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: Morten's Shocking FG Miss Paves Way for Jaguars to Clinch Playoff Berth

Wide receiver Keenan McCardell leaps into the arms of defensive end Tony Brackens after the Jaguars secured thier first playoff berth in just the team's second year of existence.

If you had told anybody that the Jacksonville Jaguars would be on the cusp of a postseason berth in just their second year of existence, you probably would have been laughed at.

But that was the case as the 1996 NFL regular season came to an end as the Jaguars needed to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the final week of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot.

The Jacksonville Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995 as one of the two new expansion teams with the other being the Carolina Panthers and went 4-12 in their inaugural season and hoped to improve on that record in 1996.

By the time Thanksgiving rolled around, the Jaguars had matched their win total of the year before but a playoff berth seemed out of the question as they stood with a 4-7 record.

That is when the Jaguars, led by head coach Tom Coughlin, released wide receiver Andre Rison and replaced him with Jimmy Smith to join Keenan McCardell as the other starting wide receiver as the pair would catch passes from quarterback Mark Brunell.

The move seemed to spark the Jaguars as the two combined for 238 yards on 17 catches as Jacksonville knocked off the Baltimore Ravens 28-25 in overtime, kickstarting a four-game winning streak to push the Jaguars' record to 8-7, needing just one more win to secure a spot in the postseason .

All the Jaguars had to do was defeat the lowly Falcons, who entered the game with a 3-12 record after starting out the season 0-8.

The '96 season had been a nightmare for the Falcons as the team had cut quarterback Jeff George following an argument he had with head coach June Jones during Atlanta' 33-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 4.

Bobby Hebert would take over the reins at quarterback  but that did not solve all of the Falcons problems as the defense gave up 442 points through the first 15 weeks of the season, an average of 29.4 points per game.

With all the dysfunction in Atlanta and success in Jacksonville, the Jaguars were nearly 10 point favorites to beat the Falcons and move on to the playoffs.

However, the Jaguars would be in for a struggle with the Falcons in a game that would not be decided until the final seconds.

After the Falcons went three-and-out to start the game, the Jaguars got the ball at their 23-yard-line as Brunell would complete a 14-yard pass to Smith to start the drive, then connected with Willie Jackson for 13 yards, and then McCardell for 17 yards to help put Jacksonville at the Atlanta 28-yard-line.

From there, running back Natrone Means would run the ball four straight times, gaining 17 yards to set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Brunell to give Jacksonville a 7-0 lead midway through the opening quarter.

The two teams would trade punts until early in the second quarter when the Falcons were able to drive from their 43-yard-line to the Jacksonville 20-yard-line until a quarterback sack by cornerback Aaron Beasley forced a 46-yard field goal by Andersen to cut the Jaguars' lead to 7-3 with 12:25 to go in the second quarter.

The Jaguars would get the ball back at their 25-yard-line as Brunell would complete five of his next seven passes for 51 yards to help lead Jacksonville drive to the Falcons' five-yard-line where they faced a 2nd & 1.

However, the Jaguars could not convert as Means would be stopped for no gain on back-to-back carries, leading to Jacksonville to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Mike Hollis to push the Jaguars' lead back to seven points at 10-3 with 6:12 left in the second quarter.

Following an Atlanta three-and-out, the Jaguars would drive from their 14-yard-line to the Falcons' eight-yard-line as Means ran the ball four times for 25 yards while Brunell would complete three passes for 38 yards while scrambling for 16 yards to set up Jacksonville with a 1st & goal situation.

But the Jaguars could not punch it in for a touchdown as two incomplete passes and a Brunell run that went for no gain forced Jacksonville to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Hollis to increase the Jacksonville lead to 13-3 with 42 seconds left before halftime.

The Falcons would drive to midfield as time expired in the first half with the Jaguars ahead 13-3 and set to get the ball to start the second half.

Jacksonville would start its initial possession of the second half at their 20-yard-line with two runs by Means for eight yards to set up 3rd & 2 when Brunell connected with Smith for 23 yards and a 1st down at the Falcons' 49-yard-line.

The Jaguars would once again drive to inside the Falcons' 10-yard-line but would once again have to settle for a field goal as Hollis would come on to kick a 22-yard field to end the 13-play, 76-yard drive that took nearly seven minutes off the clock and increased the Jacksonville lead to 16-3.

Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell would complete 18 of 29 passes for 222 yards while running for 28 yards on four carries.

After an 18-yard return by Roell Preston on the ensuing kickoff, the Falcons would start their ensuing possession at their 28-yard-line having with a 14-yard pass from Hebert to running back Richard Huntley, which was followed by an 11-yard run by Craig  "Ironhead" Heyward and then a 15-yard scramble by Hebert to put Atlanta at the Jacksonville 32-yard-line.

Six plays later, the Falcons were in the end zone as Hebert found Eric Metcalf for a four-yard touchdown to cut the Jaguars' lead to 16-10 with 2:34 left in the third quarter.

The Jaguars would get the ball back at their 26-yard-line as Brunell would complete three of four passes for 36 yards, with two of those passes going to tight end Derek Brown for 24 yards, to set up another Hollis field goal, this one from 42 yards out to increase the Jacksonville lead to 19-10 with 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons would start their next possession at their 23-yard-line as running back Jamal Anderson would carry the ball twice for 12 yards to start the drive which was followed by Hebert completing five of six passes for 53 yards to lead Atlanta to the two-yard-line where Heyward punched it in for a two-yard touchdown to make it a one-possession game at 19-17 with 5:39 left in the game.

Needing a few 1st downs to run out the clock, the Jaguars would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Falcons, who took over at their 30-yard-line with 3:57 left and needing just a field goal to win.

The drive would begin with an one-yard run by Anderson followed by a four-yard pass from Hebert to Tyrone Brown to set up 3rd & 5 when Anderson ran for 14 yards to give Atlanta a 1st down at the Falcons' 49-yard-line.

After Anderson ran for three yards on 1st down, Hebert found Brown again, this time for 23 yards for another 1st down at the Jaguars' 25-yard-line.

Heyward would carry the ball on the next two plays, picking up five yards as the Jaguars burned their last two timeouts in hopes of preserving enough time for Jacksonville assuming the Falcons scored.

Anderson would get the ball on 3rd & 5 and run for seven yards to pick up another 1st down at the Jacksonville 13-yard-line, easily in field goal range for Andersen.

The Falcons would run two more plays before calling on Andersen to come and kick a 30-yard field goal with 11 seconds to play.

It looked like the Falcons were going to break the Jaguars' hearts as Andersen had not missed a field goal of 30 yards or shorter since 1989 or 59 consecutive field goals.

The only hope for the Jaguars was for one of the Jaguars to block the kick or hope that the holder would botch the snap.

But none of those were needed as Andersen shockingly pushed the kick wide left and no good, allowing for the Jaguars to take a knee to run out the clock as Jacksonville came away with the 19-17 win and their first ever playoff berth in just their second year of existence.

One day after the loss to Jacksonville, Jones was fired as head coach and replaced by Dan Reeves who helped lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl two years later.

As for the Jaguars, they earned a trip to Buffalo take on the Bills in the AFC Wild Card round as Means ran for 175 yards to lead Jacksonville to a 30-27 upset to advance to the Divisional Round where the Jaguars would shock the Denver Broncos 30-27 in what is considered one of the greatest upsets in NFL history.

However, the Jaguars' Cinderella run would come to an end one week later as they fell to the New England Patriots 20-6 in the AFC Championship Game.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Falcons Spoil Carolina's NFL Debut

 

On September 3, 1995, two new teams joined the National Football League as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers made their debuts.

While the Jaguars hosted the Houston Oilers, the Panthers would travel down I-85 to face what would be their closest rival in the Atlanta Falcons.

Carolina was under the direction of head coach Dom Capers, who had been given the opportunity as the Panthers' first head coach thanks to his three-year stint as the defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the field, the Panthers would be led by quarterback Frank Reich who had spent his entire 10-year NFL career as the backup quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, who was really just a placeholder for 1st round pick Kerry Collins, who was seen as the quarterback of the future in Carolina.

While the Panthers were just getting their feet wet in the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons were entering their thirtieth season in the league which up to this point had included only six winning seasons and four playoff appearances.

The Falcons were led by second-year head coach June Jones, who had installed the "Run & Shoot" offense which was an offense that was built on the passing game, not the running game.

Atlanta had gone 7-9 in Jones' first season which saw wide receiver Terance Mathis catch a team record 111 passes for 1,342 yards and 11 touchdown receptions with most of their passes being thrown by quarterback Jeff George, who had been acquired by the Indianapolis Colts in a trade.

