Although its opponents would include winners of 9 of the last 15 NFL MVP awards, the team advanced to the 2010 NFC Championship game where they defeated the Minnesota Vikings, led by Brett Favre, 31–28 in overtime (at 9:19 CST), earning their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. Television ratings for Super Bowl XLIV (44) were the highest for any TV program, sports or otherwise, in history,[5] as their successful bid to win the Super Bowl was seen by many to represent the city's resurgence after the devastating Hurricane Katrina[6][7]

2010
Main article: 2010 New Orleans Saints season
The Saints 2010 season began in the Superdome as the Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9, in a rematch of the 2009 NFC Championship Game. It was played on Thursday September 9, 2010 and televised on NBC, making it the first time the Saints have opened the NFL's season at home. On Sunday, August 8, 2010, NBC announced the televised opening festivities of the evening would begin with Taylor Swift andDave Matthews Band. On December 27, 2010 with a 17–14 win against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta the Saints clinched a playoff appearance (wild card). This marked the first time a team in the NFC South had made back-to-back playoff appearances since the division was formed in 2002. The Saints would face the Seattle Seahawks for the wild-card opener at Qwest Field. The Seahawks were the 1st NFL team to capture their division with a sub.-500 regular season record (7–9). Drew Brees completed a postseason-record 39 passes for 404 yards and two touchdowns. Despite throwing 60 passes and hindered by a lack of depth at running back, last year's Super Bowl MVP wasn't intercepted and rallied the Saints within 34–30 in the fourth quarter. In the end, his efforts were negated by a defense that couldn't get enough stops and a late TD run by Marshawn Lynch breaking nearly a half-dozen tackles with 3:22 left which allowed Seattle to finish off the Saints. Final score 41–36.

2011
Main article: 2011 New Orleans Saints season
The Saints began their season with a loss against the Green Bay Packers, but the team rebounded for the next four weeks to bring their record to 4-1. A loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers brought the record to 4-2, but the team bounced back with a blowout win against the struggling Indianapolis Colts. A surprise loss to the St. Louis Rams resulted in the record dropping to 5-3. In the next seven weeks the Saints beat talented teams such as the eventual Super Bowl XLVI champion New York Giants, Detroit Lions, and Atlanta Falcons, bringing their season record to 12-3. To cap off the season, quarterback Drew Brees broke the single season passing record held for over 25 years, on the way to a Saints division winning game. The Saints won the NFC South title on December 26 and ended the 2011 season as the 3rd Seed in the NFC. They finished with a 13-3 record, beating Carolina 45-17 and also giving running back Darren Sproles the record for most all-purpose yards in a single season. New Orleans Saints beat the Detroit Lions in the 2011 NFC wild-card playoff game 45-28. New Orleans also tied the NFL's postseason mark for team first downs in a game (34), and broke the record for total yards with 626, eclipsing the yardage record set 49 years ago. The Saints lost Saturday, January 14, 2012 in the Divisional round in the playoffs against the San Francisco 49ers in Candlestick Park.

