NFL Old School Game of the Week: Andersen's Last Second FG Clinches Playoff Spot for Saints

Saints kicker Morten Andersen raises his arms in celebration after his game-winning field goal in the Saints' 1990 regular season finale with the Rams.

New Orleans, Louisiana is often one of the places to be on New Year's Eve as thousands of partiers go to Bourbon Street or the French Quarter to ring in the new year.

But the New Year's Eve in 1990 in New Orleans might be considered the greatest New Year's Eve in the history of the city as the Saints secured a spot in the NFL postseason for only the second time in team history.

The Saints came into the game with a 7-8 record in what had been a disappointing season up to this point after three straight winning seasons under head coach Jim Mora, who had become the team's head coach prior to the 1986 season and led the Saints to their first ever playoff spot in 1987.

Things got off to a rocky start during the offseason as the team was engaged in a contract dispute with starting quarterback Bobby Hebert that resulted in the "Cajun Cannon" sitting out the entire 1990 season.

The team would go back-and-forth at quarterback between veteran John Fourcade and second-year man Steve Walsh, who the Saints acquired in a trade early in the season from the Dallas Cowboys, as the offense struggled while the defense led by the "Dome Patrol" linebacker corps of Ricky Jackson, Vaughn Johnson, Sam Mills, and Pat Swilling kept New Orleans in the playoff race as they held offenses to 10 points or fewer six times during the 1990 season.

After a 2-5 start to the season, the Saints entered the regular season finale with a chance to clinch a Wild Card berth in the NFC if they could defeat the 5-10 Los Angeles Rams or if the game ended in a tie. 

If the Rams won, then the 7-9 Cowboys would become the first team to make the NFL playoffs with a losing record.

The Rams would get the ball to start the game as they began their first possession at their 20-yard-line with a three-yard run by Marcus Dupree followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 7 when quarterback Jim Everett went deep and hit Ellard, who made a diving catch, for a 32-yard completion and a 1st down at the Saints' 45-yard-line.

After the next three plays netted eight yards, the Rams were faced with a 4th & 2 at the New Orleans 37-yard-line when head coach John Robinson kept the offense on the field as they would go for the 1st down which they got when Everett completed a three-yard pass to tight end Pete Holohan.

On the next play from scrimmage, Everett would find Ellard again, this time for 25 yards to give Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the Saints' nine-yard-line as the drive would stall thanks in large part to a holding penalty on tight end Pat Carter which pushed the Rams back 10 yards.

Mike Lansford would come on to attempt a 30-yard field goal but his kick would sail wide left of the uprights to keep the game scoreless as the Saints would take over at their 20-yard-line.

The first two plays of the drive would gain seven yards to set up 3rd & 3 when Walsh completed a short pass to wide receiver Eric Martin, who took the pass and ran it down to the Rams' 39-yard-line after a 34-yard gain.

The Saints would pick up six more yards before calling on Morten Andersen to attempt a 51-yard field goal which was long enough but sailed wide left to keep it a 0-0 game as the Rams would take over at their 33-yard-line.

The Saints defense would force the Rams to go three-and-out as returner Vince Buck received the ensuing punt and returned it 33 yards to the Los Angeles 36-yard-line for the longest punt return of the season for New Orleans.

Following two runs for 10 yards, Walsh would find wide receiver Floyd Turner over the middle for a 26-yard touchdown for the first points of the game as the Saints took a 7-0 lead with 2:13 remaining in the first quarter.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 20-yard-line as a 43-yard pass from Everett to Ellard would help led to a 26-yard field goal by Lansford which put Los Angeles on the scoreboard and cut the New Orleans lead to 7-3 early in the second quarter.

The Saints would get great field position for the second drive in a row as Gene Atkins returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the Los Angeles 47-yard-line.

From there, the Saints would run the ball on 10 straight plays with running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward getting the bulk of the work as he carried the ball seven times for 27 yards on the drive with his last carry being an one-yard touchdown to extend New Orleans' lead to 14-3 with 4:27 left in the second quarter.

Saints quarterback Steve Walsh completed 11 of 26 passes for 174 yards and threw one touchdown and zero interceptions.

