2013 New Orleans Saints season

Last updated

2013 New Orleans Saints season
Owner Tom Benson
General manager Mickey Loomis
Head coach Sean Payton
Offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan
Home field Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Results
Record11–5
Division place2nd NFC South
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Eagles) 26–24
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Seahawks) 15–23
Pro Bowlers Drew Brees, QB
Jahri Evans, G
Jimmy Graham, TE
Cameron Jordan, DE
AP All-Pros Jimmy Graham (1st team)
Jahri Evans (2nd team)
Uniform
Saints uniforms12.png

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.

Contents

The Saints improved their 7–9 record from last season, going 11–5 and making the playoffs as the sixth seed. They earned the franchise's first-ever road postseason victory, with a 26–24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round, ending the drought at 0–5. However, the Saints were eliminated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round, by a score of 23–15. The 2013 season was also the second time in three years the Saints went 8–0 at home. This was the Saints last playoff appearance and winning season until 2017.

Offseason

Signings

Pos.Player2012 TeamContract
CB Keenan Lewis Pittsburgh Steelers 5 years, $25.5 million
TE Benjamin Watson Cleveland Browns 3 years, $4.9 million
LB Victor Butler Dallas Cowboys 2 years, $3 million
DE Kenyon Coleman Dallas Cowboys 1 year, $1 million
CB Chris Carr San Diego Chargers 1 year, $840,000
QB Luke McCown Atlanta Falcons 1 year, $840,000
OT Jason Smith New York Jets 1 year, $780,000
WR Robert Meachem San Diego Chargers 1 year, $715,000

Re-Signings

Pos.PlayerContract
WR Courtney Roby 1 year, $905,000
LB Will Herring 1 year, $765,000
OLB Ramon Humber 1 year, $740,000

Departures

Pos.Player2013 Team
OT Jermon Bushrod Chicago Bears
QB Chase Daniel Kansas City Chiefs
LB Jonathan Casillas Tampa Bay Buccaneers
S Jim Leonhard Buffalo Bills
CB Elbert Mack Houston Texans
QB Seneca Wallace San Francisco 49ers
WR Steve Breaston
LB Scott Shanle

2013 draft class

2013 New Orleans Saints draft
RoundPickPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
1 15 Kenny Vaccaro   Safety Texas
375 Terron Armstead  *  Offensive tackle Arkansas–Pine Bluff
382 John Jenkins   Defensive tackle Georgia
5144 Kenny Stills   Wide receiver Oklahoma
6183 Rufus Johnson   Defensive end Tarleton State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Notes The Saints did not have selections in the second, fourth, or seventh rounds. They forfeited their second-round selection as part of the punishment for the team's 2012 bounty scandal. They acquired the No. 82 selection in a trade that sent two fourth-round selections, Nos. 106 and 109 overall, to the Miami Dolphins. The No. 106 selection had been acquired in a trade that sent running back Chris Ivory to the New York Jets. The Saints traded their seventh-round selection to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for linebacker Barrett Ruud.

Staff

2013 New Orleans Saints staff

Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Final roster

2013 New Orleans Saints final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 10 inactive, 8 practice squad

Preseason

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1August 9 Kansas City Chiefs W 17–131–0 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
2August 16 Oakland Raiders W 28–202–0Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
3August 25at Houston Texans W 31–233–0 Reliant Stadium Recap
4August 29at Miami Dolphins L 21–243–1 Sun Life Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

