Hartley getting a 24 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Atlanta answered with RB Michael Turner getting a 2 - yard TD run . New Orleans would reply with Hartley making a 44 - yard field goal . The Falcons would end the half with kicker Jason Elam getting a 22 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Atlanta increased its lead with Elam nailing a 27 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Falcons began to pull away as Ryan completed a 67 - yard TD pass to RB Jerious Norwood . The Saints tried to rally as QB Drew Brees completed a 15 - yard TD pass to RB Deuce McAllister , but Atlanta sealed the win with CB Chevis Jackson returning an interception 95 yards for a touchdown . New Orleans would end the game with a meaningless 32 - yard TD pass from Brees to WR Lance Moore . With the regular loss , not only did the Saints fall to 4 - 5 , but their 4 - game winning streak against the Falcons was snapped . Week 11 : at Kansas City Chiefs . Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Falcons , the Saints flew to Arrowhead Stadium for a Week 11 interconference duel with the Kansas City Chiefs . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Chiefs QB Tyler Thigpen completed a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Dwayne Bowe . The Saints would respond with rookie kicker Garrett Hartley getting a 30 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , New Orleans took the lead as RB Deuce McAllister got a 1 - yard TD run . Kansas City would answer with kicker Connor Barth getting a 20 - yard field goal , yet the Saints closed out the half with Hartley making a 23 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New Orleans increased their lead as QB Drew Brees completed a 47 - yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore . The Chiefs would reply with Barth getting a 21 - yard field goal , yet the Saints answered with RB Pierre Thomas getting a 1 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Kansas City tried to rally as Thigpen hooked up with Bowe again on a 5 - yard TD pass , yet New Orleans closed out the game as Hartley nailed a 35 - yard field goal . With the win , the Saints improved to 5 - 5 . Week 12 : vs . Green Bay Packers . Coming off their road win over the Chiefs , the Saints went home for a Week 12 MNF duel with the Green Bay Packers . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Packers FB John Kuhn got a 1 - yard TD run . The Saints would take the lead as QB Drew Brees completed a 70 - yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore ( which gave him his 9th - straight game of throwing a pass of 40 + yards , an NFL record ) , while RB Pierre Thomas got a 4 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , Green Bay responded with QB Aaron Rodgers completing a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Greg Jennings . New Orleans would answer with Brees hooking up with Moore again on a 14 - yard TD pass . The Packers would tie the game as Rodgers got a 10 - yard TD run , yet New Orleans regained the lead prior to halftime as rookie kicker Garrett Hartley made a 30 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Saints ' offense exploded as Brees completed a 16 - yard TD pass to TE Billy Miller , RB Deuce McAllister got a 3 - yard TD run ( which was his 49th career touchdown , making him the franchise ' s all - time career TD leader ) , and Brees completed a 70 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston . In the fourth quarter , Green Bay tried to rally as Rodgers completed a 4 - yard TD pass and a 2 - point conversion pass to WR Ruvell Martin . Afterwards , New Orleans closed out the game with Thomas ' 31 - yard TD run ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) . With the win , the Saints kept their playoff hopes alive at 6 - 5 . Week 13 : at Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Coming off their Monday Night home win over the Packers , the Saints flew to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 13 NFC South rematch with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In the first quarter , New Orleans struck first as rookie kicker Garrett Hartley got a 47 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Buccaneers took the lead as kicker Matt Bryant got a 38 - yard and a 23 - yard field goal . The Saints would regain the lead as QB Drew Brees completed a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore . In the third quarter , Tampa Bay regained the lead as RB Carnell " Cadillac " Williams got an 8 - yard TD run , along with QB Jeff Garcia completing a 39 - yard TD pass to WR Antonio Bryant . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans would tie the game as Brees completed a 20 - yard TD pass to RB Pierre Thomas , along with Hartley getting a 43 - yard field goal . However , the Buccaneers regained the lead as Bryant nailed a 37 - yard field goal . The Saints tried to rally , but Brees ' third interception prevented any hope of a comeback . With the heart - breaking loss , New Orleans fell to 6 - 6 . Week 14 : vs . Atlanta Falcons . Coming off a heartbreaking loss to Tampa Bay , the New Orleans Saints returned home to host the Atlanta Falcons . The Falcons appeared to be on the move on their first drive , but they came up empty after Saints cornerback Jason David intercepted Falcons rookie quarterback Matt Ryan at the Saints ' 26 - yard line . From there , it took New Orleans only three plays to get into the end zone as Reggie Bush ran for 43 yards and then caught a 5 - yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees for the only score of the quarter . In the second quarter , the Saints added to their lead with a 26 - yard field goal from Garrett Hartley . The Atlanta offense finally woke up from there as Ryan completed a 59 - yard pass to Roddy White , leading to