2010 New Orleans Saints season

2010 New Orleans Saints season
2010 New Orleans Saints season
Owner	Tom Benson
Head coach	Sean Payton
General manager	Mickey Loomis
Home field	Louisiana Superdome
Results
Record	11–5
Division place	2nd NFC South
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Seahawks) 36–41
Pro Bowlers	Drew Brees (QB); Jahri Evans (OG); Carl Nicks (OG); Roman Harper (FS); Jonathan Vilma (LB)
AP All-Pros	Jahri Evans (1st team); Carl Nicks (2nd team); Malcolm Jenkins (2nd team); Darren Sharper (2nd team)
Uniform
	← 2009; Saints seasons; 2011 →;

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 began 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. Sean Payton served his fifth year as head coach.

Offseason[]

2010 NFL Draft[]

As the winners of Super Bowl XLIV, the Saints acquired the 32nd pick in the first round and drafted in this order.^[1]

New Orleans Saints 2010 NFL Draft selections
Draft order			Player name	Position	Height	Weight	College	Contract	Notes
Round	Choice	Overall	Player name	Position	Height	Weight	College	Contract	Notes
1	32	32	Patrick Robinson	CB	5'11"	190 lbs	Florida State	5 Year
2	32	64	Charles Brown	OT	6'5"	303 lbs	USC	4 Year
3	31	95	Jimmy Graham	TE	6'6"	260 lbs	Miami	4 Year
4	25	123	Al Woods	DT	6'4"	314 lbs	LSU	4 Year
5	27	158	Matt Tennant	C	6'5"	300 lbs	Boston College	4 Year
6	32	201	Traded to the Arizona Cardinals
7	32	239	Sean Canfield	QB	6'4"	214 lbs	Oregon State	N/A

Roster signings[]

All signings were to active roster, except where otherwise noted.

Pos.	Player	Date ^[2]^[3]
CB	Greg Fassitt	February 12, 2010
TE	Tyler Lorenzen	February 12, 2010
T	Jermey Parnell	February 12, 2010
WR	Matt Simon	February 12, 2010
G	Na'Shan Goddard	February 18, 2010
CB	Glenn Sharpe	February 18, 2010
DT	Earl Heyman	February 18, 2010
G	Tim Duckworth	February 19, 2010
RB	Zak Keasey	February 23, 2010
DE	Alex Brown	April 7, 2010
DE	Jimmy Wilkerson	April 20, 2010
LB	Clint Ingram	May 19, 2010

Roster releases[]

Pos.	Player	Date ^[2]^[3]	Notes
WR	D'Juan Woods	February 16, 2010	Released after being placed on injured reserve prior to the 2009 season^[4]
OL	Jamar Nesbit	March 4, 2010	^[5]
LB	Mark Simoneau	March 4, 2010	^[5]
DL	Charles Grant	March 5, 2010	^[5]

Schedule[]

Preseason[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	August 12	at New England Patriots	L 24–27	0–1	Gillette Stadium	Recap
2	August 21	Houston Texans	W 38–20	1–1	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
3	August 27	San Diego Chargers	W 36–21	2–1	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
4	September 2	at Tennessee Titans	L 24–27	2–2	LP Field	Recap

Regular season[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Recap
1	September 9	Minnesota Vikings	W 14–9	1–0	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
2	September 20	at San Francisco 49ers	W 25–22	2–0	Candlestick Park	Recap
3	September 26	Atlanta Falcons	L 24–27 (OT)	2–1	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
4	October 3	Carolina Panthers	W 16–14	3–1	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
5	October 10	at Arizona Cardinals	L 20–30	3–2	University of Phoenix Stadium	Recap
6	October 17	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 31–6	4–2	Raymond James Stadium	Recap
7	October 24	Cleveland Browns	L 17–30	4–3	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
8	October 31	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 20–10	5–3	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
9	November 7	at Carolina Panthers	W 34–3	6–3	Bank of America Stadium	Recap
10	Bye
11	November 21	Seattle Seahawks	W 34–19	7–3	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
12	November 25	at Dallas Cowboys	W 30–27	8–3	Cowboys Stadium	Recap
13	December 5	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 34–30	9–3	Paul Brown Stadium	Recap
14	December 12	St. Louis Rams	W 31–13	10–3	Louisiana Superdome	Recap
15	December 19	at Baltimore Ravens	L 24–30	10–4	M&T Bank Stadium	Recap
16	December 27	at Atlanta Falcons	W 17–14	11–4	Georgia Dome	Recap
17	January 2	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 13–23	11–5	Louisiana Superdome	Recap

Standings[]

NFC South
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽¹⁾ Atlanta Falcons	13	3	0	.813	5–1	10–2	414	288	W1
⁽⁵⁾ New Orleans Saints	11	5	0	.688	4–2	9–3	384	307	L1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	10	6	0	.625	3–3	8–4	343	318	W2
Carolina Panthers	2	14	0	.125	0–6	2–10	196	408	L2

Preseason results[]

Preseason Week 1: at New England Patriots[]

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

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

Date: Thursday, August 12, 2010
Game weather: 71 °F (21.7 °C), cloudy and cool
Game attendance: 68,756
Recap

Preseason Week 2: vs Houston Texans[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Texans	0	10	3	7	20
Saints	14	14	7	3	38

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: Saturday, August 21, 2010
Game weather: Indoor Stadium
Game attendance: 70,025
Recap

Preseason Week 3: vs San Diego Chargers[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	7	7	0	7	21
Saints	7	10	3	16	36

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: Friday August 27, 2010
Game weather: Indoor Stadium
Game attendance: 70,025
Recap

Preseason Week 4: at Tennessee Titans[]

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	3	7	3	11	24
Titans	7	6	0	14	27

at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

Date: Thursday September 2, 2010
Game weather: 89 °F (31.7 °C) Cloudy
Game attendance: 69,143
Recap

Regular season results[]

Week 1: vs. Minnesota Vikings[]

NFL Kickoff game

Week 1: Minnesota Vikings at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Vikings	0	9	0	0	9
Saints	7	0	7	0	14

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: September 9
Game time: 7:30 p.m.
Game weather: None (domed stadium)
Game attendance: 70,051
Referee: Terry McAulay (77)
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels & Cris Collinsworth
Recap, Gamebook

Game information

First quarter

NO – Devery Henderson 29-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 12:56. Saints 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 77 yards, 2:04.

Second quarter

MIN – Ryan Longwell 41-yard field goal, 5:28. Saints 7–3. Drive: 16 plays, 66 yards, 9:25.
MIN – Visanthe Shiancoe 20-yard pass from Brett Favre (kick blocked), 0:34. Vikings 9–7. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 0:45.

Third quarter

NO – Pierre Thomas 1-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), 6:13. Saints 14–9. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 6:43.

Fourth quarter

No scoring plays

Passing

MIN – Brett Favre – 15/27, 171 yards, TD
NO – Drew Brees – 27/36, 237 yards, TD

Rushing

MIN – Adrian Peterson – 19 rushes, 87 yards
NO – Pierre Thomas – 19 rushes, 71 yards, TD

Receiving

MIN – Visanthe Shiancoe – 4 rec, 76 yards
NO – Marques Colston – 5 rec, 62 yards

With their Super Bowl title to defend, the Saints began their season at home in the annual Kickoff Game against the Minnesota Vikings, in a rematch of last season's NFC Championship Game. New Orleans would strike first in the opening quarter with quarterback Drew Brees hooking up with wide receiver Devery Henderson on a 29-yard touchdown pass. The Vikings would take the lead in the second quarter as kicker Ryan Longwell made a 41-yard field goal, followed by quarterback Brett Favre's 20-yard touchdown pass to tight end Visanthe Shiancoe (with a blocked PAT).

In the third quarter, the Saints would regain the lead with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Pierre Thomas. From there, New Orleans' defense would prevent any further progress from Minnesota.

With the win, New Orleans began their season at 1–0.

Week 2: at San Francisco 49ers[]

Week 2: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	9	0	7	9	25
49ers	0	7	7	8	22

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California

Date: September 20
Game time: 7:30 pm. CDT
Game weather: 65 °F (Sunny)
Game attendance: 69,732
Referee: Alberto Riveron
TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Ron Jaworski, Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – David Baas fumble out of bounds in end zone for a safety, Saints 2–0.
NO – Reggie Bush 6-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 9–0, Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:55.

Second quarter

SF – Frank Gore 12-yard pass from Alex Smith (Joe Nedney kick), Saints 9–7, Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 5:43.

Third quarter

SF – Anthony Dixon 2-yard run (Joe Nedney kick), 49ers 14–9, Drive: 6 plays, 86 yards, 3:36.
NO – David Thomas 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 16–14, Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 5:08.

Fourth quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 46-yard field goal, Saints 19–14, Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:29.
NO – Garrett Hartley 19-yard field goal, Saints 22–14, Drive: 6 plays, 13 yards, 3:15.
SF – Frank Gore 7-yard run (Alex Smith – Vernon Davis pass), Tied 22–22, Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 0:53.
NO – Garrett Hartley 37-yard field goal, Saints 25–22, Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 1:19.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 28/38, 254 yards, 2 touchdowns
SF – Alex Smith – 23/32, 275 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions

Top rushers

NO – Pierre Thomas – 18 rushes, 46 yards
SF – Frank Gore – 20 rushes, 112 yards, 1 touchdown

Top receivers

NO – Marques Colston – 5 receptions, 67 yards
SF – Vernon Davis – 4 receptions, 78 yards

Top tacklers

NO – Jonathan Vilma – 7 tackles, 3 assists, 1 forced fumble
SF – Patrick Willis – 8 tackles, 1 assist, 1.0 sack

Coming off their home win over the Vikings, the Saints flew to Candlestick Park for a Week 2 Monday Night duel with the San Francisco 49ers. New Orleans would deliver the opening punch in the first quarter as 49ers center David Baas' high snap deep within San Francisco territory went out of the back of the endzone for a safety. The Saints would add onto their lead as quarterback Drew Brees hooked up with running back Reggie Bush on a 6-yard touchdown pass. The 49ers would answer in the second quarter as quarterback Alex Smith found running back Frank Gore on a 12-yard touchdown pass.

San Francisco would take the lead with running back Anthony Dixon's 2-yard touchdown run, yet New Orleans would respond with Brees' 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Thomas. The Saints would add onto their lead in the fourth quarter as kicker Garrett Hartley made a 46-yard and a 19-yard field goal. The 49ers would strike back as Gore got a 7-yard touchdown run, followed by Smith's 2-point conversion pass to tight end Vernon Davis. In the end, New Orleans got the last laugh as Hartley booted the game-ending 37-yard field goal.

With the win, the Saints improved to 2–0.

Week 3: vs. Atlanta Falcons[]

Week 3: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Falcons	7	7	3	7	3	27
Saints	14	0	7	3	0	24

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: September 26
Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
Game weather: None (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,051
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (FOX): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Charissa Thompson
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – Jeremy Shockey 2-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 7–0, Drive: 3 plays, 6 yards, 1:22.
ATL – Tony Gonzalez 13-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:49.
NO – Lance Moore 80-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 14–7, Drive: 4 plays, 86 yards, 2:01.

Second quarter

ATL – Michael Turner 1-yard run (Matt Bryant kick), Tied 14–14, Drive: 19 plays, 72 yards, 10:39.

Third quarter

ATL – Matt Bryant 23-yard field goal, Falcons 17–14, Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 5:04.
NO – Lance Moore 16-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 21–17, Drive: 5 plays, 42 yards, 2:28.

Fourth quarter

ATL – Roddy White 22-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), Falcons 24–21, Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 5:44.
NO – Garrett Hartley 32-yard field goal, Tied 24–24, Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 3:28.

Overtime

ATL – Matt Bryant 46-yard field goal, Falcons 27–24, Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 7:02.

Top passers

ATL – Matt Ryan – 19/30, 228 yards, 2 touchdowns
NO – Drew Brees – 30/38, 365 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions

Top rushers

ATL – Michael Turner – 30 rushes, 114 yards, 1 touchdown
NO – Pierre Thomas – 9 rushes, 30 yards

Top receivers

ATL – Tony Gonzalez – 8 receptions, 110 yards, 1 touchdown
NO – Lance Moore – 6 receptions, 149 yards, 2 touchdowns

Top tacklers

ATL – Curtis Lofton – 6 tackles, 2 assists
NO – Jonathan Vilma – 8 tackles, 3 assists

Hoping to increase their winning streak the Saints played inside their dome for an NFC South rivalry match against the Falcons. The Saints took the early lead when QB Drew Brees made a 2-yard TD pass to TE Jeremy Shockey. The Falcons replied with QB Matt Ryan making a 13-yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez. The Saints re-took the lead with Brees finding WR Lance Moore on an 80-yard TD pass. But the Falcons replied in the second quarter with RB Michael Turner making a 1-yard TD run. The Saints trailed for the first time in the game when kicker Matt Bryant made a 23-yard field goal. But they took the lead with Brees finding Moore again on a 16-yard TD pass. The Falcons would score when Ryan made a 22-yard TD pass to WR Roddy White. The Saints would tie the game with kicker Garrett Hartley making a 32-yard field goal. At overtime, the decision was made when Matt Bryant hit a 46-yard field goal to give the Saints their first loss of the season, bringing their record down to 2–1.

Week 4: vs. Carolina Panthers[]

Week 4: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Panthers	0	7	7	0	14
Saints	0	10	3	3	16

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: October 3
Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
Game weather: None (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,016
Referee: John Parry
TV announcers (FOX): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
Recap

Game information

First quarter

No scoring plays

Second quarter

NO – Lance Moore 4-yard pass from Drew Brees (John Carney kick), Saints 7–0, Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 2:27.
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 55-yard pass from Jimmy Clausen (John Kasay kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 2:40.
NO – John Carney 32-yard field goal, Saints 10–7, Drive: 13 plays, 63 yards, 4:32.

Third quarter

CAR – DeAngelo Williams 39-yard run (John Kasay kick), Panthers 14–10, Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:55.
NO – John Carney 32-yard field goal, Panthers 14–13, Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards, 2:49.

Fourth quarter

NO – John Carney 25-yard field goal, Saints 16–14, Drive: 18 plays, 86 yards, 9:25.

Top passers

CAR – Jimmy Clausen – 11/21, 146 yards, 1 touchdown
NO – Drew Brees – 33/48, 275 yards, 1 touchdown

Top rushers

CAR – DeAngelo Williams – 13 rushes, 86 yards, 1 touchdown
NO – Chris Ivory – 12 rushes, 67 yards

Top receivers

CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 1 reception, 55 yards, 1 touchdown
NO – Devery Henderson – 6 receptions, 59 yards

Top tacklers

CAR – James Anderson – 12 tackles, 2 assists, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble
NO – Usama Young – 5 tackles, 1 assist, 1.0 sack

The Saints fourth game was inside their dome for an NFC south rivalry match against the Panthers. In the 1st quarter New Orleans took the lead as QB Drew Brees completed a 4-yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore. Carolina replied with QB Jimmy Clausen making a 55-yard TD pass to RB Jonathan Stewart. The Saints took the lead when kicker John Carney nailed a 32-yard field goal, but fell behind when RB DeAngelo Williams made a 39-yard TD run. Then John Carney made two field goals to give the Saints the win. He made a 32-yard field goal in the 3rd quarter and a 25-yard field goal in the 4th.

With the win, the Saints improved to 3–1.

Week 5: at Arizona Cardinals[]

Week 5: New Orleans Saints at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	10	3	0	7	20
Cardinals	0	3	17	10	30

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Date: October 10
Game time: 3:05 pm. CDT
Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
Game attendance: 62,621
Referee: Tony Corrente
TV announcers (FOX): Chris Rose and Kurt Warner
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – John Carney 31-yard field goal, Saints 3–0, Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:07.
NO – Jeremy Shockey 1-yard pass from Drew Brees (John Carney kick), Saints 10–0, Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:32.

Second quarter

ARI – Jay Feely 37-yard field goal, Saints 10–3, Drive: 10 plays, 31 yards, 5:15.
ARI – Levi Brown 2-yard fumble recovery (Jay Feely kick), Tied 10–10, Drive: 3 plays, 2 yards, 1:02.
NO – John Carney 32-yard field goal, Saints 13–10, Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 1:09.

Third quarter

ARI – Jay Feely 44-yard field goal, Tied 13–13, Drive: 7 plays, 34 yards, 4:17.

Fourth quarter

ARI – Jay Feely 29-yard field goal, Cardinals 16–13, Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 4:48.
ARI – Kerry Rhodes 27-yard fumble return (Jay Feely kick), Cardinals 23–13.
NO – Robert Meachem 35-yard pass from Drew Brees (John Carney kick), Cardinals 23–20, Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 1:36.
ARI – Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie 28-yard interception return (Jay Feely kick), Cardinals 30–20.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 24/39, 279 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
ARI – Max Hall – 17/27, 168 yards, 1 interception

Top rushers

NO – Ladell Betts – 10 rushes, 44 yards
ARI – Beanie Wells – 20 rushes, 35 yards

Top receivers

NO – Marques Colston – 7 receptions, 97 yards
ARI – Larry Fitzgerald – 7 receptions, 93 yards

Top tacklers

NO – Patrick Robinson – 8 tackles
ARI – Kerry Rhodes, Daryl Washington – 6 tackles

Coming off their close win over the Panthers the Saints flew to University of Phoenix Stadium for an NFC duel with the Cardinals. In the first quarter the Saints took the early lead as kicker John Carney nailed a 31-yard field goal, followed by QB Drew Brees completing a 1-yard TD pass to TE Jeremy Shockey. The Cardinals replied with kicker Jay Feely making a 37-yard field goal, followed by OT Levi Brown recovering a fumble and returning it 2 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter the Saints fell behind when Feely got a 44-yard field goal, followed the 4th quarter by Feely's 29-yard field goal. Then FS Kerry Rhodes recovered a fumble and ran 27 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. Then the Saints replied with Brees making a 35-yard TD pass to WR Robert Meachem, but had more problems when Brees' pass was intercepted by CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and returned 28 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.

With the loss, the Saints fell to 3–2.

Week 6: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

Week 6: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	7	10	7	7	31
Buccaneers	0	0	0	6	6

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Date: October 17
Game time: 12:00 pm. CDT
Game weather: 81 °F (Clear)
Game attendance: 51,759
Referee: Clete Blakeman
TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen and Tim Ryan
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – Lance Moore 41-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 7–0, Drive: 7 plays, 94 yards, 4:36.

Second quarter

NO – Robert Meachem 42-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 14–0, Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:39.
NO – Garrett Hartley 27-yard field goal, Saints 17–0, Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 4:31.

Third quarter

NO – Heath Evans 4-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 24–0, Drive: 8 plays, 46 yards, 4:17.

Fourth quarter

TB – Micheal Spurlock 2-yard pass from Josh Freeman (pass failed), Saints 24–6, Drive: 14 plays, 88 yards, 6:13.
NO – Ladell Betts 1-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 31–6, Drive: 7 plays, 45 yards, 3:41.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 21/32, 263 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
TB – Josh Freeman – 25/43, 219 yards, 1 touchdown

Top rushers

NO – Chris Ivory – 15 rushes, 158 yards
TB – Cadillac Williams – 10 rushes, 18 yards

Top receivers

NO – Robert Meachem – 4 receptions, 71 yards, 1 touchdown
TB – Cadillac Williams – 7 receptions, 63 yards

Top tacklers

NO – Roman Harper – 7 tackles, 2 forced fumbles
TB – Sean Jones – 8 tackles

Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Cardinals the Saints flew to Raymond James Stadium for an NFC South rivalry match against the Buccaneers. In the first quarter New Orleans took the lead when QB Drew Brees completed a 41-yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore. Followed in the second quarter by Brees making a 42-yard TD pass to WR Robert Meachem. This was followed by kicker Garrett Hartley nailing a 27-yard field goal. The Saints increased their lead when QB Drew Brees made a 4-yard TD pass to FB Heath Evans. Tampa Bay scored in the fourth quarter with QB Josh Freeman making a 2-yard TD pass to WR Micheal Spurlock (With a failed 2-point conversion), but the Saints pulled away as RB Ladell Betts got a 1-yard TD run.

With the win, the Saints improve to 4–2.

