1983 New Orleans Saints season
1983 New Orleans Saints season | |
---|---|
Head coach | Bum Phillips |
General manager | Bum Phillips |
Owner | John Mecom, Jr. |
Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
Results | |
Record | 8–8 |
Division place | 3rd NFC West |
Playoff finish | did not qualify |
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]
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
1983 New Orleans Saints staff | ||||||
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Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Roster
1983 New Orleans Saints roster | |||||||||
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Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
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Offensive linemen
Defensive linemen
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Linebackers
Defensive backs
Special teams
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Reserve lists
{{{reserve_lists}}}
|
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.