an eventual 5 - yard touchdown run by Michael Turner , cutting the deficit to 10 - 7 . New Orleans would respond with a 10 - play , 3 : 39 drive that culminated in a 46 - yard field goal by Hartley , extending the Saints ' lead to 13 - 7 . Ryan then completed five of six passes on the Falcons ' next drive , the last of which was a 2 - yard touchdown pass to Brian Finneran , giving the Falcons a 14 - 13 lead . The Saints would then use the final 2 : 13 of the half to drive to the Falcons ' 7 - yard line , and closed out the half on a 25 - yard field goal by Hartley to give New Orleans a 16 - 14 haltime lead . After an exchange of punts to begin the second half , Atlanta drove down to the Saints ' 5 - yard line by virtue of a long 18 - play , 9 : 15 drive , only to settle for a 23 - yard field goal by Jason Elam , which nevertheless gave the Falcons a 17 - 16 lead . New Orleans responded with an 11 - play drive bridging the third and fourth quarters , which ended with Brees ' 7 - yard touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas , with a failed two - point conversion . The Falcons then marched 73 yards in 11 plays , the last being a 12 - yard touchdown scramble by Ryan , plus a successful two - point conversion to Michael Jenkins . But thanks to an 88 - yard return by Thomas on the ensuing kickoff , the Saints ' drive started off at the Falcons ' 16 - yard line . With the Saints facing 4th - and 1 at the 7 yard line , New Orleans coach Sean Payton elected to go for it rather than attempt a game - tying 25 - yard field goal . Fullback Mike Karney came through for the Saints , getting a first down , and then Thomas gave the Saints a 29 - 25 lead with a 5 - yard touchdown run . The Falcons could not get past their own 35 - yard line on the ensuing drive , and they chose to punt the ball back to the Saints ' offense , which ran out the clock . With the win , the Saints kept their slim playoff hopes alive at 7 - 6 . Pierre Thomas piled up 197 all - purpose yards , including 109 yards from scrimmage , 102 of it rushing . This was also the second time in a row that the Saints followed a heartbreaking loss to the Buccaneers with a win over the Falcons . Week 15 : at Chicago Bears . With a divisional home win to the Falcons behind them , the Saints flew to Soldier Field for a Week 15 Thursday night battle with the Chicago Bears . New Orleans immediately trailed as in the first quarter , as Bears safety Danieal Manning returned the game ' s opening kickoff 83 yards for a touchdown . The Saints would answer with quarterback Drew Brees ' 2 - yard touchdown pass to running back Pierre Thomas , but Chicago struck right back as running back Matt Forté got a 1 - yard touchdown run , along with quarterback Kyle Orton getting a 6 - yard touchdown run . The Saints would begin to rally in the third quarter , as Thomas got a 42 - yard touchdown run . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans took the lead as kicker Garrett Hartley got a 30 - yard field goal , along with Brees completing an 11 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston . However , the Bears tied the game as kicker Robbie Gould made a 28 - yard field goal . In overtime , Chicago sealed New Orleans ' fate as Gould nailed the game - winning 35 - yard field goal . With the heart - breaking loss , not only did the Saints fall to 7 - 7 , but it knocked them out of playoff contention after Atlanta ' s 13 - 10 overtime win over Tampa Bay on December 14 . Week 16 : at Detroit Lions . Coming off their loss to the Bears , the Saints flew to Ford Field for a Week 16 duel with the winless Detroit Lions . New Orleans would get the early first quarter lead as wide receiver Robert Meachem got a 20 - yard touchdown run , followed by running back Deuce McAllister ' s 2 - yard touchdown run . In the second quarter , the Lions would answer with running back Kevin Smith getting a 1 - yard touchdown run , yet the Saints would answer with running back Mike Bell ' s 1 - yard touchdown run , followed by running back Pierre Thomas ' s 2 - yard touchdown run . New Orleans would close out the game ' s scoring with quarterback Drew Brees completing a 6 - yard and a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston . With the win , the Saints improved to 8 - 7 . Week 17 : vs . Carolina Panthers . Coming off their road win over the Lions , the Saints closed out their season at home in a Week 17 NFC South rematch with the Carolina Panthers . New Orleans would trail early in the first quarter as Panthers kicker John Kasay got a 45 - yard and a 26 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Saints would respond as rookie kicker Garrett Hartley made a 21 - yard field goal , yet Carolina answered with Kasay ' s 34 - yard field goal , quarterback Jake Delhomme ' s 8 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad , and cornerback Dante Wesley ' s 12 - yard fumble return for a touchdown . New Orleans would close out the half with quarterback Drew Brees completing a 26 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston . The Panthers would add on to their lead in the third quarter as running back Jonathan Stewart got a 2 - yard touchdown run . In the fourth quarter , the Saints rallied to take the lead as Brees completed a 7 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem , along with a 9 - yard and a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lance Moore . However , Carolina took the lead for good as Kasay nailed the game - winning 42 - yard field goal . With the loss , New Orleans ended their season at 8 - 8 . Despite falling 16 yards shy of surpassing Dan Marino for the most single - season passing yards , Brees ( 30 / 49 for 386 yards , 4 TDs , 1 INT ) would join Marino as the only quarterbacks to throw for 5 , 000 + yards in a season ( 5 , 069 ) . Statistics . Final Stats Source : ESPN