| 2011 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Owner | Tom Benson |
| General manager | Mickey Loomis |
| Head coach | Sean Payton |
| Home field | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–3 |
| Division place | 1st NFC South |
| Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Lions) 45–28 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at 49ers) 32–36 |
| Pro Bowlers | QB Drew Brees TE Jimmy Graham T Jermon Bushrod G Jahri Evans G Carl Nicks |
| AP All-Pros | G Carl Nicks (1st team) G Jahri Evans (1st team) QB Drew Brees (2nd team) TE Jimmy Graham (2nd team) |
The 2011 season was the New Orleans Saints' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 36th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their sixth under head coach Sean Payton. In Week 16, Drew Brees broke the single-season passing record previously held by Dan Marino; Brees ended the season with 5,476 passing yards, an NFL record.[1] The team also broke the record for offensive yards from scrimmage with 7,474 and Darren Sproles broke the record for all purpose yards, with 2,696. The Saints also finished second in scoring for total points with 547, and finished second for points per game with 34.2 points and sacks with 24.[2][3]
The Saints improved on their 11–5 finish from a season earlier and won the NFC South Division with a 13–3 record, and went undefeated at home, so there was much talk of the Saints potentially winning a second Super Bowl in three seasons. Despite their impressive record, however, New Orleans failed to receive a first-round bye due to losing tiebreakers with the San Francisco 49ers for the #2 seed in the NFC behind the 15–1 Green Bay Packers. The Saints won their first playoff game against the Detroit Lions in the Wild Card round but fell to the 49ers on a last-minute touchdown in the Divisional Playoffs. The Saints finished with a final record of 14–4.[3]
- ^ NFL.com: Drew Brees
- ^ Mayer, Larry (January 16, 2013). "Bears hire Kromer as offensive coordinator, line coach". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "2011 New Orleans Saints Statistics & Players".