New Orleans Saints Playoff History

The New Orleans Saints have appeared in the playoffs on 7 different occasions and have compiled a record of 5-6(as of December 28, 2010).This is a brief history of the playoff appearances of the Saints.

Wild Card Playoffs

January 3, 1988

Minnesota Vikings 44, New Orleans Saints 10

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	10	21	3	10	44
Saints	7	3	0	0	10

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
• Referee: Tom Dooley
• Game attendance: 68,546

In the Saints' first playoff game in history, the Vikings dominated the game by recording 2 sacks, forcing 4 turnovers, and allowing only 149 yards. New Orleans scored first after Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer's fumble on a bad snap led to Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert's 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eric Martin. Kramer then had to leave the game midway through the first quarter after reaggravating a pinched nerve in his neck that bothered him throughout the entire season. However, Minnesota took control of the contest from that point on. Backup quarterback Wade Wilson threw two touchdown passes, running back D. J. Dozier rushed for an 18-yard touchdown, and kicker Chuck Nelson made 3 field goals. Wide receiver Anthony Carter recorded an NFL playoff record 84-yard punt return for a touchdown, and finished the game with a postseason record 143 total punt return yards. Carter also scored a touchdown on a 10-yard halfback option pass from Allen Rice. New Orleans' only other score in the game was a 40-yard field goal by Morten Andersen. Wilson finished the game with 11 of 20 completions for 189 yards and 2 touchdown.

• Scoring
  • NO - Martin 10 pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7-0
  • MIN - field goal Nelson 42 NO 7-3
  • MIN - Carter 84 punt return (Nelson kick) MIN 10-7
  • MIN - Jordan 5 pass from Wilson (Nelson kick) MIN 17-7
  • MIN - Carter 10 pass from Rice (Nelson kick) MIN 24-7
  • NO - field goal Andersen 40 MIN 24-10
  • MIN - Jones 44 pass from Wilson (Nelson kick) MIN 31-10
  • MIN - field goal Nelson 42 MIN 34-10
  • MIN - field goal Nelson 19 MIN 37-10
  • MIN - Dozier 18 run (Nelson kick) MIN 44-10

January 6, 1991

Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	3	0	3	6
Bears	3	7	3	3	16

at Soldier Field, Chicago

• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 22 °F (−6 °C), partly cloudy
• TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and John Madden
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• Game attendance: 60,767

The Bears defense held the Saints to 65 rushing yards, 6 first downs, and two field goals. Chicago also recorded 365 yards of total offense. Bears running back Neal Anderson compiled 166 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, and threw a 22-yard halfback option pass. Chicago kicker Kevin Butler made 3 field goals, and quarterback Mike Tomczak completed an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end James Thornton. New Orleans' only scores were two field goals by kicker Morten Andersen.

• Scoring
  • CHI - field goal Butler 19 CHI 3-0
  • CHI - Thornton 18 pass from Tomczak (Butler kick) CHI 10-0
  • NO - field goal Andersen 47 CHI 10-3
  • CHI - field goal Butler 22 CHI 13-3
  • NO - field goal Andersen 38 CHI 13-6
  • CHI - field goal Butler 21 CHI 16-6

December 28, 1991

Atlanta Falcons 27, New Orleans Saints 20

	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons	0	10	7	10	27
Saints	7	6	0	7	20

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf
• Referee: Howard Roe
• Game attendance: 68,794

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. The Saints jumped to a 10-0 with quarterback Bobby Hebert's 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Floyd Turner and kicker Morten Andersen's 45-yard field goal. But the Atlanta tied the game with wide receiver Andre Rison's 24-yard touchdown reception from Miller and a 44-yard field goal by Norm Johnson. The score was later tied 20-20 late in the final period as the teams traded scores: Andersen and Johnson each added another field goal, Miller threw a 20-yard touchdown to Haynes, and New Orleans running back Dalton Hilliard rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. After Haynes scored the winning touchdown for the Falcons, the Saints reached the Atlanta 35-yard line before Hebert threw an interception to Falcons defensive back Tim McKyer to clinch the victory.

