The history of the New Orleans Saints playoff games is very recent. Until the arrival of Sean Payton in 2006, the Saints had only a single playoff win in the team’s history. Since Payton’s arrival, along with Drew Brees, the Saints have had much more playoff success. With the second seed of the NFC playoffs, the Saints will look to do something not done in Saints history. New Orleans has never beaten the Chicago Bears in the playoffs. During the very first super wild card weekend, the New Orleans Saints seek their first playoff win against the Chicago Bears.
New Orleans Saints Seek First Playoff Win Against Chicago Bears
New Orleans does not have an extensive playoff background. The Saints have been an NFL franchise since 1967, 54 seasons. In that time, the organization has only appeared in the playoffs 14 times. This weekend’s matchup with the Chicago Bears marks only the third meeting between the two teams in the postseason.
New Orleans Saints vs Chicago Bears Playoff History
The first meeting between these two teams took place in 1990. This was the Saints second wild card appearance after finishing the season 8-8. The Mike Ditka led Bears were 11-5 going into this game and winners of the then NFC Central Division. Mike Tomczak and Neal Anderson led the Bears to a 16-6 win over the underdog Saints. Morten Anderson accounted for the Saints only points in this game as John Fourcade and Steve Walsh struggled at quarterback against the Bear defense. New Orleans would make the playoffs and lose in the first round the next two years as well. The Saints would get another shot at the Bears in 2006.
The 2006 New Orleans Saints were the surprise of the NFL. This was Sean Payton’s first season as head coach but also the first for newly signed Drew Brees and first-round pick Reggie Bush. New Orleans surprised the league by finishing the season with 10 wins and taking the second seed into the playoffs. Both teams won their divisional games and matched up in the NFC Conference title game. The Saints were looking for their first Super Bowl appearance but fell short to the Lovie Smith-led team. The Bears leaned on their running game as Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson ran for a combined 183 yards at Soldier Field. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, and Marques Colston played well for the underdog Saints but ultimately fell. With the new faces in the organization, this was still seen as a successful season and a building block to further Saints success.
New Orleans Saints Seek First Playoff Win
It has been 14 seasons since the Saints and Bears last matched in the playoffs. The New Orleans Saints seek their first playoff win against the Chicago Bears. This will be the first year that the Saints are the favored home-team for these games. The Saints are heavily favored, double digits in some places, against the 8-8 Bears. Drew Brees is still under center for the Saints and will look to lead this seemingly full-strength team through the playoffs. The Saints will need to stop the dangerous Allen Robinson and David Montgomery to win this matchup. This might be the best Saints defense that has ever made the playoffs, ranking top five against both the pass and rush on the year. Pro Football Focus recently named the Saints the most complete team in the playoffs. The Saints will need to not take the Bears lightly this weekend as they seek this first head-to-head win.
