| Team: | New Orleans Saints |
| Year: | 2013 |
| Record: | 11–5 |
| Division Place: | 2nd NFC South |
| Coach: | Sean Payton |
| Owner: | Tom Benson |
| General Manager: | Mickey Loomis |
| Off Coach: | Pete Carmichael Jr. |
| Def Coach: | Rob Ryan |
| Stadium: | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
| Playoffs: | Won 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) |
| Shortnavlink: | Saints seasons |
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.
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.
| Pos. | Player | 2012 Team | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| CB | 5 years, $25.5 million | ||
| TE | 3 years, $4.9 million | ||
| LB | 2 years, $3 million | ||
| DE | 1 year, $1 million | ||
| CB | 1 year, $840,000 | ||
| QB | 1 year, $840,000 | ||
| OT | 1 year, $780,000 | ||
| WR | 1 year, $715,000 | ||
| Pos. | Player | Contract |
|---|---|---|
| WR | 1 year, $905,000 | |
| LB | 1 year, $765,000 | |
| OLB | 1 year, $740,000 | |
| Pos. | Player | 2013 Team |
|---|---|---|
| OT | Chicago Bears | |
| QB | Kansas City Chiefs | |
| LB | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
| S | Buffalo Bills | |
| CB | Houston Texans | |
| QB | San Francisco 49ers | |
| WR | ||
| LB | ||
See main article: 2013 NFL draft.
[1] NotesThe 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.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 9 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 17–13 | 1–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 2 | August 16 | Oakland Raiders | W 28–20 | 2–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 3 | August 25 | at Houston Texans | W 31–23 | 3–0 | Reliant Stadium | Recap | |
| 4 | August 29 | at Miami Dolphins | L 21–24 | 3–1 | Sun Life Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 8 | Atlanta Falcons | W 23–17 | 1–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 2 | September 15 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 16–14 | 2–0 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 22 | Arizona Cardinals | W 31–7 | 3–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 4 | Miami Dolphins | W 38–17 | 4–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | ||
| 5 | October 6 | at Chicago Bears | W 26–18 | 5–0 | Soldier Field | Recap | |
| 6 | October 13 | at New England Patriots | L 27–30 | 5–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | Bye | ||||||
| 8 | October 27 | Buffalo Bills | W 35–17 | 6–1 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 9 | November 3 | at New York Jets | L 20–26 | 6–2 | MetLife Stadium | Recap | |
| 10 | November 10 | Dallas Cowboys | W 49–17 | 7–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 11 | November 17 | San Francisco 49ers | W 23–20 | 8–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 12 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 17–13 | 9–2 | Georgia Dome | Recap | ||
| 13 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 7–34 | 9–3 | CenturyLink Field | Recap | ||
| 14 | December 8 | Carolina Panthers | W 31–13 | 10–3 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
| 15 | December 15 | at St. Louis Rams | L 16–27 | 10–4 | Edward Jones Dome | Recap | |
| 16 | December 22 | at Carolina Panthers | L 13–17 | 10–5 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | December 29 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 42–17 | 11–5 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap | |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
With the win against Atlanta, the Saints began their season to 1-0.
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.
After a 2-0 start, the Saints faced the Cardinals. With a dominant 31-7 win, they improved to 3-0.
With the win, the Saints improved to 4-0.
With the win at Chicago, they improve to 5-0. This was the second time the Saints beat the Bears.
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.
Coming off a loss to New England on the road, they face the Bills at home. With the win, they improve to 6-1.
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.
The Saints beat the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers with a game-winning field goal. With the victory, they improve to 8-2.
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.
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.
The Saints would beat the Panthers 31-13, thus improving to 10-3.
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.
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.
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.
See main article: 2013–14 NFL playoffs.
| Playoff round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wild Card | at Philadelphia Eagles (3) | W 26–24 | 1–0 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap | ||
| Divisional | at Seattle Seahawks (1) | L 15–23 | 1–1 | CenturyLink Field | Recap |
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.[3]
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.[4]