WeekDateOpponentResultRecordVenueRecap
1September 8 Atlanta Falcons W 23–171–0 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
2September 15at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 16–142–0 Raymond James Stadium Recap
3September 22 Arizona Cardinals W 31–73–0Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
4September 30 Miami Dolphins W 38–174–0Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
5October 6at Chicago Bears W 26–185–0 Soldier Field Recap
6October 13at New England Patriots L 27–305–1 Gillette Stadium Recap
7 Bye
8October 27 Buffalo Bills W 35–176–1Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
9November 3at New York Jets L 20–266–2 MetLife Stadium Recap
10November 10 Dallas Cowboys W 49–177–2Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
11November 17 San Francisco 49ers W 23–208–2Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
12November 21at Atlanta Falcons W 17–139–2 Georgia Dome Recap
13December 2at Seattle Seahawks L 7–349–3 CenturyLink Field Recap
14December 8 Carolina Panthers W 31–1310–3Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
15December 15at St. Louis Rams L 16–2710–4 Edward Jones Dome Recap
16December 22at Carolina Panthers L 13–1710–5 Bank of America Stadium Recap
17December 29 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 42–1711–5Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week One: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Falcons1007017
Saints0137323

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

With the win against Atlanta, the Saints began their season to 1-0.

Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Two: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints1003316
Buccaneers700714

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

Coming off a Week 1 win against Atlanta, the Saints face the Buccaneers. The Saints narrowly won over the Buccaneers 16–14, thus improving them to 2-0.

Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week Three: Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cardinals70007
Saints7731431

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

After a 2-0 start, the Saints faced the Cardinals. With a dominant 31-7 win, they improved to 3-0.

Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins

Week Four: Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Dolphins370717
Saints71414338

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

With the win, the Saints improved to 4-0.

Week 5: at Chicago Bears

Week Five: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints6143326
Bears073818

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

With the win at Chicago, they improve to 5-0. This was the second time the Saints beat the Bears.

Week 6: at New England Patriots

Week Six: New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints70101027
Patriots31431030

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: October 13
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/3:25 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 68,756
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

The Saints meet the Patriots on the road. Despite stopping Tom Brady and the Patriots offense twice in the last 3 minutes of the game, the Saints defense proceeded to give up a game-winning touchdown pass with 5 seconds left on the clock. With the close loss, the Saints fall to 5-1, their first loss of the season.

Week 8: vs. Buffalo Bills

Week Eight: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Bills0100717
Saints7147735

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Coming off a loss to New England on the road, they face the Bills at home. With the win, they improve to 6-1.

Week 9: at New York Jets

Week Nine: New Orleans Saints at New York Jets – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints773320
Jets3173326

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,957
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Molly McGrath
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Coming off with the win against Buffalo, they face the Jets on the road. Despite being significantly favored, the Saints would lose this game, thus making their record 6-2.

Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week Ten: Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Cowboys377017
Saints72171449

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

The Saints would dominate the Cowboys at home in the Superdome, recording an NFL-record 40 first downs and 625 total yards of offense. This improves their record to 7-2.

Week 11: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Week Eleven: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
49ers0107320
Saints770923

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,025
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

The Saints beat the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers with a game-winning field goal. With the victory, they improve to 8-2.

Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons

Week Twelve: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints773017
Falcons760013

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

The Saints beat the Falcons on the road. This not only brought the Saints' record to 9-2, but they also sweep the Falcons for the first time since the 2011 season.

Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks

Week Thirteen: New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints07007
Seahawks17107034

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 2
  • Game time: 7:40 p.m. CST/5:40 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 68,387
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

In a Monday Night matchup, the Saints were dominated from the start by the Seahawks. Russell Wilson threw for 310 yard and three touchdowns and rushed for another 47 yards while Seattle's "Legion of Boom" defense limited Drew Brees to 147 yards passing. [2] The loss brought the Saints record down to 9-3.

Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Fourteen: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Panthers600713
Saints0213731

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,089
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

The Saints would beat the Panthers 31-13, thus improving to 10-3.

Week 15: at St. Louis Rams

Week Fifteen: New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints0301316
Rams14103027

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

The Saints meet the Rams on the road. The Rams, however, were able to pull off an upset victory. The Saints drop to 10-4.