With the addition of the versatile Eric Metcalf to the backfield, the Falcons hope to reach the NFL playoffs for the first time since 1991.

After the Falcons went three-and-out to start the game, the Panthers got the ball at their 35-yard-line as Reich would complete all five of his passes for 62 yards on an eight-play, 65-yard drive that culminated with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Reich to tight end Pete Metzelaars for the first touchdown in Carolina Panthers history and a 7-0 lead almost six minutes into the game.

Carolina would get a chance to extend the lead after the ensuing kickoff when linebacker Paul Butcher knocked the ball loose from Falcons returner Roell Preston leading to a recovery by Vince Workman to give the Panthers the ball at the Atlanta 22-yard-line.

However, the Falcons defense would allow only one yard on the next three plays, forcing Carolina to settle for a 39-yard field goal by John Kasay to increase the Panthers' lead to 10-0 midway through the opening quarter.

Preston would make up for his fumble by returning the ensuing kickoff 44 yards to the Atlanta 44-yard-line to give the Falcons a short field for their next possession which would be a seven-play, 47-yard drive which featured a 36-yard pass from George to Metcalf to set up a 27-yard field goal by Morten Andersen to cut the Panthers' lead to 10-3 with 3:23 left in the first quarter.

The Panthers would start their next possession at their 20-yard-line with a 11-yard pass from Reich to Willie Green followed by a 46-yard bomb to Mark Carrier to put Carolina at the Atlanta 23-yard-line.

That is when the drive would stall as Reich would throw two incomplete passes and running back Randy Baldwin would be stopped for no gain, leading to Carolina to settle for another Kasay field goal, this one from 41 yards out to push the Panthers' lead back to 10 points at 13-3 with 1:17 to go in the first quarter.

Panthers quarterback Frank Reich would complete 23 of 44 passes for 329 yards and throw two touchdowns, but would be sacked nine times.

After both teams traded punts on their ensuing drives, the Falcons were pinned down at their two-yard-line when George went deep and found Bert Emanuel for 46 yards to give Atlanta a 1st down at its 48-yard-line.

From there, George would complete six of his next eight passes for 39 yards with his last completion being a 12-yard touchdown pass to J.J. Birden to end the Falcons 11-play, 98-yard drive to cut the Carolina lead to 13-10 midway through the second quarter.

Following a Carolina three-and-out, the Falcons got the ball at their 21-yard-line as George would hit Emanuel for 13 yards to start the drive, then connected with Terance Mathis twice for 21 yards to set up another Andersen field goal, this one from 51 yards out to tie the game at 13 with 1:41 left in the first half.

After a touchback on the ensuing kickoff, the Panthers would drive from their 20-yard-line to the Atlanta 45-yard-line until Reich was sacked by Falcons defensive ends Chuck Smith and Chris Doleman as time expired in the first half with the game tied 13-13.

Carolina would get the ball to start the second half but would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Falcons who would take over at their 42-yard-line when George found Mathis for 23 yards to start the drive and give Atlanta a 1st down at the Carolina 35-yard-line.

Then after the next two plays picked up only two yards, George connected with Metcalf for 19 yards and another 1st down at the Carolina 14-yard-line.

Two plays later, George would find Emanuel in the back of the end zone for a five-yard touchdown to give the Falcons their first lead of the game at 20-13 with just under 10 minutes to go in the third quarter.

From there, the game would turn into a defensive stalemate as both teams would trade punts until midway through the fourth quarter when Falcons running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward fumbled the football after a hit by Panthers linebacker Lamar Lathon leading to a recovery by strong safety Brett Maxie to give Carolina the ball at the Atlanta 22-yard-line.

However, the Falcons defense would not only hold, they were push the Panthers out of field goal range as an incomplete pass and back-to-back sacks by defensive end Chris Doleman and defensive tackle Jumpy Geathers would push Carolina back to the Atlanta 44-yard-line where they would punt the ball back to the Falcons who took over at their 16-yard-line hoping to run out the clock.

The Falcons would pick up one 1st down but would be forced to punt the ball back to the Panthers, who would take over at their 20-yard-line with 1:15 left in regulation and needing a touchdown.

Falcons quarterback Jeff George would complete 27 of 45 passes for 290 yards and throw two touchdown passes.

The drive would get off to a good start as Reich would connect with fullback Bob Christian for 23 yards to give Carolina a 1st down at its 43-yard-line which was followed by two straight incomplete passes to bring up 3rd down when Reich found Willie Green for 13 yards and a 1st down at the Falcons' 44-yard-line with 35 seconds to play.

That is when Reich went deep and threw a pass down the left sideline for Green, who bobbled the ball at the Falcons' three-yard-line before cradling the ball to make the catch for the 44-yard touchdown to bring Carolina to within a single point at 20-19 with 26 seconds to go in regulation.

The assumption was that the Panthers would kick the extra point to tie the game but instead Capers kept the offense in and had them for a potential two-point conversion.

However, right tackle Derrick Graham would jump offside, drawing a five-yard false start penalty, which led to Capers to abandon the two-point try and settle for the extra point which Kasay made. 

Ron George would return the ensuing kickoff 16 yards to the Falcons' 36-yard-line, giving Jeff George a chance to hit a few passes to get into field goal range and give Andersen a chance at a game-winning field goal.

George would complete passes of 13 yards to Emanuel and 11 yards to Metcalf to put the Falcons at the Carolina 40-yard-line allowing for Andersen to come on to attempt a potential 58-yard field goal with three seconds to go.

Andersen's kick had the distance but it sailed wide left of the uprights as time expired with the score still tied at 20 as the two teams prepared for overtime.

Carolina would win the coin toss and elected to receive as they would start their overtime possession at their 20-yard-line as the Panthers would move 22 yards on four plays to set up a 3rd & 2 situation when Reich was sacked and stripped of the ball by Falcons defensive end Lester Archambeau who also made made the recovery to give Atlanta the ball at the Carolina 31-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Heyward on 1st down, George would connect with Metcalf for four yards and then Emanuel for five yards to give the Falcons a fresh set of downs at the Carolina 20-yard-line as two straight running plays picked up four yards to set up 3rd & 6 when Jones sent in Andersen and the field goal unit.

This time, Andersen's kick would sail through the uprights for a successful 35-yard field goal to give the Falcons a 23-20 overtime win over the Panthers.

Morten Andersen would hit the walk-off field goal in the Falcons' overtime win over the Panthers.

Led by Emanuel, Mathis, and Metcalf who would all finish with over 1,000 receiving yards for the season, the Falcons would go 9-7 which was good enough to earn them a spot in the playoffs where they would be one-and-done as they would fall to the Green Bay Packers 37-20 in the NFC Wild Card Round.

As for the Panthers, they would lose their next four games before Carolina would claim its first ever NFL victory as they defeated the New York Jets 26-15 in week 7.

From there, the Panthers would win six of their last 10 games to finish with a 7-9 record, with thier last win being a 21-17 win over the Falcons, as Carolina finished with the best record for an NFL expansion team in its first season.

The following season, the Panthers would go 12-4 to win the NFC West division title and defeat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC divisional round to earn a trip to the NFC Championship Game where they would fall to the Packers.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Saints Prevail Over 49ers in "Coulda Woulda Shoulda" Rematch

In week 6 of the 1987 NFL regular season, which was also the first week where all the regular NFL players played following three games featuring replacement players because of the NFL strike, the New Orleans Saints lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers 24-22 as Morten Andersen's 52-yard field goal in the final seconds sailed wide left.
In the locker room following the game, second-year Saints head coach Jim Mora went one of his legendary rants saying the Saints weren't good enough to beat the 49ers:

The "Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda" rant as it became to be known would be seen as the turning point in the Saints' 1987 season as it helped sparked the team toward their first winning season in team history.
Since their inception in 1967, the Saints had never finished beyond .500 and had never made the playoffs.
In 1986, the team hired Mora after he had spent three years in the USFL, leading the Philadelphia/Baltimore Stars to a 48-13-1 record and two league championships.
Mora wasn't the only USFL refugee to land in New Orleans as quarterback Bobby Hebert, as well as linebackers Sam Mills and Vaughn Johnson joined Mora to help the Saints to a 7-9 season in 1986.
But after their loss to the 49ers in week 6, the Saints stood at 3-3 and most New Orleans fans were expecting another mediocre season at best.
The Saints would easily dispatch of the Atlanta Falcons and the Los Angeles Rams the next two weeks, beating them by a combined score of 69-14 to improve their record to 5-3 as they traveled to San Francisco for a rematch with the 49ers in week 9.
By 1987, the 49ers had established themselves as the rulers of the NFC West, winning the division in four of the previous six years as well as two Super Bowl titles.
The 49ers were led by head coach Bill Walsh and his famous "West Coast" Offense with Joe Montana at quarterback, running back Roger Craig who had had 1,000 yards receiving and running in 1985, plus third-year wide receiver Jerry Rice who was just coming into his prime.
To go along with this high-powered offense, the 49ers had a stingy defense led by safety Ronnie Lott which had led San Francisco to a 7-1 record as they prepared to host the Saints at Candlestick Park for the anticipated rematch.
However, Montana would not be starting as a sprained index finger on his right hand allowed for Steve Young to get the start in this important game, though Montana would be available if Young were to be injured or ineffective.
The 49ers got the ball to start the game at their 28-yard-line as a 17-yard run by Rice off a reverse on the first play of the game and a 21-yard pass from Young to fullback Tom Rathman help set up a 46-yard field goal attempt by Ray Wersching, with Montana as the holder despite his injured finger.
Wersching's kick would be short and no good to give the Saints the ball at their 29-yard-line where they were able to put together a nine-play, 48-yard drive that was capped off with a 40-yard field goal by Andersen to give New Orelans a 3-0 lead with 6:05 left in the first quarter.
The 49ers would get the ball back at their 24-yard-line but were pushed back 10 yards after an ineligible man downfield penalty wiped out a 12-yard pass from Young to Craig on 1st down.
Nevertheless, Young would lead the 49ers to the New Orleans 46-yard-line where Young connected with Rice on a 46-yard touchdown to give the 49ers a 7-3 lead with 67 seconds left in the opening quarter.
But for Young, his touchdown to Rice would be the final play of the game for him as coaches noted he was woozy believing he had suffered a concussion on one of his two quarterback runs during the touchdown drive.
As Montana was getting warmed up to enter the game, the Saints took over at their 36-yard-line but could not make a 1st down and were forced to punt the ball back to the 49ers.
However, the Saints would catch a break on the punt as 49ers linebacker Keena Turner was called for roughing the kicker, drawing a 15-yard penalty and giving New Orleans an 1st down at their 46-yard-line.
The Saints would hold the ball into the second quarter as they drove down to the 49ers' 24-yard-line before calling on Andersen to attempt a 41-yard field goal which sailed wide right and no good to keep it 7-3 in favor of the 49ers.
When the San Francisco offense come onto the field, Montana came in with them as they took possession at their 24-yard-line as they drove to the Saints' 40-yard-line in just three plays as Craig ran for 27 yards on two carries and Montana connected with tight end John Frank for nine yards.
But on 1st & 10 at the New Orleans 40-yard-line, Montana's pass intended for Ron Heller was tipped and intercepted by Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson to give the Saints the ball at their 28-yard-line.
From there, the Saints would drive 63 yards in 14 plays, primarily on the ground with running backs Dalton Hilliard and Reuben Mayes to set up a 27-yard field goal by Andersen which he made to cut the 49ers' lead to 7-6 with 1:52 left in the first half.

Despite not starting the game, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana would complete 16 of 29 passes for 144 yards.

Montana and the 49ers would get the ball at their 20-yard-line where they hoped to put their two-minute offense to good use to drive down and pick up some more points before halftime.
However, Montana would throw his second interception of the half as Saints cornerback Dave Waymer picked off a pass intended for Heller again and ran it back 17 yards to the San Francisco 23-yard-line to give the New Orleans offense the ball with 1:24 left in the half.
But the Saints ended up going backwards as they lost 12 yards, thanks in large part to a 10-yard-loss on a quarterback sack by 49ers defensive tackle Clyde Glover, forcing Mora to call on Andersen for the fourth time in the first half, this time to attempt a 51-yard field goal.
Andersen's kick was true and the Saints would go into the halftime break with a 9-7 lead and would get the ball to start the second half.
Starting at their own 35-yard-line, the Saints would drive to the 49ers' 43-yard-line when they were faced with a 3rd & 3 situation.
That is when Hebert threw a short pass to wide receiver Mike Jones, who made the catch at the San Francisco 38-yard-line, then spun away to break the tackle attempt made by 49ers cornerback Tim McKyer, and outraced the rest of the 49ers defense for a 43-yard touchdown to extend the Saints' lead to 16-7 with 11:26 left in the third quarter.
Following an exchange of punts, the 49ers had the ball at exactly the 50-yard-line when Walsh decided to go into his bag of tricks as Montana threw to seldom-used running back Harry Sydney, who then fired a perfect pass for Rice who made the catch for a 50-yard touchdown to bring the 49ers to within two points at 16-14 with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.