• Scoring
  • NO - Turner 26 pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7-0
  • NO - field goal Andersen 45 NO 10-0
  • ATL - Rison 24 pass from Miller (Johnson kick) NO 10-7
  • ATL - field goal Johnson 44 Tie 10-10
  • NO - field goal Andersen 35 NO 13-10
  • ATL - Haynes 20 pass from Miller (Johnson kick) ATL 17-13
  • NO - Hilliard 1 run (Andersen kick) NO 20-17
  • ATL - field goal Johnson 36 Tie 20-20
  • ATL - Haynes 61 pass from Miller (Johnson kick) ATL 27-20

January 3, 1993

Philadelphia Eagles 36, New Orleans Saints 20

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	7	0	3	26	36
Saints	7	10	3	0	20

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
• Referee: Dale Hamer
• Game attendance: 68,591

The Eagles overcame a 20-7 Saints lead late in the third quarter by scoring 26 points in the final period. New Orleans scored first on running back Craig Heyward's 1-yard touchdown run, but it was countered with Philadelphia quarterback Randall Cunningham's 57-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Fred Barnett. The Saints then went ahead 17-7 before halftime with kicker Morten Andersen's 35-yard field goal and wide receiver Quinn Early's 7-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Bobby Hebert. The two teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter, and the score was 20-10, New Orleans, going into the final period.

With less than 11 minutes left in the game, Cunningham connected with wide receiver Fred Barnett for a 35-yard touchdown completion. Then on the first play of the Saints' next possession, Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner intercepted a pass to set up running back Heath Sherman's 6-yard touchdown, giving Philadelphia the lead, 24-20. After New Orleans got the ball back, Eagles defensive lineman Reggie White sacked Hebert in the end zone for a safety. Philadelphia kicker Roger Ruzek then added a 39-yard field goal, and 19 seconds later, defensive back Eric Allen intercepted Hebert and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown.

• Scoring
  • NO - Heyward 1 run (Andersen kick) NO 7-0
  • PHI - Barnett 57 pass from Cunningham (Ruzek kick) Tie 7-7
  • NO - field goal Andersen 35 NO 10-7
  • NO - Early 7 pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 17-7
  • NO - field goal Andersen 42 NO 20-7
  • PHI - field goal Ruzek 40 NO 20-10
  • PHI - Barnett 35 pass from Cunningham (Ruzek kick) NO 20-17
  • PHI - Sherman 6 run (Ruzek kick) PHI 24-20
  • PHI - Safety, White sacked Hebert in end zone PHI 26-20
  • PHI - field goal Ruzek 39 PHI 29-20
  • PHI - Allen 18 interception return (Ruzek kick) PHI 36-20

December 30, 2000

New Orleans Saints 31, St. Louis Rams 28

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	7	0	0	21	28
Saints	0	10	7	14	31

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark, and Eric Dickerson
• Referee: Gerald Austin
• Game attendance: 64,900

The Saints won their first playoff game in their 34-year history with quarterback Aaron Brooks' 266 passing yards and four touchdowns, and by holding off the defending champion Rams, who scored three touchdowns in the final quarter. Rams quarterback Kurt Warner lost four turnovers (three interceptions and a fumble), while running back Marshall Faulk, who shredded the Saints with 220 rushing yards when they played against them in the regular season, was held to a season low of 24 yards on the ground.