Week 16: at Carolina Panthers

Week Sixteen: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints060713
Panthers073717

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), rainy
  • Game attendance: 73,825
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

At Bank of America Stadium, the Saints meet the Panthers again. The Saints fall to a close loss by 4 points, allowing a go-ahead touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining. This drops their record to 10–5. This loss cost the Saints clinching a playoff berth, the NFC South, and a first-round bye. In addition, the Panthers moved ahead of the Saints in the NFC South.

Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Seventeen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period1234Total
Buccaneers773017
Saints14147742

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

The Saints were able to sweep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the second straight season with the victory. They finish the season 11-5, clinching a playoff berth as the NFC's #6 seed and would face the #3 seeded Eagles in the wild-card round.

Standings

Division

NFC South
WLTPCTDIVCONFPFPASTK
(2) Carolina Panthers 1240.7505–19–3366241W3
(6) New Orleans Saints 1150.6885–19–3414304W1
Atlanta Falcons 4120.2501–53–9353443L2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4120.2501–52–10288389L3

Conference

NFC [3]
#TeamDivisionWLTPCTDIVCONFSOSSOVSTK
Division winners
1 Seattle Seahawks West1330.8134–210–2.490.445W1
2 Carolina Panthers South1240.7505–19–3.494.451W3
3 Philadelphia Eagles East1060.6254–29–3.453.391W2
4 Green Bay Packers North871.5313–2–16–5–1.453.371W1
Wild cards
5 San Francisco 49ers West1240.7505–19–3.494.414W6
6 New Orleans Saints South1150.6885–19–3.516.455W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Arizona Cardinals West1060.6252–46–6.531.444L1
8 [lower-alpha 1] Chicago Bears North880.5002–44–8.465.469L2
9 Dallas Cowboys East880.5005–17–5.484.363L1
10 [lower-alpha 2] [lower-alpha 3] New York Giants East790.4383–36–6.520.366W2
11 [lower-alpha 4] Detroit Lions North790.4384–26–6.457.402L4
12 St. Louis Rams West790.4381–54–8.551.446L1
13 Minnesota Vikings North5101.3442–3–14–7–1.512.450W1
14 [lower-alpha 5] Atlanta Falcons South4120.2501–53–9.553.313L2
15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers South4120.2501–52–10.574.391L3
16 Washington Redskins East3130.1880–61–11.516.438L8
Tiebreakers [lower-alpha 6]
  1. ↑ Chicago defeated Dallas head-to-head (Week 14, 45–28).
  2. ↑ The NY Giants and Detroit finished with a better conference record than St. Louis.
  3. ↑ The NY Giants defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 16, 23–20 (OT)).
  4. ↑ Detroit finished with a better conference record than St. Louis.
  5. ↑ Atlanta finished with a better conference record than Tampa Bay.
  6. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

Schedule

Playoff roundDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
Wild CardJanuary 4, 2014at Philadelphia Eagles (3)W 26–241–0 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
DivisionalJanuary 11, 2014at Seattle Seahawks (1)L 15–231–1 CenturyLink Field Recap

Game summaries

NFC Wild Card Round: at #3 Philadelphia Eagles

NFC Wild Card Round: #6 New Orleans Saints at #3 Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints0614626
Eagles0771024

