2013 New Orleans Saints season

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.

2013 New Orleans Saints season
OwnerTom Benson
General managerMickey Loomis
Head coachSean Payton
Offensive coordinatorPete Carmichael Jr.
Defensive coordinatorRob Ryan
Home fieldMercedes-Benz Superdome
Results
Record11–5
Division place2nd NFC South
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(at Eagles) 26–24
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Seahawks) 15–23
Pro BowlersDrew Brees, QB
Jahri Evans, G
Jimmy Graham, TE
Cameron Jordan, DE
AP All-ProsJimmy Graham (1st team)
Jahri Evans (2nd team)
Uniform

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

Offseason

Signings
Pos.Player2012 TeamContract
CBKeenan LewisPittsburgh Steelers5 years, $25.5 million
TEBenjamin WatsonCleveland Browns3 years, $4.9 million
LBVictor ButlerDallas Cowboys2 years, $3 million
DEKenyon ColemanDallas Cowboys1 year, $1 million
CBChris CarrSan Diego Chargers1 year, $840,000
QBLuke McCownAtlanta Falcons1 year, $840,000
OTJason SmithNew York Jets1 year, $780,000
WRRobert MeachemSan Diego Chargers1 year, $715,000

Re-Signings
Pos.PlayerContract
WRCourtney Roby1 year, $905,000
LBWill Herring1 year, $765,000
OLBRamon Humber1 year, $740,000

Departures
Pos.Player2013 Team
OTJermon BushrodChicago Bears
QBChase DanielKansas City Chiefs
LBJonathan CasillasTampa Bay Buccaneers
SJim LeonhardBuffalo Bills
CBElbert MackHouston Texans
QBSeneca WallaceSan Francisco 49ers
WRSteve Breaston
LBScott Shanle

2013 draft class
Main article: 2013 NFL Draft
2013 New Orleans Saints draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 15 Kenny Vaccaro  Safety Texas
3 75 Terron Armstead *  Offensive tackle Arkansas–Pine Bluff
3 82 John Jenkins  Defensive tackle Georgia
5 144 Kenny Stills  Wide receiver Oklahoma
6 183 Rufus Johnson  Defensive end Tarleton State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

Notes The 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.

Staff
2013 New Orleans Saints staff
Front office
  • Owner/chairman – Tom Benson
  • Owner/vice chairman – Rita Benson LeBlanc
  • President – Dennis Lauscha
  • Executive vice president/general manager – Mickey Loomis
  • Director of football administration – Khai Harley
  • Director of player personnel – Ryan Pace
  • Director of pro scouting – Terry Fontenot
  • Director of college scouting – Rick Reiprish
  • Assistant director of college scouting – Brian Adams

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Rob Ryan
  • Defensive line – Bill Johnson
  • Secondary – Wesley McGriff
  • Assistant secondary – Andre Curtis
  • Defensive assistant – Marcus Ungaro
  • Defensive assistant/linebackers – Brian Young

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams coordinator – Greg McMahon
  • Assistant special teams – Stan Kwan

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Dan Dalrymple
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Charles Byrd
  • Weight room assistant – Robert Wenning

Final roster
2013 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, 14 inactive, 8 practice squad

Preseason
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

Regular season

Schedule
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 September 30 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 November 21 at Atlanta Falcons W 17–13 9–2 Georgia Dome Recap
13 December 2 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.

Week 1: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week One: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 10 0 7017
Saints 0 13 7323

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

With the win against Atlanta, the Saints began their season to 1-0.

Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week Two: New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 10 0 3316
Buccaneers 7 0 0714

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

Game information

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.

Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week Three: Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cardinals 7 0 007
Saints 7 7 31431

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

After a 2-0 start, the Saints faced the Cardinals. With a dominant 31-7 win, they improved to 3-0.

Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins
Week Four: Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Dolphins 3 7 0717
Saints 7 14 14338

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

With the win, the Saints improved to 4-0.

Week 5: at Chicago Bears
Week Five: New Orleans Saints at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 6 14 3326
Bears 0 7 3818

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Game information

With the win at Chicago, they improve to 5-0. This was the second time the Saints beat the Bears.

Week 6: at New England Patriots
Week Six: New Orleans Saints at New England Patriots – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 0 101027
Patriots 3 14 31030

at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts

  • Date: October 13
  • Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/3:25 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), partly cloudy
  • Game attendance: 68,756
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

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.

Week 8: vs. Buffalo Bills
Week Eight: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bills 0 10 0717
Saints 7 14 7735

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

Coming off a loss to New England on the road, they face the Bills at home. With the win, they improve to 6-1.

