Here’s my list of the top 10 Saints teams since the 2009 season.
10. 2012
Coming in at number 10 is the 2012 Saints. 2012 was the year without Sean Payton. The team went 7-9 while being coached by Aaron Kromer and Joe Vitt and finished 3rd in the NFC South behind the 13-3 Falcons and 7-9 Panthers, but ahead of the 7-9 Bucs.
9. 2015
Up next at number 9 is the 2015 season. For the second year in a row, the Saints would finish a whopping 7-9 (shocker, I know). I was torn between 2015 and 2016 as both years were 7-9 and third in the NFC South, but it ultimately came down to points scored and point scored against. (2015 – 408 scored, 476 scored against and 2016 – 469 scored, 454 scored against).
8. 2016
Number 8 is 2016 (the last time 2k Sports released a good game). 2016 would be the third year in a row that the Black and Gold finished 7-9, but their eighth straight year finishing ahead of Tampa Bay. Like I said before, 2015 and 2016 came down to point for and points against.
7. 2014
Number 7 is of course another 7-9 year, 2014. However, the Falcons and Bucs somehow managed to do even worse (6-10 for ATL and 2-14 for the 813/656). A fun fact about 2014 is the Bucs tied with the Titans for the worst record in the NFL that season. Although I have to admit the Bucs did score more points as well as hold other teams to fewer points than the Titans did.
6. 2010
Good news, Saints fans, no more losing records from this point on. Number 6 is the year after our glorious Super Bowl victory against the Colts. The 2010 reigning Super Bowl champs finished 11-5 below the 13-3 Falcons. The Saints seriously underperformed in the playoffs this year losing 41-36 in the wildcard round against the 7-6 Seahawks.
5. 2013
In the middle of the pack is 2013. The Saints would once again go 11-5 and finish second in the division. However, this time around, WhoDatNation would lose 23-15 against a 13-3 Seattle in the divisional round. The good news, though, is we beat Philly 26-24 at Lincoln Financial Field before heading to Seattle.
4. 2017
Number 4 is 2017 (yes, another 11-5 year, second in the NFC South, and 1-1 in the playoffs year). This year is one of the more painful years to talk about. The 2017 playoffs brought some good news and some really really bad news. The goods news is that we beat Carolina 31-26 at home in the wild card round. The bad news is that Manti Teo’s college girlfriend pushed Marcus Williams from behind, leaving him unable to stop Stefon Diggs’ game-winning touchdown.
3. 2019
If you’re still reading, congratulations, you made it to the top three. Number 3 is the 2019-2020 season. The Saints went 13-3 and won the division. It was a pretty great season until the playoffs came around. Long story short, we did what we always do against the Vikings in the playoffs, lose at the last second.
2. 2009
I highly doubt any of you are still reading this, but i’ll continue just in case. This is going to be my hottest take of all time. Number 2 is actually the 2009 team that beat HOF quarterback, Peyton Manning in the Superbowl. I know what you are thinking. How can a team that didn’t win the super bowl be above the team that did? but hear me out. I believe that the 2009 team was less talented than the 2018 team.
1. 2018
There’s actually no way anybody is reading this, but if you are, what’s up? The best Saints team since the 2009 season. The 2018 Saints team went 13-3, won the division, but lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship 26-23 in OT. I believe that had the Saints won this game, they would not only win the Superbowl, but the world would see what might’ve been the best Super Bowl matchup in NFL history. Maybe it wouldn’t have been the best matchup, but it would certainly be the most watched. Who wouldn’t want to see Brees vs Brady?
My name is Peter Laughlin and you can find me on Instagram @_PeterLaughlin. I am 20 years old and I was born and raised in New Orleans.
