| Team: | New Orleans Saints |
| Year: | 1979 |
| Record: | 8–8 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC West |
| Coach: | Dick Nolan |
| Stadium: | Louisiana Superdome |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Shortnavlink: | Saints seasons |
The 1979 New Orleans Saints season was the team's thirteenth season in the National Football League. The Saints finished the season at 8–8, the franchise's first non-losing season. After starting 0–3, New Orleans won seven of its next 10 and was tied for first place with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West with three weeks to play, but the season unraveled in a Monday Night Football contest at home vs. the Oakland Raiders, when the Saints squandered a 35–14 lead and lost, 42–35. The Raiders returned to the Superdome a little over a year later and won Super Bowl XV.
The Saints were eliminated from playoff contention in week 15 when they were blown out 35–0 at home by the San Diego Chargers, but defeated the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams in the regular season finale in what was the Rams' last game in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 2016. While the Rams went on to represent the NFC in Super Bowl XIV, the Saints ended their season with a record of 8-8, the first time in the history of the franchise that the team finished with a non-losing record. Not counting the 1976 expansion Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans was one of three franchises which failed to make the playoffs in the 1970s, joined by the Giants and the Jets (the other 1976 expansion team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, won the NFC Central Division in 1979).
Following the season, running back Chuck Muncie was named Most Valuable Player of the ensuing Pro Bowl.
See main article: 1979 NFL draft. [1]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | Atlanta Falcons | L 34–40 | 0–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 70,940 | |
| 2 | September 9 | at Green Bay Packers | L 19–28 | 0-2 | Milwaukee County Stadium | 53,184 | |
| 3 | September 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 14–26 | 0-3 | Louisiana Superdome | 54,212 | |
| 4 | September 23 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 30–21 | 1-3 | Candlestick Park | 39,727 | |
| 5 | September 30 | New York Giants | W 24–14 | 2-3 | Louisiana Superdome | 51,543 | |
| 6 | October 7 | Los Angeles Rams | L 17–35 | 2-4 | Louisiana Superdome | 68,986 | |
| 7 | October 14 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 42–14 | 3-4 | Tampa Stadium | 67,640 | |
| 8 | October 21 | Detroit Lions | W 17–7 | 4-4 | Louisiana Superdome | 57,428 | |
| 9 | October 28 | at Washington Redskins | W 14–10 | 5–4 | RFK Stadium | 52,133 | |
| 10 | November 4 | at Denver Broncos | L 3–10 | 5–5 | Mile High Stadium | 74,482 | |
| 11 | November 11 | San Francisco 49ers | W 31–20 | 6–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 65,551 | |
| 12 | November 18 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 24–38 | 6–6 | Kingdome | 60,055 | |
| 13 | November 25 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 37–6 | 7–6 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 42,815 | |
| 14 | Oakland Raiders | L 35–42 | 7–7 | Louisiana Superdome | 65,541 | ||
| 15 | December 9 | San Diego Chargers | L 0–35 | 7–8 | Louisiana Superdome | 61,059 | |
| 16 | December 16 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 29–14 | 8–8 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 53,879 | |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. | |||||||
See also: 1979 Oakland Raiders season.