One thing that every New Orleans Saints fan has in common is heartbreak. An unfortunate cornerstone of the franchise over the last decade and some change has been disappointing playoff losses. In a recent Touchdown Wire article, Mark Lane went through every team’s best playoff run that didn’t end in a Super Bowl and tabbed the 2006 season for the Saints. Here was his reasoning:
The Saints were rising out of the nadir of their existence as the club played all of their “home” games away from New Orleans in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina. A weak NFC allowed them to secure a first-round bye with a 10-6 record, and the Saints put it to good use.
In the divisional round, New Orleans wouldn’t let the Philadelphia Eagles spoil a return to the Superdome for postseason play. The Saints overcame a 21-13 third quarter deficit to outlast the Eagles 27-24 and punch their ticket to their first NFC Championship Game. Sean Payton and Drew Brees didn’t just bring football back to the Big Easy; they set the tone that it was a new era entirely in New Orleans.
