2007 New Orleans Saints season The 2007 New Orleans Saints season was the 41st season for the team in the National Football League . The team tried to improve upon its 10 - 6 record in 2006 and its third division title — the Saints ' first in the NFC South . Their other two division titles were in the NFC West , prior to the league ' s 2002 realignment . After opening up the pre - season in the Hall of Fame Game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 5 , 2007 , the Saints ended with a 3 - 2 pre - season record . The Saints opened the regular season with a nationally televised game against the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts , but ultimately had a disappointing season , finishing 2007 with a 7 - 9 record and missing out on post - season play . Coaching staff . Head coach Sean Payton was entering his second year with the Saints . He was joined with offensive coordinator Doug Marrone and defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs . Schedule . Preseason . HF = Hall of Fame Game Week - by - week results . Week 1 : at Indianapolis Colts . Game summary . The 2007 New Orleans Saints began their regular season in the annual Thursday night Kickoff game against the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Super Bowl XLI MVP Peyton Manning completed a 27 - yard TD pass to WR Marvin Harrison for the score of the period . In the second quarter , the Saints managed to get their only touchdown of the game as DB Jason David ( a former Colt ) returned a fumble 55 yards to the endzone . Afterwards , New Orleans took the lead with kicker Olindo Mare getting a 34 - yard field goal . Indianapolis would tie the game prior to halftime with kicker Adam Vinatieri nailing a 33 - yard field goal . In the second half , the Colts dominated the rest of the game . During the third quarter , RB Joseph Addai got a 2 - yard TD run , while Manning hooked up with WR Reggie Wayne on a 29 - yard TD pass . For the fourth quarter , Indianapolis wrapped up the game with Vinatieri getting a 33 - yard field goal , Manning & Wayne hooking up with each other again on a 45 - yard TD pass , and DB Matt Giordano returning an interception 83 yards for a touchdown . With the loss , the Saints began the year at 0 - 1 . Scoring summary . Q1 - IND - 1 : 36 - 27 yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison ( Adam Vinatieri kick ) ( IND 7 - 0 ) Q2 - NO - 11 : 32 - Jason David 55 yard fumble return TD ( Olindo Mare kick ) ( 7 - 7 ) Q2 - NO - 6 : 30 - Olindo Mare 34 yard FG ( NO 10 - 7 ) Q2 - IND - 0 : 45 - Adam Vinatieri 33 yard FG ( 10 - 10 ) Q3 - IND - 9 : 45 - Joseph Addai 2 yard TD run ( Vinatieri kick ) ( IND 17 - 10 ) Q3 - IND - 6 : 11 - 29 yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne ( Vinatieri kick ) ( IND 24 - 10 ) Q4 - IND - 14 : 12 - Adam Vinatieri 33 yard FG ( IND 27 - 10 ) Q4 - IND - 10 : 05 - 45yard TD pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne ( Vinatieri kick ) ( IND 34 - 10 ) Q4 - IND - 0 : 55 - Matt Giordano 83 yard interception return TD ( Vinatieri kick ) ( IND 41 - 10 ) Week 2 : at Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Game summary . Following their season - opening loss to the Colts , the Saints flew to Raymond James Stadium for an NFC South duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Bucs RB Carnell " Cadillac " Williams got a 1 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , the Saints continued to struggle as Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia hooked up with WR Joey Galloway on a 69 - yard TD pass and a 24 - yard pass . In the third quarter , the Buccaneers extended their lead with Williams getting another 1 - yard TD run . Afterwards , New Orleans finally got on the board with FB Mike Karney getting a 1 - yard TD run . However , in the fourth quarter , Tampa Bay closed out the game with kicker Matt Bryant ' s 27 - yard field goal . The Saints would get the final score of the game as QB Drew Brees completed a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston . With the loss , the Saints fell to 0 - 2 . Week 3 : vs . Tennessee Titans . Trying to snap a two - game skid , the Saints played their Week 3 Monday night homeopener , as they played an interconference duel with the Tennessee Titans . In the first quarter , New Orleans ' struggles continued as Titans kicker Rob Bironas nailed a 33 - yard field goal , while QB Vince Young completed a 35 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Jones . In the second quarter , the Saints managed to get the only score of the period as RB Reggie