2017 New Orleans Saints season
OwnerTom Benson
General managerMickey Loomis
Head coachSean Payton
Offensive coordinatorPete Carmichael Jr.
Defensive coordinatorDennis Allen
Home fieldMercedes-Benz Superdome
Results
Record11–5
Division place1st NFC South
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Panthers) 31–26
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Vikings) 24–29
Pro Bowlers
7
AP All-Pros
2
Uniform

The 2017 season was the New Orleans Saints' 51st in the National Football League (NFL), their 42nd playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 11th under head coach Sean Payton. The team improved on their 7–9 output from the previous season, while achieving an eight-game winning streak after losing their first two contests, their longest streak (tied with their 2011 team) since 2009, when they won Super Bowl XLIV. In Week 13 the Saints clinched their first winning season since 2013 and swept the Carolina Panthers for the first time since 2011. In Week 16, the Saints clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 17, the Saints clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2011 with the Panthers loss to the Falcons. This was the first of four consecutive NFC South titles for the Saints. On January 7, 2018 the Saints played their divisional rival Carolina Panthers in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They beat Carolina 31–26 in the Wild Card, but lost 29–24 to the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round in a shocking ending.

This year was Tom Benson's final season as owner of the Saints, as he died at the age of 90 on March 15, 2018 from influenza.[1]

Offseason

Signings

PositionPlayerAge2016 TeamContract
OGLarry Warford25Detroit Lions4 years, $34 million
DTNick Fairley29New Orleans Saints4 years, $28 million
LBA. J. Klein25Carolina Panthers4 years, $24 million
WRTed Ginn Jr.32Carolina Panthers3 years, $11 million
RBAdrian Peterson32Minnesota Vikings2 years, $7 million
LBManti Te'o26San Diego Chargers2 years, $5 million
OLBAlex Okafor26Arizona Cardinals1 year, $2 million
DEDarryl Tapp32New Orleans Saints1 year, $1 million
TEJohn Phillips29New Orleans Saints1 year, $980,000
CBSterling Moore27New Orleans Saints1 year, $900,000
QBChase Daniel30Philadelphia Eagles1 year, $900,000
FSRafael Bush29Detroit Lions1 year, $855,000
RBTravaris Cadet28New Orleans Saints1 year, $855,000

Releases

PositionPlayerAge2017 Team
OLBKasim Edebali27Denver Broncos
RBTim Hightower30San Francisco 49ers
GTim Lelito27Tennessee Titans
CBB. W. Webb27Chicago Bears
SJairus Byrd30Carolina Panthers
DEPaul Kruger31TBD
SSRoman Harper34TBD
OGJahri Evans33Green Bay Packers
CBKyle Wilson29TBD

Draft

2017 New Orleans Saints Draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollege
111 Marshon LattimoreCBOhio State
32 Ryan RamczykOTWisconsin
242 Marcus WilliamsFSUtah
367 Alvin KamaraRBTennessee
76 Alex AnzaloneOLBFlorida
103 Trey HendricksonDEFlorida Atlantic
6196 Al-Quadin MuhammadDEMiami

Staff

2017 New Orleans Saints staff
Front office
  • Owner – Tom Benson
  • President – Dennis Lauscha
  • Executive vice president/general manager – Mickey Loomis
  • Asst general manager/college scouting director – Jeff Ireland
  • Vice president of football administration – Khai Harley
  • Director of operations – James Nagaoka
  • Director of pro scouting – Terry Fontenot

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Dan Dalrymple
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Charles Byrd
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Rob Wenning

Final roster

2017 New Orleans Saints final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 27 inactive, 11 practice squad

Preseason

After three years of holding training camp at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, the Saints opted to move camp back to the team's headquarters facility in Metairie, Louisiana.[2]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 August 10 at Cleveland Browns L 14–20 0–1 FirstEnergy Stadium Recap
2 August 20 at Los Angeles Chargers W 13–7 1–1 StubHub Center Recap
3 August 26 Houston Texans W 13–0 2–1 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
4 August 31 Baltimore Ravens L 13–14 2–2 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap

Regular season

Schedule

On December 13, 2016, the NFL announced that the Saints will play the Miami Dolphins as one of the London Games at Wembley Stadium in London, England, with the Dolphins serving as the home team.[3] The game will occur during Week 4 (Sunday, October 1), and will be televised in the United States. The network and time will be announced in conjunction with the release of the regular season schedule.[4]

The Saints' 2017 schedule was revealed on April 20.[5]