Week 9: at New York Jets
Week Nine: New Orleans Saints at New York Jets – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 7 3320
Jets 3 17 3326

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: November 3
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C)
  • Game attendance: 76,957
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Molly McGrath
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

Coming off with the win against Buffalo, they face the Jets on the road. Despite being significantly favored, the Saints would lose this game, thus making their record 6-2.

Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week Ten: Dallas Cowboys at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 3 7 7017
Saints 7 21 71449

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

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.

Week 11: vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week Eleven: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
49ers 0 10 7320
Saints 7 7 0923

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: November 17
  • Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,025
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

The Saints beat the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers with a game-winning field goal. With the victory, they improve to 8-2.

Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons
Week Twelve: New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 7 7 3017
Falcons 7 6 0013

at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia

Game information

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.

Week 13: at Seattle Seahawks
Week Thirteen: New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 7 007
Seahawks 17 10 7034

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

  • Date: December 2
  • Game time: 7:40 p.m. CST/5:40 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), cloudy
  • Game attendance: 68,387
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

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.

Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers
Week Fourteen: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 6 0 0713
Saints 0 21 3731

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: December 8
  • Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,089
  • Referee: Walt Anderson
  • TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

The Saints would beat the Panthers 31-13, thus improving to 10-3.

Week 15: at St. Louis Rams
Week Fifteen: New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Rams – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 3 01316
Rams 14 10 3027

at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri

Game information

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.

Week 16: at Carolina Panthers
Week Sixteen: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 6 0713
Panthers 0 7 3717

at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina

  • Date: December 22
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), rainy
  • Game attendance: 73,825
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
  • Recap, Game book
Game information

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.

Week 17: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week Seventeen: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Buccaneers 7 7 3017
Saints 14 14 7742

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

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.

Division
NFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Carolina Panthers 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 366 241 W3
(6) New Orleans Saints 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 414 304 W1
Atlanta Falcons 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 353 443 L2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 288 389 L3

Conference
NFC[3][4]
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1 Seattle Seahawks West 13 3 0 .813 4–2 10–2 .490 .445 W1
2 Carolina Panthers South 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .494 .451 W3
3 Philadelphia Eagles East 10 6 0 .625 4–2 9–3 .453 .391 W2
4 Green Bay Packers North 8 7 1 .531 3–2–1 6–5–1 .453 .371 W1
Wild cards
5 San Francisco 49ers West 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .494 .414 W6
6 New Orleans Saints South 11 5 0 .688 5–1 9–3 .516 .455 W1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7 Arizona Cardinals West 10 6 0 .625 2–4 6–6 .531 .444 L1
8[lower-alpha 1] Chicago Bears North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 4–8 .465 .469 L2
9 Dallas Cowboys East 8 8 0 .500 5–1 7–5 .484 .363 L1
10[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 3] New York Giants East 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 .520 .366 W2
11[lower-alpha 4] Detroit Lions North 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 .457 .402 L4
12 St. Louis Rams West 7 9 0 .438 1–5 4–8 .551 .446 L1
13 Minnesota Vikings North 5 10 1 .344 2–3–1 4–7–1 .512 .450 W1
14[lower-alpha 5] Atlanta Falcons South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 .553 .313 L2
15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers South 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 .574 .391 L3
16 Washington Redskins East 3 13 0 .188 0–6 1–11 .516 .438 L8
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 6]
  1. Chicago defeated Dallas head-to-head (Week 14, 45–28).
  2. The New York Giants and Detroit finished with a better conference record than St. Louis.
  3. The New York Giants defeated Detroit head-to-head (Week 16, 23–20 (OT)).
  4. Detroit finished with a better conference record than St. Louis.
  5. Atlanta finished with a better conference record than Tampa Bay.
  6. 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

Schedule
Main article: 2013–14 NFL playoffs
Playoff roundDateOpponentResultRecordGame siteNFL.com
recap
Wild Card January 4, 2014 at Philadelphia Eagles (3) W 26–24 1–0 Lincoln Financial Field Recap
Divisional January 11, 2014 at Seattle Seahawks (1) L 15–23 1–1 CenturyLink Field Recap

NFC Wild Card Round: at #3 Philadelphia Eagles
NFC Wild Card Round: #6 New Orleans Saints at #3 Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 6 14626
Eagles 0 7 71024

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Game information

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.[5]

NFC Divisional Round: at #1 Seattle Seahawks
NFC Divisional Round: #6 New Orleans Saints at #1 Seattle Seahawks – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints 0 0 01515
Seahawks 6 10 0723

at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington

Game information

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.[6]

References
  1. "1947 Green Bay Packers Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  2. "New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks - December 2nd, 2013". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  3. "2013 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  4. "2013 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  5. "Wild Card - New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles - January 4th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  6. "Divisional Round - New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks - January 11th, 2014". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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