Bush got a 1 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , New Orleans took the lead with Bush getting another 1 - yard TD run . However , Tennessee regained the lead with RB LenDale White ' s 1 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , the Titans took over as Young completed a 3 - yard TD pass to TE Bo Scaife , while DB Vincent Fuller ended the game with an interception return of 61 yards for a touchdown . In the game , QB Drew Brees was 29 of 45 for 225 yards with 4 interceptions ( 3 of them coming from LB Keith Bulluck ) . With the loss , the Saints entered their Bye Week at 0 - 3 . Week 5 : vs . Carolina Panthers . Game summary . Coming off their bye week and still in search of their first win of the year , the Saints stayed at home at played a Week 5 divisional duel with the Carolina Panthers . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Panthers kicker John Kasay got a 23 - yard field goal . The Saints would respond with kicker Olindo Mare getting a 25 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Panthers retook the lead with Kasay ' s 35 - yard field goal . New Orleans would respond with Mare kicking a 28 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Saints took the lead with FB Mike Karney getting a 2 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . However , in the fourth quarter , Carolina came back to win with QB David Carr completing a 17 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith , along with Kasay ' s 52 - yard field goal as time ran out . With the loss , the Saints fell to their first 0 - 4 start since 1996 . Week 6 : at Seattle Seahawks . Scoring summary : Q1 - NO - 12 : 38 - Pierre Thomas 5 yard fumble return ( Olindo Mare kick ) [ NO 7 - 0 SEA ] Q2 - NO - 14 : 28 - Eric Johnson 3 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Olindo Mare kick ) ( 13 - 86 , 7 : 04 ) [ NO 14 - 0 SEA ] Q2 - NO - 5 : 18 - Lance Moore 7 yard run ( Olindo Mare kick ) ( 6 - 66 , 2 : 48 ) [ NO 21 - 0 SEA ] Q2 - SEA - 2 : 16 - Ben Obomanu 17 yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck ( Josh Brown kick ) ( 7 - 63 3 : 02 ) [ NO 21 - 7 SEA ] Q2 - NO - 0 : 30 - Marques Colston 2 yard pass from Drew Brees ( Olindo Mare kick ) ( 9 - 80 1 : 46 ) [ NO 28 - 7 SEA ] Q2 - SEA - 0 : 02 - Josh Brown 52 yard FG ( 4 - 38 0 : 28 ) [ NO 28 - 10 SEA ] Q4 - SEA - 6 : 39 - Nate Burleson 22 yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck ( Josh Brown kick ) ( 6 - 80 1 : 31 ) [ NO 28 - 17 SEA ] Week 7 : vs . Atlanta Falcons . Coming off of their road win over the Seahawks , the Saints went home for a Week 7 divisional duel with the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , New Orleans drew first blood as QB Drew Brees completed a 37 - yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson . The Falcons would reply with former Saints kicker Morten Andersen getting a 38 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Atlanta took lead with Andersen kicking a 33 - yard field goal , along with QB Byron Leftwich completing a 9 - yard TD pass to WR Roddy White . In the third quarter , New Orleans regained the lead with rookie RB Pierre Thomas getting a 24 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the fourth quarter , the Falcons tried to rally as Andersen kicked a 21 - yard field goal . Fortunately , the Saints sealed the win with Brees completing a 4 - yard TD pass to RB Reggie Bush , with Bush getting the 2 - point conversion on the ground . With the win , New Orleans improved to 2 - 4 . Week 8 : at San Francisco 49ers . Coming off their divisional home win over the Falcons , the Saints flew to Monster Park for a Week 8 intraconference duel with the San Francisco 49ers . In the first quarter , New Orleans drew first blood with QB Drew Brees completing a 17 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston , along with kicker Olindo Mare getting a 26 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Saints continued their offensive revival with Brees completing a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Terrance Copper , along with a 3 - yard TD pass to Colston . In the third quarter , the 49ers tried to come back as kicker Joe Nedney nailed a 29 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans managed to put the game out of reach with Brees and Colston hooking up with each other one last time on a 15 - yard TD pass . Afterwards , San Francisco ' s only response would by QB Alex Smith completing a 7 - yard TD pass to TE Vernon Davis . With the win , the Saints improved to 3 - 4 . Week 9 : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . Coming off their road win over the 49ers , the Saints went home for a Week 9 interconference duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars . In the first quarter , New Orleans drew first blood as kicker Olindo Mare managed to get a 46 - yard field goal , while RB Reggie Bush got a 1 - yard TD run . The Jaguars would respond with QB Quinn Gray completing an 80 - yard TD pass to WR Reggie Williams , along with former Saints kicker John Carney getting a 30 - yard field goal . New Orleans would respond with QB Drew Brees completing a 2 - yard TD pass to Bush . However , Jacksonville immediately answered as RB Maurice Jones - Drew returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to end the period . In the second quarter , the Saints regained the lead as Brees completed an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore for the only score of the period . In the third quarter , New Orleans increased its lead with CB Mike McKenzie returning an interception 75 yards for a touchdown , while Brees completed a 4 - yard TD pass to WR David Patten . In the fourth quarter , the Jaguars tried to come back as Gray completed a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Dennis Northcutt . Fortunately , the Saints closed out the game with Mare nailing a 34 - yard field goal . With the win , New Orleans improved to 4 - 4 . Week 10 : vs . St . Louis Rams . Coming off a 41 - 24 victory over the Jaguars , the Saints stayed home to face the winless St . Louis Rams . The Saints started the game with an impressive opening drive that culminated in a 7 - yard burst by Reggie Bush to give the Saints an early 7 - 0 lead . However , Rams running back Stephen Jackson answered with a 1 - yard run of his own to tie the game toward the end of the 1st quarter . Midway through the 2nd quarter , tight end Randy McMichael gave the Rams a 14 - 7 lead on a 2 - yard pass from Jackson . Jeff Wilkins made it a two - score game with a 49 - yard field goal three minutes later . The Saints went to the locker room trailing 17 - 7 . In the 2nd half , Wilkins kicked his 2nd field goal of the game , a 21 - yard attempt , to increase the lead to 13 . Toward the end of the 3rd , Isaac Bruce caught a 9 - yard pass by Marc Bulger to make it a 27 - 7 lead , putting the Saints in danger of losing their first game since early October . Drew Bennett added to the St . Louis lead by catching a three yard pass by Bulger to give Bulger his second touchdown of the game , and to give St . Louis a surprising 34 - 7 lead . Drew Brees and Billy Miller hooked up for a 1 - yard pass with 11 : 36 left to cut the lead to 34 - 13 . The Saints then converted a two - point conversion on a Bush run , to make it 34 - 15 . Aaron Stecker then scored on a two - yard run with 4 : 42 remaining to cut it to 34 - 21 . This time , however , they failed on the two - point conversion . With 1 : 55 left , a Wilkins field goal made it 37 - 21 . The Saints scored another touchdown with 37 seconds left , but their attempt to recover the ball from an onside kick failed , and the Rams held on to defeat the Saints 37 - 29 , giving the Rams their first victory in 2007 and dropping the Saints to 4 - 5 . Week 11 : at Houston Texans . Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Rams , the Saints flew to Reliant Stadium for a Week 11 interconference showdown with the Houston Texans . In the first quarter , New Orleans got the early lead as kicker Olindo Mare managed to get a 52 - yard field goal . However , the Texans took the lead with QB Matt Schaub completing a 73 - yard TD pass to WR Andre Johnson . In the second quarter , the Saints regained the lead with QB Drew Brees completing a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson . However , Houston retook the lead with Schaub completing a 10 - yard TD pass to TE Joel Dreessen . After a scoreless third quarter , the Texans sealed the win as kicker Kris Brown nailed a 36 - yarder , a 53 - yarder , and a 23 - yard field goal . With the loss , New Orleans fell to 4 - 6 . So far , all 6 of their losses came when they committed at least 2 turnovers in a game . Week 12 : at Carolina Panthers . Trying to snap a two - game losing skid , the Saints flew to Bank of America Stadium for a Week 12 NFC South rematch against the Carolina Panthers with second place on the line . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early as Panthers kicker John Kasay managed to get a 45 - yard field goal for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , the Saints took the lead with QB Drew Brees completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Lance Moore , along with kicker Olindo Mare kicking a 46 - yard field goal . Carolina ended the half as Kasay nailing a 29 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , New Orleans ran away with the game as Brees completed a 1 - yard TD pass to WR Billy Miller , got an 8 - yard TD run , and completed a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston . With the win , the Saints improved to 5 - 6 . For Marques Colston , this marked his fifth - straight game of having at least 65 reception yards in one game . Week 13 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Coming off their divisional road win over the Panthers , the Saints went home for a Week 13 NFC South rematch with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In the first quarter , New Orleans trailed early with Buccaneers kicker Matt Bryant getting a 27 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Saints took the lead with QB Drew Brees completing a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Terrance Copper . In the second quarter , Tampa Bay regained the lead with QB Luke McCown completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Anthony Becht , along with Bryant nailing a 31 - yard field goal . Afterwards , New Orleans retook the lead with Brees completing a 45 - yard TD pass to WR Devery Henderson . In the third quarter , the Buccaneers regained the lead with RB Earnest Graham getting a 25 - yard TD run . Later , the Saints retook the lead with CB Mike McKenzie returning an interception 53 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans increased its lead with DE Will Smith taking McCown down in his endzone for a safety . However , an attempted double reverse resulted in a lost fumble . It would allow Tampa Bay to get into position for the win , as McCown completed a 4 - yard TD pass to TE Jerramy Stevens . With the heart - breaking loss , the Saints fell to 5 - 7 . Week 14 : at Atlanta Falcons . Hoping to rebound from their divisional home loss to the Buccaneers , the Saints flew to the Georgia Dome for a Week 14 Monday Night NFC South rematch with the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , New Orleans drew first blood as QB Drew Brees completed a 25 - yard TD pass to WR David Patten . The Falcons would respond with QB Chris Redman completing a 33 - yard TD pass to WR Roddy White . In the second quarter , the Saints started to pull away as kicker Olindo Mare managed to get a 23 - yard field goal , while Brees completed a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston . In the third quarter , New Orleans pulled away as Brees hooked up with Colston again on a 2 - yard TD pass , while Safety Roman Harper returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown . In the fourth quarter , Atlanta would get their last strike of the game as Redman completed a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Michael Jenkins . The Saints would wrap up their victory with Mare nailing a 36 - yard field goal . With their second - straight season - sweeping win over the Falcons , New Orleans improved to 6 - 7 . Week 15 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . Coming off their Monday night divisional road win over the Falcons , the Saints went home for a Week 15 intraconference duel with the Arizona Cardinals . In the first quarter , New Orleans trialed early as Cardinals QB Kurt Warner completed a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Troy Bienemann . The Saints would respond with QB Drew Brees completing a 19 - yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston . In the second quarter , New Orleans took the lead with RB Aaron Stecker getting a 1 - yard TD run . Arizona would tie the game with Warner completing an 18 - yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald , yet the Saints regained the lead prior to halftime with Brees completing a 32 - yard TD pass to WR David Patten . In the third quarter , New Orleans increased its lead with Stecker getting a 6 - yard TD run . The Cardinals responded with Warner completing a 3 - yard TD pass to TE Ben Patrick . The Saints would reply with kicker Martín Gramática getting a 31 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Arizona tried to rally as kicker Neil Rackers nailed a 26 - yard field goal . Fortunately , New Orleans ' defense held on for the victory . With the win , the Saints improved to 7 - 7 . For Drew Brees , he ' s thrown 10 touchdowns and only 1 interception in the past four games .