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

In their first playoff matchup since the 2006 season, the Saints defeated the Eagles and earned their first ever postseason win on the road. Drew Brees threw for 250 yards and one touchdown, Mark Ingram rushed for 97 yards and another touchdown, and Shayne Graham went 4-for-4 on field goals, including the game winner with no time left on the clock. Graham started the scoring with a 36-yard field goal in the second quarter. Philadelphia struck back with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Nick Foles to Riley Cooper, but Graham hit another field goal at the end of the half to pull the Saints to within one at 7-6. Early in the third quarter the Saints got their first touchdown when Brees connected with Lance Moore for a 24-yard touchdown pass to take a 13-7 lead, and the Saints extended it to 20-7 on a one-yard run by Ingram. However, Philadelphia came back with a touchdown drive of their own to pull to within six at 20-14 on the strength of a 40-yard completion from Foles to DeShaun Jackson to the Saints 9-yard line and a one-yard run by McCoy for the TD. The Eagles got the ball back in the fourth quarter and pulled to within three on the strength of a 31-yard field goal by Eagles K Alex Henery. The Saints responded with Graham's third field of the night from 35 yards out to make the score 23-17, but Philadelphia went on a 73-yard drive to take the lead, aided by a pass interference on Saints cornerback Corey White and a three-yard touchdown pass from Foles to TE Zach Ertz. On the ensuing kickoff, Saints returner Darren Sproles returned the ball to the Saints 37 and then had fifteen more tacked on because of a horse-collar tackle by the Eagles' Cary Williams. Brees then methodically led the Saints on a 10-play, 34-yard drive to the Eagles' 14 where Graham put his fourth field goal through the uprights for a 26-24 lead as time expired. [4]

NFC Divisional Round: at #1 Seattle Seahawks

NFC Divisional Round: #6 New Orleans Saints at #1 Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period1234Total
Saints0001515
Seahawks6100723

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

In a much different game than the earlier Monday Night Football matchup, the Saints lost to the Seahawks under stormy and freezing conditions in Seattle. Despite Drew Brees' 309 yards passing, the Saints fumbled once and PK Shane Graham missed two field goal attempts. Seattle jumped out to a 16-0 lead on three Stephen Hauschka field goals and a 15-yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch. The Saints got back into the game in the fourth quarter with a 1-yard touchdown rush by Khiry Robinson and a two-point conversion run by Mark Ingram. However, Seattle struck again, this time with a 31-yard touchdown rush by Lynch. The Saints scored their final touchdown on a 9-yard pass from Brees to Marques Colston with only 26 seconds remaining, but the Saints had a chance to tie the game when they recovered the onsides kick. A final attempt at a pass followed by laterals fell short as time expired, sending Seattle to the NFC Championship and the Saints home with a 12-6 record. Lynch finished with a game-high 140 yards on 28 attempts for Seattle while Colston caught 11 balls for 144 yards in a losing effort for the Saints. [5]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 New Orleans Saints season</span> 53rd season in franchise history

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 New Orleans Saints season</span> 54th season in franchise history

The 2020 season was the New Orleans Saints' 54th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 45th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and their 14th under head coach Sean Payton. Although they failed to match their 13–3 records from 2018 and 2019, the Saints defended their NFC South title for the fourth consecutive year following a Week 16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. After beating the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, they won six straight games for the fourth consecutive season. With a Week 13 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints clinched a franchise record fourth consecutive playoff appearance. After Week 17 victory over the division rival, Carolina Panthers, the Saints became the first NFC South member to sweep the division in its history. During the Wildcard round against the Chicago Bears of the 2020–21 NFL playoffs, the Saints made history as one of the first two teams to air in a post-season football game on Nickelodeon, a primarily children-related network. The Saints would defeat the Bears 21–9, advancing to the divisional round, where they were defeated by division rival and eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 30–20, despite having swept them in the regular season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 New Orleans Saints season</span> 56th season in franchise history

The 2022 season was the New Orleans Saints' 56th in the National Football League (NFL), their 47th playing home games at the Caesars Superdome and their first under head coach Dennis Allen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 New Orleans Saints season</span> 57th season in franchise history

The 2023 season was the New Orleans Saints' 57th season in the National Football League (NFL), the 48th to host games at the Caesars Superdome and the second under head coach Dennis Allen. The team improved on their 7–10 record from 2022, but missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The Saints finished tied with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the NFC South division title, as well as in a three-way tie with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks for the last Wild Card spot; however, the Saints lost both tiebreakers.

References

  1. ↑ "1947 Green Bay Packers Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  2. ↑ "New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks - December 2nd, 2013". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  3. ↑ "2013 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Wild Card - New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles - January 4th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
  5. ↑ "Divisional Round - New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks - January 11th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com .
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