The two teams would trade punts until 25 seconds remained in the second quarter when the Saints took over at the Rams' 41-yard-line after a poor punt LA punter Keith English as a nine-yard pass from Walsh to running back Gill Fenerty would give Andersen another chance at a field goal.

But once again Andersen could not connect as his 48-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right as the score remained at 14-3 in favor of the Saints as the first 30 minutes of play.

The third quarter would be a stalemate as both teams exchanged punts for the majority of the quarter with the exception of Rams possession midway through the quarter.

Starting at their 36-yard-line, the Rams would advance into Saints territory, thanks in large part to a 25-yard pass from Everett to Flipper Anderson, who had caught 15 passes for 336 yards in the Rams' last game in the Superdome(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here:https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flipper.html)as Los Angeles had a 1st down at the New Orleans 25-yard-line when Everett found over Ellard over the middle for a big gain.

Ellard appeared on his way to a touchdown until he was met by Atkins at the five-yard-line as the free safety would knock the ball loose as Mills would end up making the recovery at the Saints' nine-yard-line as the game would go into the fourth quarter with New Orleans holding on to a 14-3 lead.

The Rams would begin their first possession of the final quarter at their 33-yard-line as a 14-yard pass from Everett to Ellard followed by a six-yard run by Dupree would set up 2nd & 4 when Everett was able to hit Anderson in stride for a 47-yard touchdown to cut the Saints' lead to 14-10 with 13:31 to go in the fourth quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Saints would get the ball back at the Rams' 38-yard-line as three runs by Fenerty for 14 yards would set up a 41-yard field goal attempt by Andersen, which this time he made to increase the Saints' lead back to a touchdown at 17-10 with 5:59 to go in the final period.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 19-yard-line as Everett would complete a seven-yard pass to Holohan to begin the drive which was followed by a two-yard run by running back Robert Delpino and then a pass to Delpino that went for no gain to set up 4th & 1.

Once again, Robinson gambled and went for the 1st down which he got as Everett completed a two-yard pass to Holohan to move the sticks as the Rams had a fresh set of downs at their 30-yard-line.

Two plays later on 3rd & 9, Everett would find wide receiver Aaron Cox for a 32-yard completion to give Los Angeles a 1st down at the Saints' 37-yard-line which was followed up with an incomplete pass to bring up 2nd & 10 when running back Cleveland Gary bursted through the middle for a 26-yard run to give the Rams a 1st down at the New Orleans 11-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Everett would hit Holohan for a 10-yard pass to give the Rams a 1st & goal when Everett found Delpino in the right corner of the end zone for the one-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 17 with 1:19 to go in regulation.

The game seemed destined for overtime especially since the Saints offense had gone quiet in the second half compiling only 70 yards of total offense over six possessions.

However, they would get good field position to start their attempt at a game-winning drive as Atkins returned the ensuing kickoff 27 yards to the New Orleans 44-yard-line.

Following an incomplete pass on 1st down, Walsh would hit wide receiver Brett Perriman for 11 yards and a New Orleans 1st down at the Los Angeles 45-yard-line where the threw another incomplete pass to bring up 2nd & 10.

That is when Walsh connected with Martin for a 34-yard completion to give the Saints a 1st down at the Rams' 11-yard-line as Walsh would take one knee before Andersen would come on to the field to attempt a 29-yard field goal that if successful would send New Orleans to the playoffs.

It looked the Rams had saved themselves when defensive tackle Alvin Wright was able to break through the Saints' line of defense to block the kick to send the game into overtime, only for Wright be called for being offsides, which negated the blocked kick, moved the Saints five yards closer but more importantly give Andersen another chance at a game-winning field goal.

This time, Andersen would make the kick from 24 yards out to give the Saints a 20-17 lead with two seconds left which meant the Rams had one more chance if they could return the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

Gaston Green would receive the kick at his six-yard-line as he would give the Saints a scare as he returned the kick into New Orleans territory until he was tackled by Buck at the Saints' 38-yard-line which ended the game with New Orleans on top 20-17 as the Saints had secured their second ever trip to the NFL postseason.