Week 7: vs. Cleveland Browns[]

Week 7: Cleveland Browns at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Browns	10	10	0	10	30
Saints	0	3	0	14	17

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: October 24
Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
Game weather: None (domed stadium)
Game attendance: 70,077
Referee: Walt Coleman
TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Recap

Game information

First quarter

CLE – (10:25) Phil Dawson 23-yard field goal, Browns 3–0, Drive: 6 plays, 14 yards, 2:43.
CLE – (6:48) Peyton Hillis 4-yard run (Phil Dawson kick), Browns 10–0, Drive: 4 plays, 56 yards, 1:32.

Second quarter

NO – (5:32) Garrett Hartley 32-yard field goal, Browns 10–3, Drive: 10 plays, 44 yards, 4:21.
CLE – (2:18) Phil Dawson 21-yard field goal, Browns 13–3, Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:14.
CLE – (1:49) David Bowens 30-yard interception return (Phil Dawson kick), Browns 20–3.

Third quarter

Fourth quarter

NO – (13:29) David Thomas 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Browns 20–10, Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 8:33.
CLE – (5:55) Phil Dawson 38-yard field goal, Browns 23–10, Drive: 13 plays, 50 yards, 7:34.
CLE – (3:33) David Bowens 64-yard interception return (Phil Dawson kick), Browns 30–10.
NO – (1:38) Marques Colston 8-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Browns 30–17, Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 1:55.

Top passers

CLE – Colt McCoy – 9/16, 74 yards
NO – Drew Brees – 37/56, 356 yards, 2 touchdowns, 4 interceptions

Top rushers

CLE – Peyton Hillis – 16 rushes, 69 yards, 1 touchdown
NO – Chris Ivory – 15 rushes, 48 yards

Top receveivers

CLE – Brian Robiskie – 3 receptions, 25 yards
NO – Marques Colston – 10 receptions, 112 yards, 1 touchdown

Top tacklers

CLE – Scott Fujita – 10 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 interception
NO – Malcolm Jenkins – 8 tackles, 1 assist

With the loss, the Saints fell to 4–3.

Week 8: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers[]

Week 8: Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Steelers	0	3	0	7	10
Saints	0	3	3	14	20

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: October 31
Game time: 8:20 pm. EDT
Game weather: indoors
Game attendance: 70,011
Referee: Pete Morelli
TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Andrea Kremer
Game Book Recap

Game information

First quarter

Second quarter

PIT – Jeff Reed 19-yard field goal, Steelers 3–0, Drive: 11 plays, 43 yards, 6:11.
NO – Garrett Hartley 31-yard field goal, Tied 3–3, Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 1:03.

Third quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 23-yard field goal, Saints 6–3, Drive: 12 plays, 51 yards, 6:36.

Fourth quarter

NO – Marques Colston 16-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 13–3, Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 6:13.
PIT – Rashard Mendenhall 38-yard run (Jeff Reed kick), Saints 13–10, Drive: 4 plays, 68 yards, 2:07.
NO – Lance Moore 8-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 20–10, Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:47.

Top passers

PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 17/28, 195 yards, 1 interception
NO – Drew Brees – 34/44, 305 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception

Top rushers

PIT – Rashard Mendenhall – 15 rushes, 71 yards, 1 touchdowns
NO – Julius Jones – 7 receptions, 16 yards

Top receivers

PIT – Mike Wallace – 3 receptions, 43 yards
NO – Robert Meachem – 6 receptions, 76 yards

Top tacklers

PIT – Lawrence Timmons – 11 tackles, 1 assist
NO – Jonathan Vilma – 6 tackles, 3 assists, 1 sack

Scoring summary

Quarter	Time	Drive			Team	Scoring information	Score
Quarter	Time	Plays	Yards	TOP	Team	Scoring information	Steelers	Saints
2	9:09		43	6:11	Steelers	19-yard field goal by Jeff Reed	3	0
2	:08		46	1:03	Saints	31-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley	3	3
3	8:24		51	6:36	Saints	23-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley	3	6
4	12:55		59	6:13	Saints	Marques Colston 16-yard touchdown reception from Drew Brees, Garrett Hartley kick good	3	13
4	10:48		68	2:07	Steelers	Rashard Mendenhall 38-yard touchdown run, Jeff Reed kick good	10	13
4	2:37		55	3:47	Saints	Lance Moore 8-yard touchdown reception from Drew Brees, Garrett Hartley kick good	10	20
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football.							10	20

Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Browns, the Saints stayed home for a Week 8 interconference duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night. After a scoreless first quarter, New Orleans trailed in the second quarter as Steelers kicker Jeff Reed got a 19-yard field goal. The Saints would answer with a 31-yard field goal from kicker Garrett Hartley.

New Orleans took the lead in the third quarter as Hartley booted a 23-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Saints increased their lead as quarterback Drew Brees found wide receiver Marques Colston on a 16-yard touchdown pass. Pittsburgh responded with running back Rashard Mendenhall getting a 38-yard touchdown run, yet New Orleans came right back as Brees connected with wide receiver Lance Moore on an 8-yard touchdown pass.

With the win, the Saints improved to 5–3.

Week 9: at Carolina Panthers[]

Week 9: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	7	10	10	7	34
Panthers	3	0	0	0	3

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Date: November 7
Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
Game weather: 50 °F (Sunny)
Game attendance: 73,191
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Charles Davis, Jim Mora & Laura Okmin
Recap

Game information

First quarter

CAR – John Kasay 20-yard field goal, Panthers 3–0, Drive: 6 plays, 26 yards, 2:55.
NO – Jeremy Shockey 7-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 7–3, Drive: 7 plays, 27 yards, 3:03.

Second quarter

NO – Jimmy Graham 19-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 14–3, Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 5:14.
NO – Garrett Hartley 31-yard field goal, Saints 17–3, Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 0:54.

Third quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 36-yard field goal, Saints 20–3, Drive: 11 plays, 39 yards, 5:02.
NO – Jabari Greer 24-yard interception return (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 27–3.

Fourth quarter

NO – Ladell Betts 1-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 34–3, Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 5:20.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 27/43, 253 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
CAR – Jimmy Clausen – 8/18, 47 yards, 1 interception

Top rushers

NO – Julius Jones – 6 rushes, 68 yards
CAR – Tyrell Sutton – 7 rushes, 41 yards

Top receivers

NO – Lance Moore – 6 receptions, 77 yards
CAR – David Gettis – 2 receptions, 22 yards

Top tacklers

NO – Roman Harper – 9 tackles, 1.0 sack
CAR – James Anderson – 9 tackles

Coming off their win over the Steelers the Saints flew to Bank of America Stadium for an NFC South rivalry match against the Panthers. In the first quarter the Saints trailed early after kicker John Kasay made a 20-yard field goal. Then they made a large scoring run to dominate the game after QB Drew Brees completed a 7-yard TD pass to TE Jeremy Shockey. Followed by Brees finding TE Jimmy Graham on a 19-yard TD pass. The lead was extended by kicker Garrett Hartley as he nailed a 31 and a 36-yard field goal. The Saints increased their lead with CB Jabari Greer returning an interception 24 yards for a touchdown. This was followed by RB Ladell Betts getting a 1-yard TD run.

With the win, the Saints headed into their bye week at 6–3 and swept the Panthers for the first time since 2001.

Week 10: BYE[]

Week 11: vs. Seattle Seahawks[]

Week 11: Seattle Seahawks at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks	3	13	0	3	19
Saints	7	20	7	0	34

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: November 21
Game time: 3:05 pm. CST
Game weather: None (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,015
Referee: Mike Carey
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick
Recap

Game information

First quarter

SEA – Olindo Mare 20-yard field goal, Seahawks 3–0, Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 4:36.
NO – Chris Ivory 1-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 7–3, Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 5:37.

Second quarter

SEA – Olindo Mare 43-yard field goal, Saints 7–6, Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 1:35.
NO – Marques Colston 23-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 14–6, Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 4:38.
NO – Robert Meachem 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 21–6, Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 4:06.
SEA – Ben Obomanu 2-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Olindo Mare kick), Saints 21–13, Drive: 12 plays, 69 yards, 3:54.
NO – Marques Colston 22-yard pass from Drew Brees (kick aborted), Saints 27–13, Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 0:54.
SEA – Olindo Mare 43-yard field goal, Saints 27–16, Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 1:00.

Third quarter

NO – Robert Meachem 32-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 34–16, Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:42.

Fourth quarter

SEA – Olindo Mare 20-yard field goal, Saints 34–19, Drive: 15 plays, 78 yards, 7:02.

Top passers

SEA – Matt Hasselbeck – 32/44, 366 yards, 1 touchdown
NO – Drew Brees – 29/43, 382 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions

Top rushers

SEA – Marshawn Lynch – 7 rushes, 36 yards
NO – Chris Ivory – 23 rushes, 99 yards, 1 touchdown

Top receivers

SEA – Mike Williams – 6 receptions, 109 yards
NO – Marques Colston – 8 receptions, 113 yards, 2 touchdowns

Top tacklers

SEA – David Hawthorne – 10 tackles, 2 assists, 1 interception
NO – Scott Shanle – 9 tackles, 3 assists, 1 forced fumble

Coming off their bye week the Saints played inside their dome for an NFC duel with the Seahawks. In the first quarter the Saints trailed early as kicker Olindo Mare hit a 20-yard field goal; but they pulled ahead after RB Chris Ivory got a 1-yard TD run. The lead narrowed in the 2nd quarter by Mare getting a 43-yard field goal. The Saints increased it when QB Drew Brees made a 23 and a 3-yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston and WR Robert Meachem. The lead was narrowed again after QB Matt Hasselbeck got a 2-yard TD pass to WR Ben Obomanu; but the Saints replied with Brees throwing a 22-yard TD pass to Colston. The lead narrowed again with Mare hitting a 43-yard field goal. The lead extended in the third quarter with Brees finding Meachem again on a 32-yard TD pass. The Seahawks made the only score of the fourth quarter with Mare making a 20-yard field goal.

With the win, the Saints improved to 7–3.

Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys[]

Thanksgiving Day game

Week 12: New Orleans Saints at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	17	3	3	7	30
Cowboys	0	6	14	7	27

at Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas

Game time: 4:15 pm EST (3:15 pm CST)
Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
Game attendance: 93,985
Referee: Jerome Boger
TV announcers (FOX): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Pam Oliver
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – Chris Ivory 3-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 7–0, 'Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 1:51.
NO – Garrett Hartley 50-yard field goal, Saints 10–0, 'Drive: 4 plays, −1 yards, 1:31.
NO – Chris Ivory 6-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 17–0, 'Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:59.

Second quarter

DAL – David Buehler 21-yard field goal, Saints 17–3, 'Drive: 14 plays, 79 yards, 7:41.
NO – Garrett Hartley 45-yard field goal, Saints 20–3, 'Drive: 13 plays, 54 yards, 4:30.
DAL – David Buehler 53-yard field goal, Saints 20–6, 'Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 0:43.

Third quarter

DAL – Miles Austin 60-yard run (David Buehler kick), Saints 20–13, 'Drive: 2 plays, 68 yards, 0:59.
NO – Garrett Hartley 28-yard field goal, Saints 23–13, 'Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:31.
DAL – Marion Barber 1-yard run (David Buehler kick), Saints 23–20, 'Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 2:55.

Fourth quarter

DAL – Tashard Choice 1-yard run (David Buehler kick), Cowboys 27–23, 'Drive: 5 plays, 89 yards, 1:08.
NO – Lance Moore 12-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 30–27, 'Drive: 5 plays, 89 yards, 1:08.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 23/39, 352 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
DAL – Jon Kitna – 30/42, 313 yards, 1 interception

Top rushers

NO – Julius Jones – 10 rushes, 45 yards
DAL – Miles Austin – 1 rush, 60-yard, 1 touchdown

Top receivers

NO – Marques Colston – 6 receptions, 105 yards
DAL – Jason Witten – 10 receptions, 99 yards

Top tacklers

NO – Jonathan Vilma – 8 tackles, 3 assists
DAL – Terence Newman – 8 tackles

The Saints played the Thanksgiving Day game at Cowboys Stadium for an NFC duel against the Cowboys. The Saints commanded the first quarter with RB Chris Ivory getting a 3-yard TD run, followed by kicker Garrett Hartley getting a 50-yard field goal, and then by Ivory making a 6-yard TD run. The lead was narrowed as kicker David Buehler got a 21-yard field goal, but the Saints replied as Hartley nailed a 45-yard field goal. The lead was narrowed again as Buehler hit a 53-yard field goal, followed by Miles Austin getting a 60-yard TD run. The Saints scored with Hartley making a 28-yard field goal, but fell behind with Marion Barber and Tashard Choice getting a 1-yard TD run. The Saints, down 27–23, were well on their way to defeat when John Kitna hit Austin with a long-gainer, but safety Malcolm Jenkins stripped Roy Williams and recovered at the New Orleans 11, enabling the Saints to pull out the win five plays later, with QB Drew Brees completing a 12-yard TD pass to WR Lance Moore, completing an 89-yard drive.

With the win, the Saints improved to 8–3.

Week 13: at Cincinnati Bengals[]

Week 13: New Orleans Saints at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	3	10	7	14	34
Bengals	0	6	6	18	30

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

Date: December 5
Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
Game weather: 32 °F (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 59,963
Referee: Jeff Triplette
TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, John Lynch and Nischelle Turner (blacked out locally)
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 48-yard field goal, Saints 3–0, Drive: 8 plays, 65 yards, 4:21.

Second quarter

CIN – Clint Stitser 29-yard field goal, Tied 3–3, Drive: 13 plays, 42 yards, 7:08.
NO – Chris Ivory 55-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 10–3, Drive: 3 plays, 68 yards, 1:01.
CIN – Clint Stitser 23-yard field goal, Saints 10–6, Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 2:21.
NO – Garrett Hartley 24-yard field goal, Saints 13–6, Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 3:15.