St. Louis scored on their first drive, marching 68 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead with Warner's 17-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce. But New Orleans then scored 31 unanswered points, beginning with Brooks' 12-yard touchdown pass to Robert Wilson on their ensuing possession. Sammy Knight's 52-yard interception return to the Rams 20-yard line set up kicker Doug Brien's 33-yard field goal to give the Saints a 10-7 lead by halftime. Then early in the third quarter, Chris Oldham's interception gave New Orleans the ball at the Rams 45-yard line, setting up another score on a 10-yard catch by Willie Jackson and increasing their lead to 17-7. Early in the fourth quarter, the Saints drove 74 yards in 5 plays and scored with Brooks' 49-yard touchdown pass to Jackson. Then on the Rams ensuing drive, linebacker La'Roi Glover recovered a fumble from Warner on the Rams 16-yard line, and Brooks threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jackson on the next play, giving the Saints a 31-7 lead with 11:57 remaining.

But St. Louis stormed back. Warner completed two passes for Faulk for 55 yards before throwing a 17-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Proehl, cutting the deficit to 31-13 after a failed 2-point conversion. With 6:28 left in the game, St. Louis had the ball inside the New Orleans 10-yard line but Knight recorded his second interception to halt the drive. However, the Saints were forced to punt and the Rams marched 62 yards on just 3 plays to score on running back Marshall Faulk's 25-yard touchdown reception to cut the lead 31-20 with 3:52 left. The Rams' Dre' Bly recovered the ensuing onside kick. Two plays later on third down and 6, Warner completed a 38-yard pass to Az-Zahir Hakim at the Saints 5-yard line and the took the ball into the end zone himself with a 5-yard touchdown run. Faulk's reception on the two-point conversion cut the lead, 31-28, with 2:36 left. St. Louis failed to recover their second onside kick attempt but forced New Orleans to punt. However, the punt was muffed by Az-Zahir Hakim, and the Saints' Brian Milne recovered the ball to seal the victory. Jackson caught 6 passes for 142 yards and 3 touchdowns. Warner finished the game with 365 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, but was intercepted 3 times. Bruce caught 7 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown, while Faulk added 7 catches for 99 yards and a score.

• Scoring
  • STL - Bruce 17 pass from Warner (Wilkins kick) STL 7-0
  • NO - Wilson 12 pass from Brooks (Brien kick) Tie 7-7
  • NO - field goal Brien 33 NO 10-7
  • NO - Jackson 10 pass from Brooks (Brien kick) NO 17-7
  • NO - Jackson 49 pass from Brooks (Brien kick) NO 24-7
  • NO - Jackson 16 pass from Brooks (Brien kick) NO 31-7
  • STL - Proehl 17 pass from Warner (Two-point conversion failed) NO 31-13
  • STL - Faulk 25 pass from Warner (Wilkins kick) NO 31-20
  • STL - Warner 5 run (Faulk pass from Warner) NO 31-28

Divisional playoffs

January 6, 2001

Minnesota Vikings 34, New Orleans Saints 16

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	3	0	7	6	16
Vikings	10	7	10	7	34

at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Matt Millen, and Pam Oliver
• Referee: Walt Coleman
• Game attendance: 63,881

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper led the Vikings to a victory with 305 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Culpepper threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Randy Moss on the game's third play from scrimmage. Culpepper then recorded a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Cris Carter and a 68-yard pass to Moss. Robert Tate's interception in the third quarter set up Robert Smith's 2-yard touchdown run to seal the victory. Meanwhile, the Saints could only score a field goal and two touchdown passes from quarterback Aaron Brooks. 35-year old Carter had the best postseason performance of his career, catching 8 passes for a career high 120 yards and a touchdown, while Moss recorded 121 yards and 2 touchdowns on just 2 receptions. Saints receiver Willie Jackson caught 9 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown in the final postseason game of his career. Receiver Chad Morton tied a playoff record with 13 receptions for 106 yards.