Week Date Opponent Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
1 September 11 at Minnesota Vikings L 19–29 0–1 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap
2 September 17 New England Patriots L 20–36 0–2 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
3 September 24 at Carolina Panthers W 34–13 1–2 Bank of America Stadium Recap
4 October 1 at Miami Dolphins W 20–0 2–2 United Kingdom Wembley Stadium (London) Recap
5 Bye
6 October 15 Detroit Lions W 52–38 3–2 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
7 October 22 at Green Bay Packers W 26–17 4–2 Lambeau Field Recap
8 October 29 Chicago Bears W 20–12 5–2 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
9 November 5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 30–10 6–2 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
10 November 12 at Buffalo Bills W 47–10 7–2 New Era Field Recap
11 November 19 Washington Redskins W 34–31 (OT) 8–2 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
12 November 26 at Los Angeles Rams L 20–26 8–3 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Recap
13 December 3 Carolina Panthers W 31–21 9–3 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
14 December 7 at Atlanta Falcons L 17–20 9–4 Mercedes-Benz Stadium Recap
15 December 17 New York Jets W 31–19 10–4 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
16 December 24 Atlanta Falcons W 23–13 11–4 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
17 December 31 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 24–31 11–5 Raymond James Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings

Week One: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 3 3 31019
Vikings 3 13 31029

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Game information

In a playoff preview between these 2 teams, the Saints lost to the Vikings by a score of 29-19. Despite having a 6-3 lead at one time, the Saints were outscored 26-16 for the remainder of the game. With the loss, the Saints began the season 0-1 for the 4th straight season. It was also running back Adrian Peterson's first time playing in Minneapolis since leaving the Vikings via free agency in the offseason.

Week 2: vs. New England Patriots

Week Two: New England Patriots at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Patriots 20 10 3336
Saints 3 10 0720

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

The Saints lose to the defending Super Bowl champions, New England Patriots, thus dropping their record to 0-2.

Week 3: at Carolina Panthers

Week Three: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 10 71034
Panthers 3 3 7013

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

Game information

The Saints gain their first victory of the season against the Carolina Panthers. They improve to 1-2.

Week 4: at Miami Dolphins

NFL London Games

Week Four: New Orleans Saints at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 3 71020
Dolphins 0 0 000

at Wembley Stadium, London, England

Game information

Hoping to improve their record to 2-2, the Saints flew to London to take on the Miami Dolphins. With the shutout victory, the Saints improved their season record in the process.

Week 6: vs. Detroit Lions

Week Six: Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Lions 7 3 141438
Saints 17 14 14752

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Coming off with the perfect win over Miami, the Saints host the Lions at home in the Superdome. Cameron Jordan gained popularity for his "spider" tackle, as well as a pick six in the end zone. The Saints would beat the Lions for the first time since the 2011 season, and then improve their record to 3-2.

Week 7: at Green Bay Packers

Week Seven: New Orleans Saints at Green Bay Packers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 7 91026
Packers 7 7 0317

at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

  • Date: October 22
  • Game time: 12:00 pm. CDT
  • Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), rain
  • Game attendance: 78,380
  • Referee: Jerome Boger
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 8: vs. Chicago Bears

Week Eight: Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bears 0 3 3612
Saints 7 7 0620

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Nine: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 0 3 0710
Saints 9 7 14030

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 5
  • Game time: 12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,121
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 10: at Buffalo Bills

Week Ten: New Orleans Saints at Buffalo Bills – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 10 201047
Bills 3 0 0710

at New Era Field, Orchard Park, New York

  • Date: November 12
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. EST/12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: 42 °F (6 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 67,501
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber and Kristina Pink
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

Week 11: vs. Washington Redskins

Week Eleven: Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34OTTotal
Redskins 10 7 77031
Saints 10 3 018334

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

This would be the last time the team allowed a 100-yard rusher until December 13, 2020. This is also the first time since the 2009 season for the Saints to beat the Redskins and the first season to beat Kirk Cousins.

Week 12: at Los Angeles Rams

Week Twelve: New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 3 01020
Rams 10 7 3626

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: November 26
  • Game time: 3:25 pm. CST/1:25 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 62,006
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Saints weren't able to beat the Rams, thus dropping to 8-3.

Week 13: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Thirteen: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 7 7 0721
Saints 7 14 7331

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

The Saints clinched a winning record for the first time since 2013 and swept the Carolina Panthers for the first time since the Saints' 2011 Season. This improved their record to 9-3.

Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons

Week Fourteen: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 3 7 7017
Falcons 3 7 01020

at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

After a costly Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty committed by Sean Payton, the Saints were defeated by the Falcons. They fell to 9-4.

Week 15: vs. New York Jets

Week Fifteen: New York Jets at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jets 0 10 3619
Saints 10 7 01431

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

The Saints beat the Jets for the first time since the 2009 Season, improving their record to 10-4.

Week 16: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week Sixteen: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 0 31013
Saints 3 10 7323

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 24
  • Game time: 12:00 pm. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,188
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Saints meet the Falcons again, but this time, they beat them by 10 points. This also brought their record up to 11-4.

Week 17: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Seventeen: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 14 0 3724
Buccaneers 7 6 01831

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: December 31
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EST/3:25 pm. CST
  • Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), clear
  • Game attendance: 55,376
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Saints meet the Buccaneers on the road. However, Jameis Winston would win this game. The Saints finish their regular season 11-5 and advance to the Wild Card playoff game.

Standings

Division

NFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(4) New Orleans Saints 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 448 326 L1
(5) Carolina Panthers 11 5 0 .688 3–3 7–5 363 327 L1
(6) Atlanta Falcons 10 6 0 .625 4–2 9–3 353 315 W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 335 382 W1

Conference

NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[lower-alpha 1] Philadelphia Eagles East 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 .461 .433 L1
2[lower-alpha 1] Minnesota Vikings North 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 .492 .447 W3
3[lower-alpha 2] Los Angeles Rams West 11 5 0 .688 4–2 7–5 .504 .460 L1
4[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] New Orleans Saints South 11 5 0 .688 4–2 8–4 .535 .483 L1
Wild Cards
5[lower-alpha 3] Carolina Panthers South 11 5 0 .688 3–3 7–5 .539 .500 L1
6 Atlanta Falcons South 10 6 0 .625 4–2 9–3 .543 .475 W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[lower-alpha 4] Detroit Lions North 9 7 0 .563 5–1 8–4 .496 .368 W1
8[lower-alpha 4] Seattle Seahawks West 9 7 0 .563 4–2 7–5 .492 .444 L1
9[lower-alpha 4] Dallas Cowboys East 9 7 0 .563 5–1 7–5 .496 .438 W1
10 Arizona Cardinals West 8 8 0 .500 3–3 5–7 .488 .406 W2
11[lower-alpha 5] Green Bay Packers North 7 9 0 .438 2–4 5–7 .539 .357 L3
12[lower-alpha 5] Washington Redskins East 7 9 0 .438 1–5 5–7 .539 .429 L1
13 San Francisco 49ers West 6 10 0 .375 1–5 3–9 .512 .438 W5
14[lower-alpha 6] Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 .555 .375 W1
15[lower-alpha 6] Chicago Bears North 5 11 0 .313 0–6 1–11 .559 .500 L1
16 New York Giants East 3 13 0 .188 1–5 1–11 .531 .458 W1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
  1. 1 2 Philadelphia claimed the No. 1 seed over Minnesota based on winning percentage vs. common opponents. Philadelphia's cumulative record against Carolina, Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams and Washington was 5–0, compared to Minnesota's 4–1 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  2. 1 2 LA Rams claimed the No. 3 seed over New Orleans based on head-to-head victory.
  3. 1 2 New Orleans clinched the NFC South division over Carolina based on head-to-head sweep.
  4. 1 2 3 Detroit finished ahead of Dallas and Seattle based on conference record, while Seattle finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory.
  5. 1 2 Green Bay finished ahead of Washington based on record vs. common opponents. Green Bay's cumulative record against Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans and Seattle was 2–3, compared to Washington's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams.
  6. 1 2 Tampa Bay finished ahead of Chicago based on head-to-head victory.
  7. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

Postseason

Playoff round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Game site NFL.com
recap
Wild Card January 7, 2018 Carolina Panthers (5) W 31–26 1–0 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
Divisional January 14, 2018 at Minnesota Vikings (2) L 24–29 1–1 U.S. Bank Stadium Recap

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Carolina Panthers

NFC Wild Card Playoffs: (5) Carolina Panthers at (4) New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 9 31426
Saints 7 14 3731

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

The Saints meet the Panthers in the Playoffs for the first time. It also marked their first Wild Card victory against their division rival by five points. With their victory over the Panthers, the Saints extend their season by improving to 12-5 and advancing to the Divisional Playoff game.

NFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Minnesota Vikings

NFC Divisional Playoffs: (4) New Orleans Saints at (2) Minnesota Vikings – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 0 71724
Vikings 10 7 01229

at U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota

  • Date: January 14, 2018
  • Game time: 3:40 pm. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 66,612
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Chris Myers
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

References

  1. ↑ Healy, John (March 15, 2018). "Tom Benson, long-time owner of the New Orleans Saints, dead at 90". NY Daily News. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  2. ↑ Nick Underhill, "Saints to hold 2017 training camp in Metairie after ending stretch at Greenbrier", The Advocate, February 9, 2017.
  3. ↑ "2017 London games: NFL announces which teams will be playing". NFL. December 13, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  4. ↑ "NFL Confirms Wembley Dates for 2017 London Games". NFL. January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Saints 2017 Schedule Announced". www.neworleanssaints.com. April 20, 2017. Archived from the original on April 22, 2017. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
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