Third quarter

NO – Chris Ivory 1-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 20–6, Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 5:54.
CIN – Terrell Owens 5-yard pass from Carson Palmer (kick failed, wr), Saints 20–12, Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 5:12.

Fourth quarter

CIN – Cedric Benson 1-yard run (Clint Stitser kick), Saints 20–19, Drive: 7 plays, 46 yards, 3:36.
NO – Robert Meachem 52-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 27–19, Drive: 3 plays, 69 yards, 1:25.
CIN – Cedric Benson 4-yard run (Carson Palmer – Jermaine Gresham pass), Tied 27–27, Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 4:05.
CIN – Clint Stitser 47-yard field goal, Bengals 30–27, Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards, 1:38.
NO – Marques Colston 3-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garret Hartley kick), Saints 34–30, Drive: 7 plays, 68 yards, 3:54.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 24/29, 313 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
CIN – Carson Palmer – 23/33, 249 yards, 1 touchdown

Top rushers

NO – Chris Ivory – 15 rushes, 117 yards, 2 touchdowns
CIN – Cedric Benson – 19 rushes, 49 yards, 2 touchdowns

Top receivers

NO – Robert Meachem – 3 receptions, 106 yards, 1 touchdown
CIN – Chad Ochocinco – 5 receptions, 96 yards

Top tacklers

NO – Roman Harper – 5 tackles, 4 assists, 1 sack
CIN – Johnathan Joseph – 6 tackles

Coming off their win over the Cowboys the Saints played an interconference duel with the Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. In the first quarter, the Saints took the early lead as kicker Garrett Hartley nailed a 48-yard field goal. The Bengals replied with kicker Clint Stitser hitting a 29-yard field goal, but the Saints scored again with RB Chris Ivory getting a 55-yard TD run, with the Bengals responding as Stitser made a 23-yard field goal. The Saints increased their lead as Hartley made a 24-yard field goal, followed by Ivory getting a 1-yard TD run. The lead was broken down as QB Carson Palmer made a 5-yard TD pass to WR Terrell Owens (With a failed PAT as the kick went wide right), followed by RB Cedric Benson getting a 1-yard TD run. The Saints responded as QB Drew Brees completed a 52-yard TD pass to WR Robert Meachem, but fell behind with Benson getting a 4-yard TD run (With a successful 2-point conversion as Palmer passed to TE Jermaine Gresham), followed by Stitser making a 47-yard field goal. Still, they managed to score to take the win as Brees threw a 3-yard TD pass to WR Marques Colston.

With the win, the Saints improved to 9–3.

Week 14: vs. St. Louis Rams[]

Week 14: St. Louis Rams at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rams	0	6	0	7	13
Saints	14	7	7	3	31

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: December 12
Game time: 3:05 pm. CST
Game weather: None (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,015
Referee: Tony Corrente
TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Charles Davis, Jim Mora & Laura Okmin
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – Marques Colston 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 7–0, Drive: 13 plays, 72 yards, 6:35.
NO – Marques Colston 17-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 14–0, Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 6:26.

Second quarter

STL – Josh Brown 38-yard field goal, Saints 14–3, Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 4:04.
STL – Josh Brown 45-yard field goal, Saints 14–6, Drive: 6 plays, 30 yards, 1:06.
NO – Malcolm Jenkins 96-yard interception return (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 21–6.

Third quarter

NO – Lance Moore 31-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 28–6, Drive: 8 plays, 64 yards, 4:11.

Fourth quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 40-yard field goal, Saints 31–6, Drive: 10 plays, 38 yards, 4:07.
STL – Sam Bradford 1-yard run (Josh Brown kick), Saints 31–13, Drive: 11 plays, 50 yards, 4:21.

Top passers

STL – Sam Bradford – 18/32, 231 yards, 2 interceptions
NO – Drew Brees – 25/40, 221 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions

Top rushers

STL – Steven Jackson – 16 rushes, 96 yards
NO – Chris Ivory – 7 receptions, 47 yards

Top receivers

STL – Brandon Gibson – 4 receptions, 67 yards
NO – Lance Moore – 5 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown

Top tacklers

STL – Craig Dahl – 9 tackles, 1 interception
NO – Jonathan Vilma – 7 tackles, 1 assist, 1.0 sack, 1 forced fumble

With the win, the Saints improved to 10–3.

Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens[]

Week 15: New Orleans Saints at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	7	7	3	7	24
Ravens	7	14	3	6	30

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Date: December 19
Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
Game weather: 34 °F (Partly Cloudy)
Game attendance: 71,432
Referee: Walt Anderson
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick, & Chris Myers
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – Jimmy Graham 18-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 7–0, Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:08.
BAL – Ed Dickson 34-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 4:20.

Second quarter

BAL – Ray Rice 10-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 14–7, Drive: 9 plays, 58 yards, 4:15.
BAL – Ray Rice 17-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 21–7, Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 3:05.
NO – Jimmy Graham 1-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Ravens 21–14, Drive: 9 plays, 92 yards, 2:52.

Third quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 47-yard field goal, Ravens 21–17, Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 4:08.
BAL – Billy Cundiff 33-yard field goal, Ravens 24–17, Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 4:09.

Fourth quarter

NO – Lance Moore 15-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Tied 24–24, Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:31.
BAL – Billy Cundiff 32-yard field goal, Ravens 27–24, Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 1:31.
BAL – Billy Cundiff 27-yard field goal, Ravens 30–24, Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:38.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 29/46, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
BAL – Joe Flacco – 10/20, 172 yards, 2 touchdowns

Top rushers

NO – Pierre Thomas – 6 rushes, 20 yards
BAL – Ray Rice – 31 rushes, 153 yards

Top receivers

NO – Marques Colston – 6 receptions, 80 yards
BAL – Ray Rice – 5 receptions, 80 yards, 1 touchdown

Top tacklers

NO – Jonathan Vilma – 8 tackles, 3 assists
BAL – Jarret Johnson – 6 tackles, 1 assist, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

With the loss, the Saints fell to 10–4.

Week 16: at Atlanta Falcons[]

Week 16: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	3	7	0	7	17
Falcons	0	7	0	7	14

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Date: December 27
Game time: 8:30 pm. EST
Game weather: None (dome stadium)
Game attendance: 70,144
Referee: Ed Hochuli
TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden, Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber
Recap

Game information

First quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 52-yard field goal, Saints 3–0, Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 4:19.

Second quarter

NO – Pierre Thomas 2-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 10–0, Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 2:20.
ATL – Roddy White 7-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), Saints 10–7, Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:50.