• Scoring
  • MIN - Moss 53 pass from Culpepper (Anderson kick) MIN 7-0
  • NO - field goal Brian 33 MIN 7-3
  • MIN - field goal Anderson 24 MIN 10-3
  • MIN - Carter 17 pass from Culpepper (Anderson kick) MIN 17-3
  • MIN - Moss 68 pass from Culpepper (Anderson kick) MIN 24-3
  • NO - Stachelski 2 pass from Brooks (Brian kick) MIN 24-10
  • MIN - field goal Anderson 44 MIN 27-10
  • MIN - Smith 2 run (Anderson kick) MIN 34-10
  • NO - Jackson 48 pass from Brooks (Two-point conversion failed) MIN 34-16

Saturday, January 13, 2007

New Orleans Saints 27, Philadelphia Eagles 24

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	14	7	3	24
Saints	3	10	14	0	27

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 8:00 p.m. EST/7:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton (play-by-play), Daryl Johnston (color commentator), and Tony Siragusa (sideline reporter)
• Referee: Mike Carey
• Game attendance: 70,001

The Saints gained 208 rushing yards and 435 total yards, both postseason franchise records, en route to a 27-24 victory over the Eagles, allowing them to advance to the conference championship game for the first time in the team's 40-year history.

In the first quarter, a 28-yard run from New Orleans' Deuce McAllister set up a 33-yard field goal from John Carney to open up the scoring. Later in the period, two big plays from the Saints, a 25-yard run by Reggie Bush and a 35-yard reception by Devery Henderson, set up Carney's second field goal 15 seconds into the second quarter, making the score 6-0.

Three plays after the kickoff, Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Donté Stallworth to give his team a 7-6 lead. The Saints responded with a 78-yard drive, scoring on a 5-yard touchdown run by Reggie Bush to retake the lead at 13-7. However, the Eagles stormed right back, driving 80 yards in 11 plays. On third down and goal, running back Brian Westbrook took a handoff and jumped over top of the defensive line and fell into the end zone for a touchdown, giving them a 14-13 lead with 50 seconds left in the half. New Orleans returned the kickoff to their 47-yard line. With 2 seconds left, quarterback Drew Brees threw a Hail Mary pass to the end zone. Wide receiver Marques Colston initially caught the ball, but it squirted out of his arms as he fell to the ground, and was ruled an incompletion.

Philadelphia took the second-half kickoff and scored in just 3 plays with a 62-yard touchdown romp from Westbrook, increasing their lead to 21-13. However, the Saints responded with a 5-yard touchdown run by McAllister on their next drive. Then after forcing a punt, New Orleans drove to the Eagles' 29-yard line. After two penalties (a holding call against the Saints and an illegal contact call against the Eagles), McAllister rushed for 25 yards and followed it up with an 11-yard touchdown reception, giving the Saints a 27-21 lead.

With 11:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Philadelphia scored on a 24-yard field goal from David Akers, cutting their deficit to 3 points. After an exchange of punts, the Saints drove from their 29 to the Eagles 35-yard line with 3:24 left in the game. New Orleans was in great position to take more time off the clock and increase their lead, but Bush fumbled a high pitch from Brees and Philadelphia's Darren Howard recovered the ball, giving his team a chance to drive for a tying field goal. However, the Eagles were unable to get a first down and chose to punt the ball back with 1:57 left. The Saints then clinched the victory by keeping possession of the ball for the rest of the game.

• Scoring
  • 1st Quarter
    • NO - John Carney 33 yard field goal, 9:24. Saints 3-0. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 2:05.
  • 2nd Quarter
    • NO - John Carney 23 yard field goal, 14:46. Saints 6-0. Drive: 6 plays, 59 yards, 1:33.
    • PHI - Donté Stallworth 75 yard pass from Jeff Garcia (David Akers kick), 13:38. Eagles 7-6. Drive: 3 plays, 76 yards, 1:08.
    • NO - Reggie Bush 4 yard run (John Carney kick), 5:19. Saints 13-7. Drive: 14 plays, 78 yards, 8:19.
    • PHI - Brian Westbrook 1 yard run (David Akers kick), 0:50. Eagles 14-13. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 4:29.
  • 3rd Quarter
    • PHI - Brian Westbrook 62 yard run (David Akers kick), 13:25. Eagles 21-13. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:35.
    • NO - Deuce McAllister 5 yard run (John Carney kick), 9:36. Eagles 21-20. Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 3:49.
    • NO - Deuce McAllister 11 yard pass from Drew Brees (John Carney kick), 1:05. Saints 27-21. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 6:21.
  • 4th Quarter
    • PHI - David Akers 24 yard field goal, 11:08. Saints 27-24. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:50.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