One week after their dramatic win over the Rams, the Saints would be eliminated from the postseason as they would be held to just 193 yards of total offense in a 16-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Hebert would return as the team's starting quarterback for the next two seasons as the Saints won their first ever division title in 1991 with a 11-5 record then clinched a Wild Card spot in 1992 with a 12-4 record, only for New Orleans to be eliminated in the Wild Card round in both seasons, first by the Atlanta Falcons in '91 and the Philadelphia Eagles in '92.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Marino Throws 5 Touchdowns to Lead Dolphins To Win over LA Rams

Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 29 of 46 passes for 403 yards and threw five touchdown passes in the Dolphins' win over the Rams.

As the Miami Dolphins traveled to southern California to take on the Los Angeles Rams in week 15 of the NFL season, they knew their season was on the line.

Miami entered the game with a 7-7 record needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive.

The Dolphins were lead by head coach Don Shula, who was in his 17th season at Miami, and a high-powered offense led by quarterback Dan Marino, who had rewritten the history books two years earlier to lead Miami to the Super Bowl.

While Marino had had another stellar season, with the helps of the "Marks Brothers" wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, the Dolphins' defense had struggled ranking near the bottom of the league in points allowed and yards allowed.

The defense was so bad it gave up at least 30 points in five games, with two of those where the opponent scored at least 50, including 51 by the New York Jets in the famous 51-45 overtime shootout in Week 3(For more information, click on the highlighted link to read more about it:)

However, the Dolphins had won five of their last seven games to get back to .500 as the defense had not given up more than 30 points in the previous seven games.

The Dolphins' defense would have their hands full as they took on the Rams and running back Eric Dickerson who had run for 1,629 yards to lead Los Angeles to a 10-4 record entering their game with the Dolphins.

Despite Dickerson's excellence, the Rams were still looking for an answer at quarterback as LA possessed the NFL's worst passing attack.

After going through quarterbacks Steve Bartkowski and Steve Dils, Rams head coach John Robinson turned to rookie Jim Everett to steer the ship for the Rams.

Everett lead the Rams to a 3-1 record over his first four career starts and to the brink of the NFC West Division championship if they could beat the Dolphins.

 After the Rams went three-and-out on their opening possession of the game, the Dolphins got the ball at their 37-yard-line and quickly drove down to the LA 23-yard-line as Marino completed his first three passes for 33 yards.

But on 1st & 10 from the Rams' 23-yard-line, running back Lorenzo Hampton dropped a pitch from Marino, which was recovered by Rams cornerback Jerry Gray at the Los Angeles 18-yard-line.

The Rams would go three-and-out again on their following possession, punting the ball back to the Dolphins who took over at the 50-yard-line and once again drove down the field as a 24-yard pass from Marino to Clayton and a 14-yard run by Hampton set up 1st & goal at the LA nine-yard-line.

But for the second straight drive, the Dolphins would turn it over as on 3rd & goal, Marino's pass for Nat Moore deflected off several players before landing in the hands of Rams free safety Vince Newsome, who took a knee in the end zone for a touchback, which would allow LA to start its ensuing possession from its 20-yard-line.

That is when the Rams' offense got going as Everett completed three passes to Henry Ellard for a total of 38 yards to drive LA to the Miami 18-yard-line as the first quarter came to an end.

Everett would connect with Ellard again for 13 yards on the first play of the second quarter to set up a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' five-yard-line when Dickerson got the call.

Dickerson ran up the middle, on his way to an apparent touchdown, when he was hit at the one-yard-line by Dolphins linebacker John Offerdahl, forcing a fumble that was recovered in the end zone by Rams left guard Tom Newberry for a LA touchdown to give the Rams a 7-0 lead on the second play of the second quarter.

Rams running back Eric Dickerson ran the ball 28 times for 124 yards and scored one touchdown.

The Dolphins would begin its next possession at their 20-yard-line where after picking up one 1st down, Marino handed the ball off to Ron Davenport, who threw it back to Marino on a flea-flicker and fired a pass to Duper, who made the catch at the LA 30-yard-line and then outran the Rams defense for a 69-yard touchdown to tie the game 7-7, just 69 seconds after the Rams' touchdown.

The Rams would get the ball back at their 21-yard-line when they called on Dickerson's name to help lead them down the field as he carried the ball three straight times for 11 yards, then caught a 13-yard screen pass from Everett to give LA a 1st down at their 45-yard-line.

