| Team: | New Orleans Saints |
| Year: | 1970 |
| Record: | 2–11–1 |
| Division Place: | 4th NFC West |
| Coach: | Tom Fears (1–5–1) J. D. Roberts (1–6) |
| General Manager: | Vic Schwenk |
| Owner: | John W. Mecom Jr. |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | None |
| Shortnavlink: | Saints seasons |
The 1970 New Orleans Saints season was the team's fourth as a member of the National Football League. After spending their first three seasons in the NFL's Eastern Conference, the Saints moved in 1970 to the West Division of the new National Football Conference. They failed to improve on their previous season's output winning only two games,[1] and failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.
Following a 1–5–1 start, head coach Tom Fears was fired by owner John W. Mecom Jr. and replaced by J.D. Roberts,[2] [3] [4] whose first game was a victory over the Detroit Lions at Tulane Stadium in which Tom Dempsey set an NFL record with a 63-yard field goal on the final play;[5] it broke the record held by Bert Rechichar of the Baltimore Colts by seven yards, set seventeen years Dempsey's record was tied by three: Jason Elam (Denver Broncos,), Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland Raiders,), and David Akers (San Francisco 49ers,). broken by Matt Prater of the Broncos in, at 64 yards at elevation in Colorado (Prater's record was broken in by Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens, who kicked a 66-yard game winner vs. the Lions).
The victory over the Lions was last of the season for the Saints, but both victories came over teams in the thick of the NFC playoff race. The other, a triumph over the New York Giants in week three, cost the Giants the NFC East division championship. The Lions qualified for the playoffs as the wild card from the NFC, but were nearly forced into a coin toss with the Dallas Cowboys, a situation which was only averted when the Giants lost their season finale to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Saints' 2–11–1 record was the worst in the NFC and gave them the second overall pick in the 1971 NFL draft; they selected quarterback Archie Manning of Mississippi.
See main article: article and 1970 NFL draft. [6]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 20 | Atlanta Falcons | L 3–14 | 0–1 | Tulane Stadium | 77,042 | |
| 2 | September 27 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 0–26 | 0–2 | Metropolitan Stadium | 47,900 | |
| 3 | October 4 | New York Giants | W 14–10 | 1–2 | Tulane Stadium | 69,126 | |
| 4 | October 11 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 17–24 | 1–3 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 45,294 | |
| 5 | October 18 | at San Francisco 49ers | T 20–20 | 1–3–1 | Kezar Stadium | 39,446 | |
| 6 | October 25 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 14–32 | 1–4–1 | Atlanta Stadium | 58,850 | |
| 7 | November 1 | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–30 | 1–5–1 | Tulane Stadium | 77,861 | |
| 8 | November 8 | Detroit Lions | W 19–17 | 2–5–1 | Tulane Stadium | 66,910 | |
| 9 | November 15 | at Miami Dolphins | L 10–21 | 2–6–1 | Miami Orange Bowl | 42,866 | |
| 10 | November 22 | Denver Broncos | L 6–31 | 2–7–1 | Tulane Stadium | 66,837 | |
| 11 | November 29 | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 6–26 | 2–8–1 | Riverfront Stadium | 59,342 | |
| 12 | December 6 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 16–34 | 2–9–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 66,410 | |
| 13 | December 13 | San Francisco 49ers | L 27–38 | 2–10–1 | Tulane Stadium | 61,940 | |
| 14 | December 20 | Chicago Bears | L 3–24 | 2–11–1 | Tulane Stadium | 63,518 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
Al Wester of WWL Radio describes Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal against the Detroit Lions.
Don Criqui describing the same play for CBS: