2013 New Orleans Saints season
The 2013 season was the New Orleans Saints' 47th in the National Football League 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 | |
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Owner | Tom Benson |
Head coach | Sean Payton |
General manager | Mickey Loomis |
Offensive coordinator | Pete Carmichael Jr. |
Defensive coordinator | Rob Ryan |
Home field | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
Results | |
Record | 11–5 |
Division place | 2nd NFC South |
Playoff finish | 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) |
Uniform | |
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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.
Offseason
Signings
Pos. | Player | 2012 Team | Contract |
---|---|---|---|
CB | Keenan Lewis | Pittsburgh Steelers | 5 years, $25.5 million |
TE | Benjamin Watson | Cleveland Browns | 3 years, $4.9 million |
LB | Victor Butler | Dallas Cowboys | 2 years, $3 million |
DE | Kenyon Coleman | Dallas Cowboys | 1 year, $1 million |
CB | Chris Carr | San Diego Chargers | 1 year, $840,000 |
QB | Luke McCown | Atlanta Falcons | 1 year, $840,000 |
OT | Jason Smith | New York Jets | 1 year, $780,000 |
WR | Robert Meachem | San Diego Chargers | 1 year, $715,000 |
Re-Signings
Pos. | Player | Contract |
---|---|---|
WR | Courtney Roby | 1 year, $905,000 |
LB | Will Herring | 1 year, $765,000 |
OLB | Ramon Humber | 1 year, $740,000 |
Departures
2013 draft class
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 |
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
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Final roster
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
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Saints | 0 | 13 | 7 | 3 | 23 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: September 8
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 72,348
- Referee: Gene Steratore
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
- Recap, Game book
Game information | ||
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With the win against Atlanta, the Saints began their season to 1-0.
Week 2: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Buccaneers | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: September 15
- Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/3:05 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 93 °F (34 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 60,870
- Referee: Bill Leavy
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Erin Andrews
- Recap, Game book
Game information | ||
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Coming off a Week 1 win against Atlanta, the Saints face the Buccaneers. The Saints, however, had a close win against Tampa Bay, thus improving them to 2-0.
Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Saints | 7 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 31 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: September 22
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,057
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Heath Evans and Molly McGrath
- Recap, Game book
After a 2-0 start, they face the Cardinals. With a destruction win of 31-7, they improve to 3-0.
Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dolphins | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Saints | 7 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 38 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: September 30
- Game time: 7:40 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,118
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Game book
They face the Dolphins at home. With the victory, they improve to 4-0.
Week 5: at Chicago Bears
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 6 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
Bears | 0 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 18 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
- Date: October 6
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 62,361
- Referee: Scott Green
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Game book
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
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 7 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
Patriots | 3 | 14 | 3 | 10 | 30 |
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
The Saints meet the Patriots on the road. With a close loss, the Saints drop to 5-1, thus stopping their 5-game win streak.
Week 8: vs. Buffalo Bills
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bills | 0 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
Saints | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: October 27
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 72,405
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
- Recap, Game book
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
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
Jets | 3 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
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
Coming off with the win against Buffalo, they face the Jets on the road. Because of Demario Davis being their linebacker for New York (who eventually came to New Orleans in 2018), the Saints would lose this game, thus making their record 6-2.
Week 10: vs. Dallas Cowboys
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cowboys | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Saints | 7 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: November 10
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,018
- Referee: Jerome Boger
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
- Recap, Game book
The Saints would beat the Cowboys at home in the Superdome. This improves their record to 7-2.
Week 11: vs. San Francisco 49ers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
Saints | 7 | 7 | 0 | 9 | 23 |
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
The Saints eventually beat the defending NFC Champions, San Francisco 49ers. With the victory, they improve to 8-2.
Week 12: at Atlanta Falcons
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Falcons | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: November 21
- Game time: 8:25 p.m. EST/7:25 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 70,422
- Referee: Ron Winter
- TV announcers (NFLN): Brad Nessler, Mike Mayock and Alex Flanagan
- Recap, Game book
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
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
Seahawks | 17 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 34 |
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
The Saints meet the Seahawks on the road. Because of Russell Wilson and his Super Bowl-bound team, the Saints were destroyed. This brought their record down to 9-3.
Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 6 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
Saints | 0 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
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
The Saints would beat the Panthers 31-13, thus improving to 10-3.
Week 15: at St. Louis Rams
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 16 |
Rams | 14 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 27 |
at Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
- Date: December 15
- Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 58,442
- Referee: Mike Carey
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jennifer Hale
- Recap, Game book
The Saints meet the Rams on the road. The Rams, however, were able to hold onto their victory. The Saints drop to 10-4.
Week 16: at Carolina Panthers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
Panthers | 0 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 17 |
At Bank of America Stadium, the Saints meet the Panthers again. The Saints fall to a close loss by 4 points. 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
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 17 |
Saints | 14 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 42 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 29
- Game time: 3:25 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,150
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Game book
Game information | ||
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The Saints were able to sweep the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the second straight season with the victory. They not only finish the season with 11-5, but they also become the visitors for the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
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
# | 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] | ||||||||||||
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Postseason
Schedule
Playoff round | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.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
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 6 | 14 | 6 | 26 |
Eagles | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 24 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: January 4, 2014
- Game time: 8:10 p.m. EST/7:10 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 25 °F (−4 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 69,144
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
- Recap, Game book
For the first time since the 2006 Season, the Saints meet the Eagles in the playoffs. However, the Eagles were hosting them in their home stadium. At the end of the game, the Saints were trailing by 1 point, but Shayne Graham's field goal got them in the lead by 2 points and won the game.
NFC Divisional Round: at #1 Seattle Seahawks
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
Seahawks | 6 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
- Date: January 11, 2014
- Game time: 3:35 p.m. CST/1:35 p.m. PST
- Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), rain
- Game attendance: 68,388
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Erin Andrews
- Recap, Game book
Game information | ||
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The Saints meet the Seahawks again in the playoffs. This unfortunately made the Seahawks the winners and they advance to the NFC Championship, thus making the Saints surrender in this game. The Saints also finish the season with a 12-6 record.
References
- "1947 Green Bay Packers Draftees". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
- "2013 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
- "2013 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 8, 2013.