But that is where Dickerson fumbled the football again this time the Dolphins recovered as Miami linebacker Larry Kolic made the recovery at the Rams' 39-yard-line.

From there, the Dolphins drove 39 yards in nine plays, culminating with a six-yard touchdown pass to James Pruitt to give Miami a 14-7 lead with 7:11 left in the second quarter.

After the Rams went three-and-out on their next possession, the Dolphins got the ball at their 47-yard-line where after three straight running plays picked up 10 yards, Marino fired a 43-yard touchdown pass to Clayton to increase Miami's lead to 21-7 with 4:24 left in the second quarter.

The Rams tried to mount one more drive before halftime but could only reach the Miami 44-yard-line before having to punt back to the Dolphins who ran out the clock in the first half and went into the locker room with a 21-7 lead thanks to Marino's three 2nd quarter touchdown passes.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out, punting the ball back to the Rams who took over at the Miami 47-yard-line after a 30-yard punt by Reggie Roby.

Everett would connect with Ellard for 14 yards to start the drive, then handed the ball off to Dickerson who carried it twice for 15 yards, which was followed by Everett hitting Ellard for a 19-yard touchdown pass to cut the Dolphins' lead in half to 21-14 with 11:33 left in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would punt again on their ensuing possession, giving the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 26-yard-line when Dickerson bursted for 25 yards on the 1st play of the drive to put LA in Miami territory.

Following a nine-yard pass from Everett to Tim Tyrell, Dickerson would run for four yards on 2nd & 1, then for 13 more on the next play to set up Everett's 23-yard touchdown pass to Kevin House which tied the game at 21 with 6:24 remaining in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would respond with an eight-play, 83-yard drive where Marino completed all eight of his passes, including a 40-yarder to Duper which set up a Marino-to-Duper five-yard touchdown pass that allowed for Miami to retake the lead at 28-21 with 1:35 to go in the third quarter.

The Dolphins would force the Rams to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, getting the ball back at their 44-yard-line as the 4th quarter began.

Marino stayed hot as he completed his next five passes, including a 19-yarder to Hampton on 2nd & 11 from the Miami 43-yard-line, then hitting Moore for 24 yards on 3rd & 3 from the LA seven-yard-line.

Marino's streak of 13 straight completions would end on 3rd & goal at the one-yard-line when Rams strong safety Nolan Cromwell's safety blitz caused Marino to throw an incomplete pass forcing Shula to make a decision on whether to kick the field goal or go for the touchdown.

Shula decided to keep it safe and kick the field goal which Fuad Reveiz made from 18 yards out to increase the Dolphins' lead to 31-21 with 10:06 left in the 4th quarter.

In just his fifth career NFL start, Rams quarterback Jim Everett completed 18 of 31 passes for 251 yards and threw two touchdowns.

The Rams would begin their next possession at their 22-yard-line where it took them only four plays to drive to inside the Dolphins' red zone as Everett connected with David Hill twice for 24 yards and then House for 31 yards to put LA at the Miami 17-yard-line.

However, the Dolphins' defense would stiffen and allow only two more yards on three plays, forcing the Rams to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Ray Lansford to cut the LA deficit to a touchdown at 31-24 with 6:47 left in the 4th quarter.

The Rams would force a three-and-out to get the ball back at their 25-yard-line with 5:29 left in regulation and a chance to drive for the game-tying touchdown.

The Rams would come out throwing as Everett hit Hill for 18 yards to start the drive, then connected with Ellard for 22 yards to put LA at the Miami 35-yard-line in just two plays.

However, Everett's next two passes would fall incomplete forcing a 3rd & 10 when Everett found House for 11 yards and a 1st down at the Dolphins' 24-yard-line.

Dickerson would get the ball on 1st down and ran for five yards, which was followed by a six-yard scramble by Everett to give the Rams a 1st down at the Miami 13-yard-line.

From there, Dickerson would carry the ball four straight times for 13 yards, with the last carry being an one-yard touchdown that with Lansford's extra point tied the game at 31 with 50 seconds left in regulation.

