Personnel
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| 1991 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Tom Benson |
| General manager | Jim Finks |
| Head coach | Jim Mora |
| Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 1st NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Lost Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Falcons) 20–27 |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Pat Swilling LB Sam Mills LB Rickey Jackson LB Vaughan Johnson ST Bennie Thompson |
The 1991 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 25th season in the National Football League. The Saints won their first-ever division title, and reached the postseason for the second consecutive year. However, they lost their playoff opener at home in the wild card round to their bitter division rival, the Atlanta Falcons, and would have to wait another nine years before winning their first playoff game in franchise history.
The 1991 Saints had 48 defensive takeaways, tied for the most for any team in a single season in the 1990s. [1] Statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the 1991 Saints had the second-best defense in the NFL (behind the Philadelphia Eagles), and one of the top-ten defenses of all time, in terms of efficiency. [2] This was also the first season where four linebackers from the same team made the pro bowl, which the Saints would do again the next season. Says Football Outsiders,
The Saints were led by their linebackers, with Sam Mills, Vaughan Johnson, and Pat Swilling all making the Pro Bowl and Rickey Jackson being awesome without getting a trip to Hawaii. It wasn't really the easiest year to find space on the NFC Pro Bowl defense, was it?
The season saw the adoption of the Cha-Ching slogan from a Rally's advertising campaign. [3]
| 1991 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 42 | Wesley Carroll | Wide receiver | Miami (FL) | |
| 5 | 126 | Reggie Jones | Cornerback | Memphis | |
| 6 | 154 | Fred McAfee | Running back | Mississippi College | |
| 7 | 182 | Hayward Haynes | Guard | Florida State | |
| 8 | 210 | Frank Wainright | Tight end | Northern Colorado | |
| 9 | 237 | Anthony Wallace | Running back | California | |
| 11 | 293 | Scott Ross | Linebacker | USC | |
| 12 | 321 | Mark Drabczak | Guard | Minnesota | |
| Made roster | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 3 | Minnesota Vikings | W 18–3 | 1–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 58,593 |
| 2 | August 10 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–20 | 2–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 55,730 |
| 3 | August 17 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 28–34 | 2–1 | Hoosier Dome | 45,963 |
| 4 | August 24 | at Miami Dolphins | L 24–28 | 2–2 | Joe Robbie Stadium | 44,099 |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1 | Seattle Seahawks | W 27–24 | 1–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,492 |
| 2 | September 8 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 17–10 | 2–0 | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,816 |
| 3 | September 15 | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–7 | 3–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,583 |
| 4 | September 22 | Minnesota Vikings | W 26–0 | 4–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,591 |
| 5 | September 29 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 27–6 | 5–0 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 56,556 |
| 6 | Bye | |||||
| 7 | October 13 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 13–6 | 6–0 | Veterans Stadium | 64,224 |
| 8 | October 20 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–7 | 7–0 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,591 |
| 9 | October 27 | Chicago Bears | L 17–20 | 7–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,591 |
| 10 | November 3 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 24–17 | 8–1 | Anaheim Stadium | 58,713 |
| 11 | November 10 | San Francisco 49ers | W 10–3 | 9–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,591 |
| 12 | November 17 | at San Diego Chargers | L 21–24 | 9–2 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 48,420 |
| 13 | November 24 | Atlanta Falcons | L 20–23 (OT) | 9–3 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,591 |
| 14 | December 1 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 24–38 | 9–4 | Candlestick Park | 62,092 |
| 15 | December 8 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 14–23 | 9–5 | Texas Stadium | 64,530 |
| 16 | December 16 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 27–0 | 10–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,625 |
| 17 | December 22 | at Phoenix Cardinals | W 27–3 | 11–5 | Sun Devil Stadium | 30,928 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | ||||||
| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcard | December 28 | Atlanta Falcons (6) | L 20–27 | 0–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,794 |
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (3) New Orleans Saints | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 341 | 211 | W2 |
| (6) Atlanta Falcons | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 7–5 | 361 | 338 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 393 | 239 | W6 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 0–6 | 2–10 | 234 | 390 | L10 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Saints | 7 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
Rams Jim Everett completed only 6 passes against the Saints defense, while Craig Heyward scored 2 touchdowns to send the Saints to a 3–0 record.
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Saints | 7 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Falcons quarterback Chris Miller completed the game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Haynes with 2:41 left in the contest. Miller completed 18 out of 30 passes for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns.
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Patrick Travis Swilling is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, and the Oakland Raiders. He had five Pro Bowl appearances in his NFL career and was the Associated Press (AP) NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1991. He served from 2001 to 2004 as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.
The 2006 season was the New Orleans Saints' 40th in the National Football League (NFL).
The 2007 season was the New Orleans Saints' 41st season in the National Football League (NFL), their 32nd playing home games at the Louisiana Superdome and their second under head coach Sean Payton. 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 Pro Football 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 XLI champion Indianapolis Colts, but ultimately had a disappointing season, finishing 2007 with a 7–9 record and were officially eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since 2005. The Saints also had no player make the Pro Bowl for the first time since their 1–15 1980 season.
