1987 New Orleans Saints season
| 1987 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Jim Mora |
| General manager | Jim Finks |
| Owner | Tom Benson |
| Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–3 |
| Division place | 2nd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Lost NFC Wild Card (Vikings) 44–10 |
The 1987 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 21st year in the National Football League (NFL). The strike-shortened year was the Saints' first-ever winning season. The Saints also qualified for the postseason for the first time, riding largely on a nine-game winning streak to close the season. However, they were soundly defeated at home by the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, by a score of 44–10. The Vikings entered the playoffs with an 8–7 record and needed the Dallas Cowboys to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals on the final day of the season to qualify. The Saints' first winning season would be followed by another six consecutive non-losing seasons. Before the 1987 season, the Saints' non-losing seasons had consisted of only two 8–8 seasons, in 1979 and 1983. Head coach Jim Mora was named NFL Coach of the Year.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1987 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Shawn Knight | Defensive end | BYU | |
| 2 | 40 | Lonzell Hill | Wide receiver | Washington | |
| 3 | 67 | Michael Adams | Defensive back | Arkansas State | |
| 4 | 96 | Steve Trapilo | Guard | Boston College | |
| 5 | 123 | Milton Mack | Defensive back | Alcorn State | |
| 6 | 152 | Thomas Henley | Wide receiver | Stanford | |
| 7 | 179 | Gene Atkins | Defensive back | Florida A&M | |
| 8 | 207 | Toi Cook | Defensive back | Stanford | |
| 9 | 234 | Scott Leach | Linebacker | Ohio State | |
| 10 | 263 | Robert Clark | Wide receiver | North Carolina Central | |
| 11 | 290 | Arthur Wells | Tight end | Grambling State | |
| 12 | 319 | Tyrone Sorrells | Guard | Georgia Tech | |
| Made roster | |||||
Personnel
Staff
| 1987 New Orleans Saints staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 13, 1987 | Cleveland Browns | W 28–21 | |
| 2 | September 20, 1987 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 27–21 | |
| – | September 27, 1987 | Atlanta Falcons | canceled | |
| 3 | October 4, 1987 | Los Angeles Rams | W 37–10 | |
| 4 | October 11, 1987 | at St. Louis Cardinals | L 24–19 | |
| 5 | October 18, 1987 | at Chicago Bears | W 19–17 | |
| 6 | October 25, 1987 | San Francisco 49ers | L 24–22 | |
| 7 | November 1, 1987 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 38–0 | |
| 8 | November 8, 1987 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 31–14 | |
| 9 | November 15, 1987 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 26–24 | |
| 10 | November 22, 1987 | New York Giants | W 23–14 | |
| 11 | November 29, 1987 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 20–16 | |
| 12 | December 6, 1987 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 44–34 | |
| 13 | December 13, 1987 | Houston Oilers | W 24–10 | |
| 14 | December 20, 1987 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 41–24 | |
| 15 | December 27, 1987 | Green Bay Packers | W 33–24 | |
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers(1) | 13 | 2 | 0 | .867 | 5–1 | 10–1 | 459 | 253 | W6 |
| New Orleans Saints(4) | 12 | 3 | 0 | .800 | 4–1 | 8–3 | 422 | 283 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 9 | 0 | .400 | 1–5 | 5–7 | 317 | 361 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 12 | 0 | .200 | 1–4 | 3–8 | 205 | 436 | L3 |
Playoffs
NFC Wild Card Game
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 10 | 21 | 3 | 10 | 44 |
| Saints | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
- Game attendance: 68,127
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
In the Saints' first playoff game in history, the Vikings dominated the game by recording two sacks, forcing four turnovers, and allowing only 149 yards. Anthony Carter returned a punt for a touchdown, and future Saints quarterback Wade Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass for a touchdown to Hassan Jones on the last play of the first half.
References
- ↑ "1987 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
- ↑ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Retrieved February 28, 2011.