2012
Main article: 2012 New Orleans Saints season
After an offseason dominated by news of the so-called bounty scandal and the year-long suspension of head coach Sean Payton, the Saints sought to refocus on football and produce yet another winning year. Instead, the team, lead by offensive line coach Aaron Kromer for its first six games, started the season with four straight losses and a last place spot in the NFC South. The team finally broke through with a win in Week 5, against the San Diego Chargers, a game that also saw quarterback Drew Brees break Johnny Unitas's longstanding record for consecutive games with a touchdown pass. After their scheduled bye, the Saints went on to win 4 of their next 5 games, to bring their record to an even 5-5.Joe Vitt returned after his six-game suspension to serve as interim head coach for the rest of the season. The team failed to hold its momentum, however, and lost the next three games, including a loss at Atlanta that also marked the end of Brees' record touchdown streak after 54 games, and a 52-27 blowout loss to the Giants that dropped the Saints to 5-8. Despite winning 2 of their last 3 games, and Brees again leading the league with 5,177 passing yards (his third time to surpass 5,000 yards, as he remained the only quarterback to break that barrier more than once), the team finished tied for last in the NFC South, at 7-9.
.
Controversies
2009-2011 Bounty Scandal
See also: New Orleans Saints bounty scandal
After a lengthy investigation conducted by the National Football League's security department, the league alleged on March 2, 2012 that 22 to 27 defensive players on the New Orleans Saints maintained a "pay for performance" program that included "bounty" payments administered by then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell stated, "The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for 'performance,' but also for injuring opposing players." The report also found that head coach Sean Payton was aware of the allegations but failed to stop the program. The league also said that Mickey Loomis, the Saints' general manager, was directed to end the program by owner Tom Benson, but didn't. The memo released to NFL teams found Payton and Loomis guilty of "conduct detrimental" to the league.[8]
On March 3, 2012, Benson addressed the bounty payments controversy on the Saints' website, stating, "I have been made aware of the NFL’s findings relative to the “Bounty Rule” and how it relates to our club. I have offered and the NFL has received our full cooperation in their investigation. While the findings may be troubling, we look forward to putting this behind us and winning more championships in the future for our fans."[9]
On March 21, 2012, Commissioner Goodell announced that, as a result of the bounty scandal and the NFL's investigation, Sean Payton has been suspended for one year, Gregg Williams indefinitely, and Mickey Loomis for the first eight regular season games. The team was also fined $500,000 and docked second round draft picks in 2012 and 2013. Saints assistant coach Joe Vitt also was suspended six games and fined $100,000. Payton's suspension started on April 1, 2012, and all the suspensions are without pay. Goodell will meet with Williams again after the 2012 season to determine the coach's status.[10]
On May 2, 2012 it was announced that four players who played for the team between 2009 and 2011 would receive suspensions for their alleged participation in "Bountygate": Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma (16 games), Saints defensive lineman Will Smith (4 games), former Saints/retired linebacker Scott Fujita (3 games), and former Saints/current Packers defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (8 games).[11]
Most of the players who were the targets of questionable hits by the Saints, including Favre and Warner, claimed the bounties were merely part of the game.[12] However, several former players interviewed by Sports Illustrated said that while payments for good hits and sacks were indeed considered part of the game, bounties for intentionally injuring opponents violated an unwritten code.
However on July 26, 2012 Jonathan Vilma and seven witnesses from the Saints testified in front of a federal judge in New Orleans that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got his facts wrong in the bounty scandal."Everybody was sworn in under oath in front of a judge with the risk of perjury and jail time if we were lying, and categorically denied there was a bounty," Vilma said in a text message to ESPN's Ed Werder. "Seven people testified, 2 sworn affidavits (one by Drew Brees) all saying the same thing. I ask that you and ESPN report the facts. No more bias or b.s. or hearsay. I gave you facts that you can report if so choose." [13]
Tulane University Sports Law Program Director Gabe Feldman (who attended the hearing in court) said, "Clearly the judge, by her questions, indicated she thinks Goodell overstepped his authority, and this case was always going to be about if he executed his power fairly... The NFL's retort is that with all due deference, you don't get to second guess (commissioner Roger Goodell). Judges only have limited jurisdiction over arbitration issues." [14]
Saints All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees made a controversial tweet on June 20, 2012 stating, "If NFL fans were told there were "weapons of mass destruction" enough times, they'd believe it. But what happens when you don't find any????" Brees immediately issued another statement to clarify, "My WMD comment has nothing to do with politics or our brave military. Merely an analogy to show how media influences public perception." He went on to say, "I apologize if the WMD comment offended anyone. Especially our military. There is no one I respect more than our service men and women." [15]

Logos and uniforms
 

 

Logo (2000–present)
Black, along with old gold and white, has always been one of the team colors, but it wasn't the first choice of original majority owner John W. Mecom, Jr. His preference was for Mecom Blue, a medium shade which was used by all of his other investments. After the league office informed him that his proposed combination too closely resembled that worn by the San Diego Chargers, he settled on black as the primary color as a nod to his financial involvement in the petroleum industry. "Black gold" is a term synonymous with oil.[16]
Except for minor modifications, the Saints' logo and uniforms have basically remained the same since the club debuted in 1967. The team's logo is a fleur-de-lis (a symbol of the City of New Orleans and of France's Royal Family, which included the House of Bourbon), while its uniform design consists of gold helmets, gold pants, and either black or white jerseys. Minor changes to the uniform stripes and trim have been made throughout the years. The team wore black helmets during the 1969 preseason, but NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle barred the Saints from using the helmets during the regular season, since Mecom did not notify the league office of the change.
The Saints predominantly wore white at home when the club played at Tulane Stadium from 1967 through 1974 (except in 1969 and 1970), forcing opponents to wear dark colors in the subtropical climate of New Orleans. When the surface at Tulane Stadium switched from natural grass to PolyTurf in 1971, field temperatures became hotter still. In Archie Manning's first game, in the 1971 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, temperatures on the field reached as high as 130 °F (54 °C). The heavily favored Rams wilted in the stifling heat, and the Saints claimed their first-ever victory over their NFC West rivals, 24–20, on Manning's 1-yard quarterback sneak on the last play of the game.
The Saints switched to white pants in 1975, coinciding with the team's move from Tulane Stadium to the Superdome, and have worn white at home numerous times since then. One year later, they started to wear black pants with their white jerseys, a move influenced by coach Hank Stram, who introduced red pants to the Kansas City Chiefs' uniforms in 1968. In an October 3, 1976 home game against the Houston Oilers, Hank Stram used the Saints' road uniforms, the white jerseys and black pants. The Saints lost that game 31–26. During the 1981–82 seasons (Bum Phillips' first two seasons as coach), the team wore white jerseys with black pants at home, but reverted to the black jerseys and white pants for 1983. They reverted to wearing gold pants with both their black and white jerseys in 1986 under new coach Jim E. Mora. From 1986 through 1995, the sleeves of the jerseys and sides of the pants featured a logo with a fleur-de-lis inside an outline of the state of Louisiana. The logo replaced the striping pattern that had been on the uniforms since the team's inception; save for color variations, the striping pattern was similar to that used by the Washington Redskins (until 1979), Green Bay Packers (until 1997), and Cleveland Browns (still in use as of 2007), which is likely why the change was made. That logo was removed in 1996 and replaced with a fleur-de-lis on both the sleeves and sides of the pants.
From 1996 through 1998, the Saints returned to gold numbers on both the white and black jerseys, but complaints about the numbers on the white jerseys being too difficult to read forced the numbers on the white jerseys to be changed to black in 1999. The Saints wore black pants with a wide gold stripe with their white jerseys in 1999, but following a 3–13 season and the dismissal of coach Mike Ditka, the black pants were mothballed by new coach Jim Haslett.

2000s
In 2000, the Saints won their first playoff game as they hosted the St. Louis Rams and after having a better road record than home record, they wore their white jerseys, and won 31–28 over the defending champion Rams. The defining play of the game came with the Saints clinging to a three-point lead with minutes to play. The Saints punted to the Rams' Az-Zahir Hakim (who would play one season for the Saints in 2005), who fumbled the punt deep in Rams' territory. Brian Milnerecovered for the Saints, who then ran out the clock to preserve the victory.
In 2001, they wore their white jerseys in the first six home games. During that same year, they primarily wore black pants with both their white and black jerseys. They became the first NFL team to wear all-black uniforms in a week 5 road game against the Carolina Panthers, and again in weeks 16 and 17 in home games against the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers; the Saints were outscored 78-10 in the final two contests to end a 7-9 campaign.
In 2002, the Saints wore black pants with their white jerseys (except for the final road game, a 20–13 loss in Cincinnati when they went back to the gold pants), and gold pants with their black jerseys, a gold alternate jersey, and a 1967-style throwback uniform, complete with an accurate 1967-era helmet which featured a larger fleur-de-lis, a darker shade of gold and grey facemasks. But one season later, they stopped using the alternates and again reverted to wearing gold pants with both their black and white jerseys.
The team introduced a gold alternate jersey (worn with the black pants) during a December 15, 2002 game versus the Minnesota Vikings, a 32–31 loss, but have never worn them since then. Because of the metallic gold's bright color, the gold jerseys were considered the "light" jersey in the game, so the Vikings wore their purple home jerseys as the "dark" colored team. One team must wear "dark" and one team must wear "light", this was done because of black & white t.v. broadcasts so viewers could tell the teams apart. the only exception being if both teams are wearing throwback uniforms, such as Thanksgiving Classic games. From 2003 through 2008, the New England Patriots had a "light" jersey (their alternate, a bright metallic silver) that isn't white in which the other team would wear their colored, or "dark" jerseys against them since the third jersey rule was implemented in the NFL in 2002.
The Saints also introduced a 1967-style throwback uniform in a 23–20 win on December 1, 2002 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This uniform wasn't worn again until a 40-33 win against the Houston Texans on September 25, 2011 and also on November 6, 2011 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 27-16 Saints win. However, the 2011 throwbacks use the current-helmet, meaning the shades of gold on the helmet and jersey do not match.
In 2006, to honor their return to Louisiana, the Saints wore a patch on their uniforms with an outline of the State of Louisiana with a fleur-de-lis superimposed, similar to the logo from the 1980s.
The Saints originally planned to wear white jerseys at home for the 2006 season, but during the season, the players voted to wear the black jerseys at home after the second game. Since the team had informed the NFL office that they planned to wear white jerseys at home, each of the Saints' remaining home opponents would have to agree to New Orleans' request. The Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals did not agree to the switch, forcing the Saints to wear white jerseys for that game.
Starting in week 13 of the 2006 season, the Saints wore black pants with the black jerseys against the San Francisco 49ers, and in a Week 16 game in The Meadowlands against the New York Giants (a 30–7 Saints win), the Saints wore the black pants with their road white jerseys. The Saints later stuck with the black pants in their 2006 playoff run.
Since 2008, the Saints have worn white jerseys at home for preseason games and early regular season home games.
In 2009, the Saints wore the black pants only once, a 28-23 win at St. Louis. They wore the white jerseys/gold pants combination during the Super Bowl XLIV victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Stadium
 

 

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints. The dome has a listed football seating capacity of 76,468 (expanded) or 73,208 (not expanded).

Rivals
Atlanta Falcons
Main article: Falcons–Saints rivalry
The Saints' oldest and most storied rival is the Atlanta Falcons. The two clubs joined the NFL within a year of each other as expansion teams and have been pitted against one another in the NFC West and later the NFC South.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Battle of the Gulf Coast)
The Saints also have a developing rivalry with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which have been part of the NFC South with the Saints since 2002.
The teams actually played each other quite often as non-division rivals. Between 1977–2001, there were only five years in which the teams did not play. This includes 12 years in a row from 1981–92 – all as a result of the scheduling formulas in place prior to 2002 (this remains a record for most consecutive years in which two teams not from the same division met each other).
The Saints won 13 of 20 games as non-division opponents. Since becoming division rivals the series has been even, with 10 games each won by both New Orleans and Tampa Bay.
One notable pre-division game is a 1977 matchup that resulted in Tampa Bay's first win in franchise history coming against New Orleans after previously starting out 0–26 overall.

Carolina Panthers
The Saints and the Carolina Panthers have been minor rivals since Carolina was introduced into the NFC West as an expansion franchise in 1995. Both teams would realign to the NFC South in 2002. This series has been extremely close. As of the end of the 2011 regular season the all time series is tied 17-17.
Carolina defeated New Orleans on the road every year from 2002 to 2008, a streak of seven seasons. Notable games include Carolina's 19-7 home victory in 1996 that sparked Saints head coach Jim Mora's infamous "Diddley Poo" rant and resignation from the team, Carolina's 10-6 win in the 2002 season finale at the Superdome to knock the Saints out of the playoffs, and the emotional 2005 season opener at Carolina where the Saints won 23-20 in the face of Hurricane Katrinaand an eventual 3-13 season.

Dallas Cowboys
The New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys rivalry in most part is fueled by hatred by Saints' fans for the Dallas Cowboys (The New Orleans Saints are not commonly listed among teams viewed as rivals by the Dallas Cowboys or their fans[17]). Both teams have played each other 25 times, with New Orleans owning the recent series winning 7 out of the last 8 games. The Saints have won the last 4 meetings in Dallas, including a 2-0 record at Cowboys Stadium. The all-time series record stands at 10-15, in favor of Dallas.

Minnesota Vikings
The most common postseason rival for the Saints are the Minnesota Vikings. The Saints and the Vikings have played each other three times in the postseason, with the most recent being the 2009 NFC Championship Game. Although the Vikings have dominated the overall series, the Saints have won the last three including the 2009 NFC Championship Game.

San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers were division rivals with the Saints up until realignment in 2002 when the Saints moved to the NFC South. The 49ers dominated the rivalry when the Saints played in the NFC West, but the Saints have held the upper hand since realignment winning the first six game since moving to the NFC South. The teams met most recently in the divisional round of the 2011 playoffs, with the 49ers winning 36-32 in an exciting game that saw four lead changes in the last four minutes of the game. The Saints trail the all-time series 24-46-2 which includes 0-1 in the postseason.

Statistics
Record vs. opponents
(As of Week 17 of the 2011 NFL season. Includes postseason records.)
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties

Team	W	L	T	Percent	Last result	Last date	Last locale	Postseason
Houston Texans	2	1	0	.667	W 40–33	September 25, 2011	New Orleans, LA
Jacksonville Jaguars	3	2	0	.600	W 23–10	October 2, 2011	Jacksonville, FL
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	24	18	0	.560	W 41-0	December 16, 2012	New Orleans, LA
Detroit Lions	11	9	1	.547	W 45-28	January 7, 2012	New Orleans, LA	1-0 postseason
Buffalo Bills	5	4	0	.556	W 27–7	September 27, 2009	Orchard Park, NY
Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts	6	5	0	.545	W 62–7	October 23, 2011	New Orleans, LA	1–0 postseason
New York Jets	6	5	0	.545	W 24–10	October 4, 2009	New Orleans, LA
Seattle Seahawks	6	5	0	.545	L 36–41	January 8, 2011	Seattle, WA	0–1 postseason
Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders	6	5	1	.542	W 38–17	November 18, 2012	Oakland, CA
Kansas City Chiefs	5	5	0	.500	L 24-27 OT	September 23, 2012	New Orleans, LA
Pittsburgh Steelers	7	7	0	.500	W 20–10	October 31, 2010	New Orleans, LA
Cincinnati Bengals	6	6	0	.500	W 34–30	December 5, 2010	Cincinnati, OH
Carolina Panthers	17	19	0	.485	L 38-44	December 30, 2012	New Orleans, LA
Chicago Bears	12	13	0	.480	W 30–13	September 18, 2011	New Orleans, LA	0–2 postseason
St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals	12	14	0	.462	L 20–30	October 10, 2010	Glendale, AZ	1–0 postseason;
New York Giants	12	15	0	.462	L 27–51	December 9, 2012	East Rutherford, NJ
Atlanta Falcons	41	47	0	.461	L 13-23	November 29, 2012	New Orleans, LA	0–1 postseason
Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams	31	39	0	.443	L 21-31	October 30, 2011	St. Louis, MO	1–0 postseason
Tennessee Titans	5	7	1	.423	W 22–17	December 11, 2011	Nashville, TN
Philadelphia Eagles	11	15	0	.423	W 28-13	November 5, 2012	New Orleans, LA	1–1 postseason
Miami Dolphins	4	6	0	.400	W 46–34	October 25, 2009	Miami Gardens, FL
Dallas Cowboys	10	15	0	.400	W 34–31 OT	December 23, 2012	Arlington, TX
San Diego Chargers	4	7	0	.364	W 31–24	October 7, 2012	New Orleans, LA
San Francisco 49ers	24	46	2	.333	L 31–21	November 25, 2012	New Orleans, LA	0-1 postseason
Washington Redskins	8	16	0	.333	L 32-40	September 9, 2012	New Orleans, LA
Green Bay Packers	7	16	0	.304	L 27-28	September 30, 2012	Green Bay, WI
New England Patriots	4	8	0	.333	W 38–17	November 30, 2009	New Orleans, LA
Minnesota Vikings	9	18	0	.333	W 42–20	December 18, 2011	Minneapolis, MN	1–2 postseason
Cleveland Browns	4	12	0	.250	L 17–30	October 24, 2010	New Orleans, LA
Denver Broncos	2	8	0	.200	L 34–14	October 28, 2012	Denver, CO
Baltimore Ravens	1	4	0	.200	L 30–24	December 19, 2010	Baltimore, MD
Total	306	395	5	.430				6–8 .429
Total Record Including Playoffs	312	403	5	.434

** The Saints were designated the home team for this game.