1983 New Orleans Saints season
| 1983 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | John Mecom, Jr. |
| General manager | Bum Phillips |
| Head coach | Bum Phillips |
| Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 8–8 |
| Division place | 3rd NFC West |
| Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | LB Rickey Jackson |
The 1983 New Orleans Saints season was the team’s 17th as a member of the National Football League. They improved on their previous season’s output of 4–5, winning eight games.[1] Despite the improvement, the team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the seventeenth consecutive season.
With an 8–7 record going into the final game of the season at the Superdome against the Los Angeles Rams, the Saints, with a win, would have finished with their first winning season and their first playoff berth. However, Rams kicker Mike Lansford kicked a 42-yard field goal with :06 left to defeat the Saints 26-24, and advance to the playoffs. Other than that field goal, the Rams did not score a single point on offense, instead scoring via a punt return for a touchdown, two interception returns for touchdowns, and a safety.
Two weeks earlier the Saints lost to the New England Patriots in shocking conditions with sleet and snow[2] – with the only score being set up by Patriot Ricky Smith returning the initial kickoff to the 3-yard line. As of 2017, this game remains the most recent 7–0 result in NFL history,[3] with only two games since seeing just one score,[4] both a single field goal.[note 1]
Another damaging loss came on Monday Night Football in week 12, when the New York Jets rallied from a 14-point deficit by scoring 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, capped off by a 76-yard punt return touchdown by Kirk Springs, to stun the Saints 31-28. The Saints had a chance to force overtime in the closing seconds, but Morten Andersen missed badly to the left on a 51-yard field goal attempt.
Offseason
NFL draft
| 1983 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 38 | Steve Korte | Center | Arkansas | |
| 3 | 65 | John Tice | Tight end | Maryland | |
| 3 | 66 | Cliff Austin | Running back | Clemson | |
| 4 | 98 | Gary Lewis | Defensive tackle | Oklahoma State | |
| 8 | 206 | David Greenwood | Defensive back | Wisconsin | |
| Made roster | |||||
Personnel
Staff
|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Roster
Quarterbacks (QB)
Running backs (RB)
Wide receivers (WR)
Tight ends (TE)
|
Offensive linemen (OL)
Defensive linemen (DL)
|
Linebackers (LB)
Defensive backs (DB) {{{defensive_back}}}
|
|
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 4, 1983 | St. Louis Cardinals | W 28–17 | |
| 2 | September 11, 1983 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 30–27 | |
| 3 | September 18, 1983 | Chicago Bears | W 34–31 | |
| 4 | September 25, 1983 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–20 | |
| 5 | October 2, 1983 | Miami Dolphins | W 17–7 | |
| 6 | October 9, 1983 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 19–17 | |
| 7 | October 16, 1983 | San Francisco 49ers | L 32–13 | |
| 8 | October 23, 1983 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 24–21 | |
| 9 | October 30, 1983 | at Buffalo Bills | L 27–21 | |
| 10 | November 6, 1983 | Atlanta Falcons | W 27–10 | |
| 11 | November 13, 1983 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 27–0 | |
| 12 | November 21, 1983 | New York Jets | L 31–28 | |
| 13 | November 27, 1983 | Minnesota Vikings | W 17–16 | |
| 14 | December 4, 1983 | at New England Patriots | L 7–0 | |
| 15 | December 11, 1983 | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 20–17 | |
| 16 | December 18, 1983 | Los Angeles Rams | L 26–24 |
Standings
| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers(2) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 432 | 293 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams(5) | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 361 | 344 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 7–5 | 319 | 337 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 370 | 389 | W1 |
Notes
- ^ These 3–0 scores occurred in 1993 when the Jets defeated the Redskins and in 2007 when the Steelers defeated the Dolphins.
References
- ^ 1983 New Orleans Saints
- ^ ‘Kickoff Return Practices Pay Off as Patriots Slip Past Saints 7–0’; St. Petersburg Times, December 5, 1983, p. 5C
- ^ Pro Football Reference; Games with Final Score 7–0
- ^ Pro Football Reference; Games with Final Score 3–0
- ^ "1983 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 10, 2014.