New Orleans Saints 45, Arizona Cardinals 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Cardinals	7	7	0	0	14
Saints	21	14	10	0	45

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert (play by play), Daryl Johnston (color commentator), and Tony Siragusa (sideline reporter)
• Referee: Ron Winter
• Game attendance: 70,149

Saints running back Reggie Bush accumulated 217 all-purpose yards, including a 83-yard punt return touchdown, the third longest in NFL postseason history, and a franchise playoff record 46-yard touchdown run, while quarterback Drew Brees added 247 passing yards and three touchdowns. Although Arizona scored first, New Orleans racked up a franchise playoff record 35 points in the first half on the way to a 45–14 win.

Arizona opened up a 7–0 lead just 19 seconds into the first quarter when Tim Hightower ran through a hole in the line, cut left, and took off down the field for a 70-yard touchdown run on the game's first play from scrimmage. New Orleans struck back with a 72-yard drive on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by Lynell Hamilton to tie the score. Then defensive back Randall Gay stripped the ball from Cardinals wide receiver Jerheme Urban, forcing a fumble that Saints safety Darren Sharper returned 13 yards to the Arizona 37-yard line. Three plays later, Brees converted the turnover into points with a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeremy Shockey. Arizona was forced to punt on their next drive, and the Saints quickly scored again with a 46-yard touchdown run by Bush, increasing their lead to 21–7.

Just over five minutes into the second quarter, Arizona cut the score to 21–14 with a 4-yard touchdown run by Beanie Wells. But New Orleans again responded quickly, as Brees completed a 26-yard pass to Marques Colston and followed it up with a 44-yard touchdown pass to Devery Henderson on a flea flicker play. Then Saints defensive lineman Will Smith intercepted a pass from Kurt Warner (who was injured on the play) and returned it 5 yards to the Cardinals 27, setting up Brees' 2-yard touchdown pass to Colston to give the Saints a 35–14 lead. The Cardinals, now led by Matt Leinart, responded with a drive to the Saints 33-yard line, but Neil Rackers missed a 50-yard field goal as time expired in the half. The combined 49 points scored by both teams in the first half was an NFL postseason record.

In the second half, the Saints added 10 more points to their lead with a Garrett Hartley field goal and Bush's 83-yard punt return touchdown. Meanwhile, Arizona only managed one drive inside Saints territory which ended in a turnover on downs on the 10-yard line.

• Scoring
  • 1st Quarter
    • ARI – Tim Hightower 70 yard run (Neil Rackers kick), 14:41. Cardinals 7–0. Drive: 1 play, 70 yards, 0:19.
    • NO – Lynell Hamilton 1 yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), 9:17. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 72 yards, 5:24.
    • NO – Jeremy Shockey 17 yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 7:02. Saints 14–7. Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards, 1:58.
    • NO – Reggie Bush 46 yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), 2:31. Saints 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:54.
  • 2nd Quarter
    • ARI – Beanie Wells 4 yard run (Neil Rackers kick), 9:40. Saints 21–14. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:07.
    • NO – Devery Henderson 44 yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 6:48. Saints 28–14. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 2:52.
    • NO – Marques Colston 2 yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 1:10. Saints 35–14. Drive: 8 plays, 27 yards, 4:38.
  • 3rd Quarter
    • NO – Garrett Hartley 43 yard field goal, 8:26. Saints 38–14. Drive: 6 plays, 39 yards, 2:10.
    • NO – Reggie Bush 83 yard punt return (Garrett Hartley kick), 6:42. Saints 45–14.
  • 4th Quarter
    • None

Conference championships

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Chicago Bears 39, New Orleans Saints 14

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	7	7	0	14
Bears	3	13	2	21	39

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

• Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. CST
• Game weather: 28 °F (−2 °C), cloudy, snow
• TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Pam Oliver and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)
• Referee: Terry McAulay
• Game attendance: 61,817

Although the Saints outgained the Bears in total yards, 375-335, their four turnovers (three fumbles and one interception) contributed to a Bears victory.

On the opening drive of the game, Saints receiver Devery Henderson caught a 40-yard pass at the Bears' 32-yard line. But three plays later, Bears lineman Israel Idonije sacked quarterback Drew Brees on the 36-yard line, and the Saints decided to punt rather than attempt a 54-yard field goal.

With 5:28 remaining in the first quarter, Bears defensive back Nathan Vasher recovered a fumble from Marques Colston and returned it 14 yards to the Saints' 36-yard line. Several plays later, Robbie Gould kicked a 19-yard field goal to give the Bears a 3-0 lead. Then, Chicago's Danieal Manning recovered a fumble from Michael Lewis on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Gould's second field goal to increase the lead to 6-0. New Orleans was forced to punt on their next possession, and Devin Hester gave his team good field position with a 10-yard return to the Saints' 49-yard line. Two plays later, tight end Desmond Clark's 30-yard reception moved the ball to the 19. Once again, New Orleans kept Chicago's offense out of the end zone, but Gould kicked his third field goal to give the Bears a 9-0 lead. Then, after forcing another punt, Chicago stormed down the field on a drive in which running back Thomas Jones carried the ball on eight consecutive plays, gaining 69 yards and finishing it off with a 2-yard touchdown run. This time, New Orleans managed to respond, with Brees completing 5 passes for 73 yards on their ensuing possession, the last one a 13-yard touchdown pass to Colston, to cut their deficit to 16-7 by halftime.

Two plays after forcing a punt from Chicago on the opening drive of the second half, running back Reggie Bush caught a pass from Brees and took it 88 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to two points. Then after forcing another punt, New Orleans drove to the Bears' 29-yard line. But this time, they failed to score, as Brees threw three incompletions and Billy Cundiff missed a 47-yard field goal attempt.

After the ensuing kickoff, Brad Maynard's 51-yard punt gave the Saints the ball at their own 5-yard line. Two plays later, Brees committed an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety. Two possessions later, Chicago stormed 85 yards in five plays, with quarterback Rex Grossman completing four consecutive passes for 73 yards, the last one a 33-yard touchdown pass to Bernard Berrian, increasing their lead to 25-14.

The next time the Bears had the ball, they scored another touchdown with a 12-yard run by Cedric Benson on a drive that was set up after Brees lost a fumble while being sacked by Adewale Ogunleye. Then, on New Orleans' next drive, Brees was intercepted by defensive back Nathan Vasher. After the ensuing possession, Maynard's 46-yard punt pinned the Saints at their own 8-yard line, and the Saints could only reach their own 30 before turning the ball over on downs. Five plays later, Jones closed out the scoring with a 15-yard touchdown run, making the final score 39-14.

In addition, Reggie Bush became the fifth Heisman Trophy winner to play in a conference championship game the year after winning the trophy. Mike Garrett, who also went to the University of Southern California, did so with the Chiefs in 1966 (technically it was the AFL title game since the league didn't merge until 1970), Tony Dorsett did with the Cowboys in 1977, Earl Campbell did with the Houston Oilers in 1978 and Ron Dayne did with the Giants in 2000. Campbell and Bush are the only two of those to not advance to the Super Bowl in that season.