Third quarter

No scoring plays

Fourth quarter

ATL – Chauncey Davis 26-yard interception return (Matt Bryant kick), Falcons 14–10.
NO – Jimmy Graham 6-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), Saints 17–14, Drive: 13 plays, 90 yards, 7:11.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 35/49, 302 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions
ATL – Matt Ryan – 15/29, 148 yards, 1 touchdown

Top rushers

NO – Pierre Thomas – 19 rushes, 63 yards, 1 touchdown
ATL – Michael Turner – 17 rushes, 48 yards

Top receivers

NO – Robert Meachem – 10 receptions, 101 yards
ATL – Roddy White – 3 receptions, 43 yards, 1 touchdown

Top tacklers

NO – Jo-Lonn Dunbar – 5 tackles, 1 assist
ATL – Curtis Lofton – 6 tackles, 5 assists

Looking to clinch a playoff berth and avenge their Week 3 loss against the Falcons, the Saints traveled to Atlanta for a Monday Night rematch. New Orleans would score first with Garrett Hartley kicking a FG from 52 yards late in the first quarter. RB Pierre Thomas would add to the Saints' lead with a 2-yard TD run; however, Atlanta would respond with a Matt Ryan 7-yard TD pass to Roddy White to cut the lead to three. After a scoreless third quarter, the Falcons took the lead with Chauncey Davis returning an interception 26 yards for a touchdown. New Orleans reclaimed the lead late in the 4th with a Drew Brees 6-yard TD pass to Jimmy Graham. Atlanta attempted to come back; however, New Orleans held on for the win.

With the win, the Saints improved to 11–4 and clinched a playoff berth, becoming the first team in the NFC South to earn consecutive playoff appearances.

Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers[]

Week 17: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Buccaneers	3	7	10	3	23
Saints	7	0	3	3	13

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Date: January 2
Game time: 12:00 pm. CST
Game weather: None (dome stadium)
Referee: Gene Steratore
TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman and Brian Billick

Game information

First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Top passers

TB –
NO –

Top rushers

TB –
NO –

Top receivers

TB –
NO –

Top tacklers

TB –
NO –

The Saints' sixteenth game was an NFC South rivalry rematch against the Buccaneers inside their dome. In the first quarter the Saints trailed early as kicker Connor Barth hit a 43-yard field goal, but took the lead with QB Drew Brees throwing a 4-yard TD pass to TE Jimmy Graham. The Buccaneers replied with QB Josh Freeman completing a 2-yard TD pass to WR Dezmon Briscoe, but the Saints tied the game with kicker Garrett Hartley nailing a 45-yard field goal. However, they fell behind again with Barth hitting a 32-yard field goal, followed by Freeman making an 18-yard TD pass to WR Mike Williams. The Saints tried to narrow the gap with Hartley making a 38-yard field goal, but the Buccaneers pulled away with Barth nailing a 48-yard field goal.

With the loss, the Saints finish their regular season on an 11–5 record.

Postseason results[]

Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent (seed)	Results		Game Site	TV	Recap
Week	Date	Kickoff	Opponent (seed)	Final score	Team record	Game Site	TV	Recap
WC	January 8	1:30 pm PST	at Seattle Seahawks (4)	L 36–41	0–1	Qwest Field	NBC	Recap

NFC Wild Card playoffs: at Seattle Seahawks[]

New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	10	10	0	16	36
Seahawks	7	17	10	7	41

at Qwest Field, Seattle, Washington

Date: January 8
Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/1:30 p.m. PST
Game weather: 40 °F (Cloudy)
Game attendance: 66,336
Referee: Walt Coleman
TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond (play-by-play), Mike Mayock (color commentator), and Alex Flanagan (sideline reporter)
Reference

Game information

First quarter

NO – Garrett Hartley 26-yard field goal, 11:47. Saints 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:17.
NO – Heath Evans 1-yard pass from Drew Brees (Garrett Hartley kick), 6:25. Saints 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 35 yards, 4:11.
SEA – John Carlson 11-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Olindo Mare kick), 3:43.Saints 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 2:43.

Second quarter

NO – Julius Jones 5-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), 13:42. Saints 17–7. Drive: 10 plays, 83 yards, 5:00.
SEA – John Carlson 7-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Olindo Mare kick), 11:06. Saints 17–14. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:38.
SEA – Olindo Mare 29-yard field goal, 7:07. Tied 17–17. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:47.
SEA – Brandon Stokley 45-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Olindo Mare kick), 1:23. Seahawks 24–17. Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 3:48.
NO – Garrett Hartley 22-yard field goal, 0:03. Seahawks 24–20. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 1:15.

Third quarter

SEA – Mike Williams 38-yard pass from Matt Hasselbeck (Olindo Mare kick), 11:55.Seahawks 31–20. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 3:12.
SEA – Olindo Mare 39 field goal, 5:31. Seahawks 34–20. Drive: 9 plays, 33 yards, 4:12.

Fourth quarter

NO – Julius Jones 4-yard run (Garrett Hartley kick), 13:16. Seahawks 34–27. Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 4:41.
NO – Garrett Hartley 21-yard field goal, 9:16. Seahawks 34–30. Drive: 8 plays, 53 yards, 3:27.
SEA – Marshawn Lynch 67-yard run (Olindo Mare kick), 3:38. Seahawks 41–30. Drive: 2 plays, 67 yards, 0:58.
NO – Devery Henderson 6-yard pass from Drew Brees (run failed), 1:34. Seahawks 41–36. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 1:52.

Top passers

NO – Drew Brees – 39/60, 404 yards
SEA – Matt Hasselbeck – 22/35, 272 yards

Top rushers

NO – Julius Jones – 15 rushes, 59 yards
SEA – Marshawn Lynch – 19 rushes, 131 yards

Top receivers

NO – Devery Henderson – 7 rec, 77 yards
SEA – Brandon Stokley – 4 rec, 73 yards

Entering the postseason as the NFC's #5 seed, the Saints began their playoff run at Qwest Field for the NFC Wild Card Round against the #4 Seattle Seahawks in a rematch of their Week 11 duel. The Seahawks entered the playoffs as the only team to ever make the playoffs with a losing record, theirs being 7–9. New Orleans delivered the game's opening strike in the first quarter with a 26-yard field goal from kicker Garrett Hartley, followed by quarterback Drew Brees finding fullback Heath Evans on a 1-yard touchdown pass. The Seahawks would answer with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck completing an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end John Carlson. The Saints struck back in the second quarter with a 5-yard touchdown run from running back Julius Jones, but Seattle took the lead with Hasselbeck's 7-yard touchdown pass to Carlson, kicker Olindo Mare making a 29-yard field goal, and Hasselbeck completing a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Brandon Stokley. New Orleans would close out the half with Hartley's 22-yard field goal.

The Seahawks continued to hack away in the third quarter as Hasselbeck threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mike Williams, followed by Mare's 39-yard field goal. The Saints tried to rally in the fourth quarter as Jones got a 4-yard touchdown run, followed by Hartley's 21-yard field goal, but Seattle delivered a punishing blow as running back Marshawn Lynch got a 67-yard touchdown run. New Orleans tried to catch up with Brees connecting with wide receiver Devery Henderson (with a failed two-point conversion), but a failed onside kick sealed any hope of a comeback.