The Dolphins would not pick up a 1st down on their ensuing possession forcing them to punt the ball back to the Rams who took a knee to run out the clock in regulation and go into overtime tied at 31.

The Dolphins would win the coin toss and elected to receive as Craig Ellis returned the overtime kickoff 22 yards to the Miami 25-yard-line.

After Marino connected with Davenport for eight yards on 1st down, Davenport would bust loose for the longest run of the game as he ran for 35 yards to the LA 32-yard-line.

But two plays later, it appeared that the Rams had dodged a bullet as LA defensive back Mickey Sutton picked off a pass that bounced off the hands of Clayton, only to have nullified by an offsides penalty on linebacker Kevin Greene, giving the Dolphins five yards and a 2nd down at the LA 27-yard-line.

Davenport would run for five yards on the next play to pick up the 1st down which was followed by a two-yard run by Hampton to set up 2nd & 8 from the Rams' 20-yard-line.

That is when Marino fired a pass toward the end zone for Duper, who lived up to his nickname of "Super Duper" and made the catch despite excellent coverage from Rams cornerback LeRoy Irvin for his third touchdown of the game, a 20-yarder to give Miami a 37-31 overtime win.

Mark Duper makes the game-winning touchdown catch for the Dolphins in overtime.

The win kept the Dolphins' playoff hopes alive as they moved to 8-7 while the loss dropped the Rams to 10-5, who still clinched a playoff spot thanks to a loss by the Minnesota Vikings to the Houston Oilers.

The Rams would face the San Francisco 49ers in a winner-take-all game for the NFC West which the Rams lost 24-14, giving the 49ers the division title while the Rams had to play in the NFC Wild Card Game against the Washington Redskins which they lost 19-7.

As for the Dolphins, their chances of going to the playoffs were squashed when the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the final Sunday of the season to clinch the final spot in the AFC playoffs as Miami would lose to the New England Patriots to end the season with a 8-8 record, the first of four straight seasons where the Dolphins would miss the playoffs.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Rams' Last-Second FG Denies Saints First Playoff Berth

Mike Lansford(1) jumps into the air after his 42-yard field goal sailed through the uprights to send the Rams to the 1983 NFL Playoffs.

For the first two decade of their existence, the New Orleans Saints were perhaps the most perennial loser in the NFL.
From 1967-1977, the team never won more than five games in a season and would hit rock bottom in 1980 when they went 1-15, gaining notoriety as the "Ain'ts".
Following the 1980 season, the Saints hired former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips who in 1983 had the Saints on the cusp of not their first winning season, but also on the verge of their first playoff berth as they hosted the Los Angeles Rams on the final Sunday of the regular season.
The Saints entered the game with a 8-7 record thanks to an offense directed by former Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler and running back George Rogers, who rushed for over 1,000 yards during the '83 season.
The Saints also had a stingy defense which was the toughest to throw against in the NFL and allowed the second fewest total yards in the league that year.
The Saints hoped to ride Rogers, their defense and their fans as over 70,000 fans packed the Louisiana Superdome to see New Orleans to take on the 8-7 Rams.
The Rams were trying to return to the playoffs for the first time since 1980 under first year head coach John Robinson and rookie running back Eric Dickerson, who would set the NFL record for most rushing yards by a running back in their rookie season as he would finish with 1,808 yards and scored 18 touchdowns.
The Rams also had Vince Ferragamo at quarterback, who had led the Rams to the Super Bowl during the 1979 season.
Los Angeles appeared on the verge of a playoff berth as they stood with a 8-5 record before losing back-to-back games to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots, where the team had scored a combined 16 points in both games.
While the Rams had the same 8-7 record as the Saints, the Rams would need help to get into the playoffs as they needed a win over the Saints and either a loss by the Green Bay Packers(which would give them the second Wild Card spot) or a loss by the San Francisco 49ers(which would give them the NFC West division title).
So essentially, the Rams-Saints game was a do-or-die game for both teams with the winner going to the playoffs and the loser left heartbroken.
 After forcing the Rams to punt on the opening possession of the game, the Saints would drive 80 yards in 11 plays as Stabler completed five of six passes for 64 yards on the drive which culminated with a 11-yard touchdown pass from the "Snake" to Jeff Groth to give New Orelans a 7-0 lead with 5:42 left in the first quarter.
The Rams would respond to the touchdown by driving to the Saints' eight-yard-line as Ferragamo connected with George Farmer on passes of 25 and 31 yards, only to have LA turn it over when Dickerson was hit by Saints free safety Frank Wattelet, forcing a fumble that was recovered by cornerback Dave Waymer at the Saints' five-yard-line.
But on the first play following the fumble, Stabler was sacked by Rams defensive end Jack Youngblood in the end zone for a safety to put the Rams on the board with two points as the score was now 7-2 with 3:18 left in the first quarter.
The rest of the first half turned into a defensive stalemate as neither team could mount a drive with the only points of the second quarter coming courtesy of the Rams special teams unit.
Saints punter Russell Erxelben, hampered by a pulled groin muscle that he suffered during warmups, kicked a low line drive punt that only went 38 yards that was caught by Rams returner Henry Ellard at his 28-yard-line.
With his six blockers in front of him, Ellard was able to run down the left sideline basically untouched a 72-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 9-7 lead with 1:39 left in the first half.
Erxelben would leave the game after Ellard's touchdown and not return, but it would not be the last significant injury for the Saints as the Rams took their 9-7 lead into the locker room as the first half came to a close.
The Saints got the ball to start the second half, but on the third play of the drive, Stabler was pressured by Youngblood and fellow linebacker Jim Collins, lofting a pass intended for Groth that was picked off by free safety Johnnie Johnson, who returned the interception for a 31-yard touchdown to increase the Rams' lead to 16-7 just 91 seconds into the second half.
To add injury into insult, Stabler was knocked out of the game as Youngblood fell on the "Snake"'s right leg, spraining his knee.
Stabler would be replaced by Dave Wilson, who had started two games earlier in the season, going 1-1.

Saints quarterback Ken Stabler sits on the bench with a ice pack on his right knee after being knocked out of the game on the third play of the second half.

Following an exchange of punts, Wilson would lead the Saints on a seven-play, 44-yard drive that ended with Wilson sneaking in for a one-yard touchdown to cut LA's lead to 16-14 with 3:58 left in the third quarter.
The Rams tried to respond on their next possession, only to have Dickerson fumble the football for the second time in the game, following a hit by strong safety Russell Gary, that was recovered by Wattelet at the LA 45-yard-line.
That is when the Saints decided to ride Rogers as he carried the ball eight straight times for 42 yards to set up Morten Andersen's 20-yard field goal to give New Orleans a 17-16 lead with 12:43 left in the fourth quarter.
The Saints defense had the Rams offense stifled as they forced another LA punt on the Rams' ensuing possession only to have disaster struck for New Orleans when Wilson was picked off by strong safety Nolan Cromwell on a pass intended for Eugene Goodlow and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown, the third non-offensive touchdown of the game by the Rams, to give LA a 23-17 lead with 10:10 to go in the game.
The Rams would force the Saints to punt on their ensuing possession to get the ball back, only to turn it over again when Ferragamo overthrew a pass intended for tight end Mike Barber, which ended up in the hands of New Orelans defensive back Greg Stemrick, who returned it 26 yards before he went out of bounds at the LA 44-yard-line, when he was hit after the whistle by Rams left tackle Bill Bain, drawing a 15-yard penalty that put the Saints offense at the Rams' 29-yard-line with 8:14 remaining.
The Saints used up as much of the clock as possible while driving to the Rams' goal line as they were faced with a 3rd & goal from the two-yard-line.
That is when Wilson handed the ball off to Rogers, who lost the football before he crossed the goal line, only to have guard Steve Korte recover the fumble in the end zone for the game-tying touchdown.
Andersen come on to kick the go-ahead extra point to give the Saints a 24-23 lead with 3:47 left in the game.
The Rams got the ball at their 20-yard-line as they look to put together a drive to get into field goal range, but after two incomplete passes and a 10-yard-loss on a sack by Saints linebacker Whitney Paul, the Rams punted the ball back to the Saints as Groth return the punt to the New Orelans 46-yard-line, only to have Otis Grant hit Groth late, drawing a 15-yard penalty to put the Saints at the LA 39-yard-line with 2:48 to play.
All the Saints needed was a 1st down to secure their first ever winning season and playoff berth, but the Saints were unable to pick up the 1st down, even with an offsides penalty on the Rams, as New Orleans picked up only two yards on three straight running plays.