• Scoring
  • 1st Quarter
    • CHI - Robbie Gould 19 yard field goal, 0:41. Bears 3-0. Drive: 11 plays, 35 yards, 4:44.
  • 2nd Quarter
    • CHI - Robbie Gould 43 yard field goal, 13:40. Bears 6-0. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:53.
    • CHI - Robbie Gould 24 yard field goal, 8:52. Bears 9-0. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 3:25.
    • CHI - Thomas Jones 2 yard run (Robbie Gould kick), 1:56. Bears 16-0. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:55.
    • NO - Marques Colston 13 yard pass from Drew Brees (John Carney kick), 0:46. Bears 16-7. Drive: 8 plays, 73 yards, 1:10.
  • 3rd Quarter
    • NO - Reggie Bush 88 yard pass from Drew Brees (John Carney kick), 12:20. Bears 16-14. Drive: 2 plays, 93 yards, 0:53.
    • CHI - Intentional grounding penalty on Drew Brees enforced in end zone for safety, 5:27. Bears 18-14.
  • 4th Quarter
    • CHI - Bernard Berrian 33 yard pass from Rex Grossman (Robbie Gould kick), 14:23. Bears 25-14. Drive: 5 plays, 85 yards, 2:24.
    • CHI - Cedric Benson 12 yard run (Robbie Gould kick), 11:37. Bears 32-14. Drive: 4 plays, 26 yards, 2:04.
    • CHI - Thomas Jones 15 yard run (Robbie Gould kick), 4:19. Bears 39-14. Drive: 5 plays, 30 yards, 3:02.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Minnesota Vikings 28, New Orleans Saints 31

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Vikings	14	0	7	7	0	28
Saints	7	7	7	7	3	31

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

• Game time: 6:40 p.m. EST/5:40 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium
• TV announcers (FOX): Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color commentator), Pam Oliver and Chris Myers (sideline reporters)
• Referee:
• Game attendance:

• Scoring
  • 1st Quarter
    • MIN - Adrian Peterson 19 yard run (Ryan Longwell Kick), 9:35. Minnesota 7-0. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards in 5:25
    • NO - Pierre Thomas 38 yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley Kick), 6:30. Tied 7-7. Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards in 3:05
    • MIN - Sidney Rice 5 yard pass from Brett Favre (Ryan Longwell Kick), 2:11. Minnesota 14-7. Drive: 10 plays, 73 yards in 4:19
  • 2nd Quarter
    • NO - Devery Henderson 9 yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley Kick), 10:30. Tied 14-14. Drive: 7 plays, 64 yards in 2:51
  • 3rd Quarter
    • NO - Pierre Thomas 9 yard run (Garrett Hartley Kick), 12:56. New Orleans 21-14. Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards in 2:04
    • MIN - Adrian Peterson 1 yard run (Ryan Longwell Kick), 7:35. Tied 21-21. Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards in 5:21
  • 4th Quarter
    • NO - Reggie Bush 5 yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley Kick), 12:39. New Orleans 28-21. Drive: 3 plays, 7 yards in 1:31
    • MIN - Adrian Peterson 2 yard run (Ryan Longwell Kick), 4:58. Tied 28-28. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards in 2:59
  • Overtime
    • NO - Garrett Hartley 40 yard fieldgoal, 10:15. New Orleans 31-28. Drive: 10 plays, 39 yards in 4:45

Super Bowl

February 7, 2010

Main article: Super Bowl XLIV

New Orleans Saints 31, Indianapolis Colts 17

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	6	10	15	31
Colts	10	0	7	0	17

at Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Florida

• Scoring
  • IND - field goal Stover 38 yd IND 3-0
  • IND - Garcon 19 yd pass from Manning (Stover kick) IND 10-0
  • NO - field goal Hartley 46 yd IND 10-3
  • NO - field goal Hartley 44 yd IND 10-6
  • NO - Thomas 16 yd pass from Brees (Hartley kick) NO 13-10
  • IND - Addai 4 yd run (Stover kick) IND 17-13
  • NO - field goal Hartley 47 yd IND 17-16
  • NO - Shockey 2 yd pass from Brees (Brees-Moore pass) NO 24-17
  • NO - Porter 74 yd interception return (Hartley kick) NO 31-17

See also

• History of the New Orleans Saints