With the loss, the Saints, with an overall record of 11–6, were dethroned as Super Bowl champions. This was the sixth consecutive year the defending world champions failed to repeat their title.

Personnel[]

Coaching staff[]

New Orleans Saints 2010 staff

Front office

Owner/president – Tom Benson
Owner/executive vice president – Rita Benson LeBlanc
Executive vice president/general manager – Mickey Loomis
Director of football administration –
Director of pro scouting – Ryan Pace
Director of college scouting –
Assistant director of college scouting –

Head coaches

Head coach – Sean Payton
Assistant head coach/linebackers – Joe Vitt

Offensive coaches

Offensive coordinator – Pete Carmichael Jr.
Quarterbacks – Joe Lombardi
Running backs – Bret Ingalls
Wide receivers – Curtis Johnson
Tight ends – Terry Malone
Offensive line/running game – Aaron Kromer
Offensive assistant –
Offensive assistant – Frank Smith

Defensive coaches

Defensive coordinator – Gregg Williams
Defensive line – Bill Johnson
Assistant defensive line – Travis Jones
Secondary – Dennis Allen
Assistant secondary – Tony Oden
Defensive assistant -
Defensive assistant -
Defensive assistant - Brian Young

Special teams coaches

Special teams coordinator – Greg McMahon
Assistant special teams – Mike Mallory

Strength and conditioning

Head strength and conditioning –
Assistant strength and conditioning –
Strength and conditioning assistant –

Final roster[]

**2010 New Orleans Saints final roster**

	Quarterbacks 9 Drew Brees 10 Chase Daniel Running backs 43 Joique Bell 25 Reggie Bush PR 44 Heath Evans FB 21 Julius Jones 35 DeShawn Wynn Wide receivers 87 Adrian Arrington 12 Marques Colston 19 Devery Henderson 17 Robert Meachem KR 16 Lance Moore Tight ends 80 Jimmy Graham 84 Tory Humphrey 88 Jeremy Shockey 85 David Thomas FB		Offensive linemen 71 Charles Brown T 74 Jermon Bushrod T 73 Jahri Evans G 76 Jonathan Goodwin C 77 Carl Nicks G 78 Jon Stinchcomb T 64 Zach Strief T 65 Matt Tennant C Defensive linemen 92 Remi Ayodele DT 96 Alex Brown DE 97 Jeff Charleston DE 98 Sedrick Ellis DT 93 Junior Galette DE 69 Anthony Hargrove DE/DT 91 Will Smith DE 99 Jimmy Wilkerson DE		Linebackers 55 Danny Clark OLB 56 Jo-Lonn Dunbar OLB 54 Ramon Humber OLB 94 Kawika Mitchell OLB 50 Marvin Mitchell ILB 58 Scott Shanle OLB 51 Jonathan Vilma ILB 59 Anthony Waters OLB Defensive backs 37 Matt Giordano SS 33 Jabari Greer CB 41 Roman Harper SS 27 Malcolm Jenkins FS 22 Tracy Porter CB 31 Pierson Prioleau SS 34 Patrick Robinson CB 42 Darren Sharper FS 24 Leigh Torrence CB 28 Usama Young FS Special teams 47 Justin Drescher LS 5 Garrett Hartley K 6 Thomas Morstead P		Reserve lists 53 Stanley Arnoux ILB (IR) 46 Ladell Betts RB (IR) 52 Jonathan Casillas OLB (IR) 20 Randall Gay CB (IR) 30 Lynell Hamilton RB (IR) 32 P. J. Hill RB (IR) 29 Chris Ivory RB (IR) 57 Jason Kyle LS (IR) -- Marcus Mailei FB (IR) 39 Chris Reis SS (IR) 15 Courtney Roby WR (IR) 23 Pierre Thomas RB (IR) Practice squad 70 Roger Allen III G/T 95 Ezra Butler OLB 4 Sean Canfield QB 45 Jed Collins FB 60 Brian de la Puente G 75 Mitch King DT 38 Mark Parson CB 36 Chris Taylor RB Rookies in italics 53 active, 12 inactive, 8 practice squad

References[]

^ ESPN.com staff (2010-02-08). "2010 NFL draft order". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
^ ^a ^b "NFL Transactions Report – New Orleans Saints". National Football League. 2010 NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
^ ^a ^b "New Orleans Saints – Transactions". Neworleanssaints.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-20.
^ King, Kevin (2010-02-19). "Former OSU Receiver D'Juan Woods Cut By Saints". KTUL. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2010-02-20.^{[dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c Staton, Ed (2010-03-05). "New Orleans Saints; Charles Grant, Jake Delhomme, Mark Simoneau". . . Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-03-05.

External links[]

2010 New Orleans Saints at Pro-Football-Reference.com

[firstpicks-1] ESPN.com staff (2010-02-08). "2010 NFL draft order". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on 8 February 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2010.

[2010_NFL_Enterprises_LLC-2] "NFL Transactions Report – New Orleans Saints". National Football League. 2010 NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved 2010-02-20.

[New_Orleans_Saints_–_Transactions-3] "New Orleans Saints – Transactions". Neworleanssaints.com. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-20.

[4] King, Kevin (2010-02-19). "Former OSU Receiver D'Juan Woods Cut By Saints". KTUL. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved 2010-02-20.^{[dead link]}

[Staton-5] Staton, Ed (2010-03-05). "New Orleans Saints; Charles Grant, Jake Delhomme, Mark Simoneau". . . Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2010-03-05.

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v t New Orleans Saints
Founded in 1967 Based in New Orleans, Louisiana Headquartered in Metairie, Louisiana
Franchise	Franchise Seasons History Players Coaches Expansion draft First-round draft picks Starting quarterbacks Broadcasters
Stadiums	Tulane Stadium Caesars Superdome Temporary home venues in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina: Alamodome Giants Stadium Tiger Stadium
Culture	Gumbo Sir Saint Saintsations Who Dat? Tom Benson Effect of Hurricane Katrina Buddy D "When the Saints Go Marching In" Home Team Number One A Saintly Switch
Lore	"Aints" (1–15) Dempsey's 63-yard field goal Dome Patrol Ricky Williams trade River City Relay Beast Quake Bountygate Minneapolis Miracle NOLA No-Call
Rivalries	Atlanta Falcons Minnesota Vikings Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Wild card berths (5)	1987 1990 1992 2010 2013
Division championships (9)	1991 2000 2006 2009 2011 2017 2018 2019 2020
Conference championships (1)	2009
League championships (1)	2009 (XLIV)
Retired numbers	31 81
Ring of Honor	Andersen Benson Jackson Manning Mills Roaf Smith
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: South Division

v t New Orleans Saints seasons
1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory