| 1986 New Orleans Saints season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Tom Benson |
| General manager | Jim Finks |
| Head coach | Jim Mora |
| Home stadium | Louisiana Superdome |
| Results | |
| Record | 7–9 |
| Division place | 4thNFC West |
| Playoffs | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers | RBReuben Mayes LBRickey Jackson LBSam Mills KMorten Andersen |
The1986 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 20th as a member of theNational Football League. They improved upon theirprevious season's output of 5–11, winning seven games.[1]
On January 14, ownerTom Benson hiredJim Finks as the franchise's general manager, and turned over the entire football operation to the veteran operative who previously built championship clubs withthe Minnesota Vikings andChicago Bears. Finks was hired two days after the Bears won the NFC championship to clinch a berth inSuper Bowl XX at theLouisiana Superdome.
Two days after the Bears team largely constructed by Finks defeated theNew England Patriots 46-10, Finks hiredJim Mora as the new head coach. Mora was the most successful coach in the history of theUnited States Football League, leading thePhiladelphia/Baltimore Stars to two USFL championships and a runner-up finish.
| 1986 New Orleans Saints draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Jim Dombrowski | Offensive tackle | Virginia | |
| 2 | 31 | Dalton Hilliard * | Running back | LSU | |
| 3 | 57 | Rueben Mayes * | Running back | Washington State | |
| 3 | 60 | Pat Swilling * | Linebacker | Georgia Tech | |
| 3 | 62 | Barry Word | Running back | Virginia | |
| 4 | 88 | Kelvin Edwards | Wide receiver | Liberty | |
| 5 | 115 | Reggie Sutton | Cornerback | Miami (FL) | |
| 6 | 142 | Bob Thompson | Wide receiver | Youngstown State | |
| 7 | 173 | Gill Fenerty | Running back | Holy Cross | |
| 8 | 200 | Filipo Mokofisi | Linebacker | Utah | |
| 9 | 226 | Merlon Jones | Linebacker | Florida A&M | |
| 10 | 253 | Jon Dumbauld | Defensive end | Kentucky | |
| 11 | 284 | Pat Swoopes | Defensive tackle | Mississippi State | |
| 12 | 311 | Sebastian Brown | Wide receiver | Bethune-Cookman | |
| Made roster * Made at least onePro Bowl during career | |||||
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
| Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 7 | Atlanta Falcons | L 10–31 | 0–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 67,950 | Recap |
| 2 | September 14 | Green Bay Packers | W 24–10 | 1–1 | Louisiana Superdome | 46,383 | Recap |
| 3 | September 21 | atSan Francisco 49ers | L 17–26 | 1–2 | Candlestick Park | 58,297 | Recap |
| 4 | September 28 | atNew York Giants | L 17–20 | 1–3 | Giants Stadium | 72,769 | Recap |
| 5 | October 5 | Washington Redskins | L 6–14 | 1–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 57,378 | Recap |
| 6 | October 12 | atIndianapolis Colts | W 17–14 | 2–4 | Hoosier Dome | 53,512 | Recap |
| 7 | October 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 38–7 | 3–4 | Louisiana Superdome | 43,355 | Recap |
| 8 | October 26 | atNew York Jets | L 23–28 | 3–5 | Giants Stadium | 44,246 | Recap |
| 9 | November 2 | San Francisco 49ers | W 23–10 | 4–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 53,234 | Recap |
| 10 | November 9 | Los Angeles Rams | W 6–0 | 5–5 | Louisiana Superdome | 62,532 | Recap |
| 11 | November 16 | atSt. Louis Cardinals | W 16–7 | 6–5 | Busch Memorial Stadium | 32,069 | Recap |
| 12 | November 23 | atLos Angeles Rams | L 13–26 | 6–6 | Anaheim Stadium | 58,600 | Recap |
| 13 | November 30 | New England Patriots | L 20–21 | 6–7 | Louisiana Supedome | 58,259 | Recap |
| 14 | December 7 | Miami Dolphins | L 27–31 | 6–8 | Louisiana Superdome | 64,761 | Recap |
| 15 | December 14 | atAtlanta Falcons | W 14–9 | 7–8 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 39,994 | Recap |
| 16 | December 21 | atMinnesota Vikings | L 17–33 | 7–9 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 51,209 | Recap |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text. | |||||||
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Saints | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
atLouisiana Superdome,New Orleans, Louisiana
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Saints | 17 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 24 |
atLouisiana Superdome,New Orleans, Louisiana
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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| NFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| San Francisco 49ers(3) | 10 | 5 | 1 | .656 | 3–2–1 | 6–5–1 | 374 | 247 | W3 |
| Los Angeles Rams(5) | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 8–4 | 309 | 267 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 8 | 1 | .469 | 2–3–1 | 6–5–1 | 280 | 280 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 288 | 287 | L1 |