The 2000 season was the St. Louis Rams' 63rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their sixth in St. Louis. For the first time in franchise history, the Rams entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champions. The Rams finished the regular-season with a record of 10–6 but would go on to lose to the New Orleans Saints 31–28 in the wild-card round of the playoffs. They led the NFL in scoring for a second straight year with 540 points. The Rams became the first team in NFL history to score more than 500 points on offense, while allowing more than 450 points on defense.
The 1989 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 40th in the National Football League (NFL), their 44th overall and their 1st season under head coach George Seifert. After going 14–2 in the regular season, the 49ers completed the season with one of the most dominant playoff runs of all time, outscoring opponents 126–26, earning their fourth Super Bowl victory and their second consecutive, where they defeated the Broncos, 55–10. They finished with the best record in the NFL for the first time since 1987. Their two losses were by a combined 5 points. The 49ers became the 2nd team in NFL history to win 4 Super Bowls, the first being the Steelers.
The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season was the franchise's fifty-ninth season in the National Football League.
The 1997 Atlanta Falcons season was the franchise's 32nd season in the National Football League (NFL). It was their first season with new head coach Dan Reeves, who had been hired on January 21.
The 1992 New Orleans Saints season was the franchise's 26th season in the National Football League, and the 17th with home games at the Superdome. This is also the last time the Saints qualified to the postseason until the 2000 season.
The 2009 season was the New Orleans Saints' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL), and as of the 2023 season's conclusion, the most successful in franchise history. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 regular season victories an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth-place finish in the NFC South from 2008, and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 en route to victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
The 2010 season was the New Orleans Saints' 44th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 35th playing home games in the Louisiana Superdome. From 2009, the Saints were coming off their first Super Bowl-winning season and the most successful in franchise history, having begun undefeated for 13 consecutive games only to lose their three final regular season encounters to finish 13–3. The Saints also attempted to win the NFC South Division title for the third time in history, earn their first consecutive postseason berths since 1991, and successfully defend their conference and league championships. The Saints failed to improve on their 13–3 record, finishing 11–5 and qualifying for the playoffs as a wild card team. The Saints were eliminated in the first round by the Seattle Seahawks, who were the first team with a losing record (7–9) to qualify for the playoffs and/or win a division title in a full season. Sean Payton served his fifth year as head coach.
The Falcons–Saints rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints.
The 2011 season was the New Orleans Saints' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their sixth under head coach Sean Payton. In Week 16, Drew Brees broke the single-season passing record previously held by Dan Marino; Brees ended the season with 5,476 passing yards, an NFL record. The team also broke the record for offensive yards from scrimmage with 7,474 and Darren Sproles broke the record for all purpose yards, with 2,696. The Saints also finished second in scoring for total points with 547, and finished second for points per game with 34.2 points and sacks with 24.
The 2012 season was the New Orleans Saints' 46th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 37th playing home games at the Superdome. The Saints head coach was Sean Payton, but he was suspended by the NFL for the entire season as part of the punishment for the team's bounty scandal. On April 12, 2012, linebackers coach Joe Vitt was named interim head coach to replace Payton while he was suspended. On August 22, 2012, it was announced that Aaron Kromer would take over while Vitt himself served a six-game suspension to start the regular season. The Saints attempted to make history as the first host team to play the Super Bowl on their own home field, but they were eliminated from post-season contention for the first time since 2008 in Week 16. The Saints set an NFL record for most yards given up by a defense, 7,042 yards, surpassing the 1981 Baltimore Colts record of 6,793 yards.
The 2013 season was the New Orleans Saints' 47th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 38th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. It also marked the seventh season under head coach Sean Payton, who returned to the team after serving a one-year suspension for his involvement in the team's 2012 bounty scandal.
The 2014 season was the New Orleans Saints' 48th in the National Football League (NFL), their 39th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their eighth under head coach Sean Payton.
The 2015 season was the New Orleans Saints' 49th in the National Football League (NFL), their 40th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their ninth under head coach Sean Payton. On November 16, 2015, the Saints hired Dennis Allen to replace fired defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. However, the Saints still missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The Saints set a new league record for the most passing touchdowns allowed with 45.
The 2016 season was the New Orleans Saints' 50th in the National Football League (NFL), their 41st playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and their 10th under head coach Sean Payton. The Saints matched their 7–9 record from 2014 and 2015, and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. One highlight from the season includes quarterback Drew Brees' first return to San Diego for the first time since the Chargers released him at the end of the 2005 season, also where Brees played his first five seasons in. This came 10 years after the Chargers released Brees after the Saints' previous regular season meetings with the Chargers were home games for the Saints, and including a 2008 meeting at Wembley Stadium in London, a game which New Orleans was designated as the home team.
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The 2018 season was the New Orleans Saints' 52nd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 12th under head coach Sean Payton.
The 2019 season was the New Orleans Saints' 53rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 44th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 13th under head coach Sean Payton.