George Rogers(38) would finish the day with 124 yards on 32 carries.

This left Phillips with an interesting decision as the Saints faced 4th & 3 at the Rams' 32-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.
The seemingly logical decision was to call on Andersen and attempt a 49-yard field goal to increase the New Orleans lead to 27-23 and force the Rams to drive for a touchdown.
But it looked Phillips was going to gamble and go for the 1st down as Wilson lined up behind the center following the two-minute warning, only to take a delay of game penalty pushing the Saints five yards back when Phillips sent in the punting unit.
Guido Merkens, taking over for the injured Erxelben, was unable to kick a coffin corner punt as his punt went into the end zone for a touchback, giving the Rams the ball at their 20-yard-line with 1:51 left and one timeout left.
Phillips' decision to punt was predicated on the fact that the Rams had not scored a touchdown on offense the entire game, Dickerson had been held to 80 yards, and Ferragamo had not completed a pass in the second half.
Phillips was putting the game and the season in his defense's hands, hoping for one more stop which would send New Orleans to the playoffs.
The drive began with Ferragamo's first completion of the second half as hit fullback Mike Guman for six yards, then hit Guman again for seven yards and a 1st down at the LA 33-yard-line.
Ferragamo would connect with Guman for the third straight time as the fullback picked up 14 yards and another 1st down at the Rams' 47-yard-line.
The Rams then got into Saints territory on the next play as Ferragamo found Barber for 11 yards, giving LA a 1st down at the New Orleans 42-yard-line as the Rams spend called timeout with 51 seconds left.
However, the timeout seemed to stop the Rams' momentum as Ferragamo would throw an incomplete pass on 1st & 10, which became 1st & 25 when Farmer was called for a 15-yard penalty pushing the Rams back to their 43-yard-line.
Ferragamo would almost be intercepted by Waymer on the next play, setting up a 2nd & 25 with 30 seconds to go.
That is when Ferragamo found Preston Dennard on a post pattern for 26 yards that not gave the Rams a 1st down at the Saints' 31-yard-line, but also put them in field goal range.
Ferragamo and the Rams' offense ran up to the line, presumably to spike the ball, only to have Ferragamo fire a quick pass to Dennard, who picked up six yards before going out of bounds at the New Orleans 25-yard-line with six seconds left.
Robinson sent the field goal team out as kicker Mike Lansford would come on to attempt a 42-yard field goal that if successful would send the  Rams to the playoffs.
The snap from center Doug Smith was a little high but the holder, Cromwell, was able to catch and get a hold for Lansford to kick it.
The kick hooks from right to left but is able to sneak past the left upright and good to give the Rams a 26-24 win,  denying the Saints their first winning season in their 17-year team history and sending the Rams to the playoffs as the Packers lost to the Bears 23-21.
Los Angeles would enter the playoffs as a Wild Card and would travel to Dallas to take on the 12-4 Cowboys where Ferragamo threw three touchdown passes and Dickerson ran for 99 yards as LA knocked off the Cowboys 24-17 to move onto the Divisional Playoffs where they would be destroyed by the Washington Redskins 51-7.

Rams quarterback Vince Ferragamo would complete six of seven passes for 55 yards on LA's final drive.

However, the 1983 playoff berth would be the first of four straight postseason appearances and six in seven years, which included two trips to the NFC Championship Game, under head coach Robinson.
As for the Saints, the 1983 season would not be the only season in Phillips' tenure that would end in heartbreaking fashion as in 1984, New Orleans was on the cusp of a winning season, only to lose their final three games to finish 7-9.
Phillips would resign the following season after the Saints finished with a 5-11 record.
This would lead to the hiring of Jim Mora as head coach, who in 1987, lead the Saints to not only their first ever winning season, but their first ever playoff berth as they finished with a 12-3 record.
Since then, the Saints have added 13 winning seasons, been to the playoffs 11 times, and won a Super Bowl in 2010.