| 2009 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owner | Tom Benson |
| General manager | Mickey Loomis |
| Head coach | Sean Payton |
| Offensive coordinator | Pete Carmichael Jr. |
| Defensive coordinator | Gregg Williams |
| Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–3 |
| Division place | 1st NFC South |
| Playoff finish | Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Cardinals) 45–14 Won NFC Championship (vs. Vikings) 31–28 (OT) Won Super Bowl XLIV (vs. Colts) 31–17 |
| Pro Bowlers | 7
|
| AP All-Pros | 3
|
The 2009 season was the New Orleans Saints' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL), and as of the 2023 season's conclusion, the most successful in franchise history. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 regular season victories (later tied in the 2011, 2018, and 2019 seasons) an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth-place finish in the NFC South from 2008, and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 en route to victory in Super Bowl XLIV.
With a victory over the Carolina Panthers on November 8, the Saints jumped out to an 8–0 start, the best in franchise history. They went on to set the record for the longest undefeated season opening (13–0) by an NFC team since the AFL–NFL merger, eclipsing the previous record (12–0) held by the 1985 Chicago Bears. This record has since been tied by the 2011 Green Bay Packers and surpassed by the 2015 Carolina Panthers. Despite losing the last three games of the season to finish 13–3, the team clinched a playoff berth, a first-round bye and—for the first time ever—the top seed in the NFC. The Saints defeated Kurt Warner and the defending NFC Champions Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional playoffs, and proceeded to host the NFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history. There, they defeated Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in overtime, then went on to face Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLIV in the franchise's first-ever Super Bowl appearance. The Saints won the Super Bowl 31–17, giving the city of New Orleans its first, and currently only, pro sports championship. The Saints are the first team to defeat three former Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in a row in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl, and were the only team to do so until the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the Buccaneers beating Drew Brees and the Saints in the NFC Divisional. The Saints, along with the New York Jets, are the only teams to go to only one Super Bowl and win it.
Although five Saints were elected to the Pro Bowl (with two others added as injury replacements), since the game was held one week prior to Super Bowl XLIV, they did not participate.
In 2019, the 2009 Saints were ranked No. 30 as the best NFL teams of all time.[1]
The team’s Super Bowl run later became controversial when it was discovered that they had put in a bounty program intent on injuring other quarterbacks such as Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers.[2] Favre’s 2010 season was affected by injuries he sustained in the NFC Championship, and he needed surgery before the season.[3][4][5]
- ^ "'NFL 100 Greatest' Teams, No. 30: 2009 New Orleans Saints". www.neworleanssaints.com. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
- ^ Reed, Jesse (December 11, 2012). "Reviewing the Complete Timeline of NFL, Saints Bountygate Scandal". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "Saints' defense kept 'bounty' fund, NFL says". ESPN.com. March 2, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ "Favre tells ESPN he needs surgery to play again". MPR News. April 30, 2010. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Furlong, Ron. "Brett Favre's Ankle Surgery: Likely Didn't Do It To For Deer Hunting Come Fall". Bleacher Report. Retrieved February 28, 2024.