Jerry Rice caught his seventh and eighth touchdown receptions of his 22-touchdown catch season in the 49ers' Week 9 game.

After another exchange of punts, the Saints had the ball at the 49ers' 43-yard-line when Hebert was intercepted by Lott, whose 34-yard return set up shop for the 49ers offense at the New Orleans 31-yard-line.
Three plays netted only two yards, forcing Walsh to send in Wersching to attempt a 46-yard field goal that would give the lead back to the 49ers.
But Saints defensive back Reggie Sutton would break through the right side of the 49ers' offensive line to block the kick, which bounced into the hands of teammate Johnnie Poe, who returned it 61 yards for a touchdown to increase the New Orleans lead to 23-14 with just three seconds left in the third quarter.
Instead of having a one-point lead, San Francisco now needed two scores to retake the lead as the fourth quarter began with the 49ers holding the ball at their 35-yard-line.
After two plays gained four yards, Montana would hit Russ Francis for 16 yards and a 1st down, which was followed by a 22-yard pass to Frank, giving the 49ers a 1st down at the Saints' 23-yard-line.
However, the Saints' defense would stiffen once again as they allowed only three more yards on the next three plays, leading to a 35-yard field goal by Wersching, which he made to cut the New Orleans lead to 23-17 with 10:44 left in the fourth quarter.
The Saints would get the ball back at their 14-yard-line but couldn't it make it past their own 42-yard-line before punting the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 37-yard-line with 6:46 to go in the game.
The drive began with four straight running plays which picked up 18 yards before Montana threw his first pass of the drive which fell incomplete leading to a 3rd & 7 situation at the Saints' 46-yard-line.
Montana would connect with Craig for six yards setting up 4th & 1 as Walsh decided to go for the 1st down.
The 49ers would get it as Craig took a pitch from Montana and ran around the left side for eight yards and a 1st down at the New Orleans 32-yard-line.
But three plays later, the 49ers would be faced with another 4th down situation, this time needing seven yards to pick up the 1st down.
That is when Montana faked a draw to Craig and fired a pass for Heller for the 29-yard touchdown that with Wersching's extra point gave the 49ers a 24-23 lead with 2:54 remaining.
The Saints would get the ball back at their 22-yard-line with two timeouts in their pocket and needing just a field goal.
But up to this point in the game, Hebert had only completed eight of 24 passes for 127 yards.
If the Saints were to drive down and kick the winning field goal, they would need Hebert to step up.
Hebert would answer the call on the first two plays of the drive as he hit Lonzell Hill for 23 yards, then Eric Martin for 31 yards, driving the Saints 54 yards in just two plays as they had a 1st down at the 49ers' 24-yard-line.
Two runs by Hilliard only picked up one yard before Hebert put the ball back in the air only to have it fall incomplete and forcing 4th down as Mora sent in Andersen to attempt a 40-yard field goal to give the Saints the lead.
With a chance to redeem himself for his miss from three weeks prior, Andersen made the 40-yard kick to give New Orleans a 26-24 lead with 1:06 remaining.
But that was still plenty of time for Montana to drive the 49ers down the field and give Wersching a chance to win the game with a field goal of his own.
Taking over at his 26-yard-line, Montana would complete three passes in a row to Craig, gaining 19 yards before spending the 49ers' last timeout with 41 seconds to go.
After the timeout, Montana would connect with John Taylor for 15 yards and a 1st down at the Saints' 40-yard-line.
Back-to-back incomplete passes lead to a 3rd down with 18 seconds left when Montana dropped back to pass only to find no one open.
This lead him to scramble and try to pick up the 1st down, but he was tackled one yard short at the Saints' 31-yard-line with 10 seconds to go.
Montana tried to get the 49ers lined up for one last play only to have the clock run out with the Saints victors by the score of 26-24.

Morten Andersen celebrates after making the game-winning field goal.

In the locker room after the game, Mora was asked if his team was contenders to which the coach replied "Yes, we're contenders".
Mora and the Saints were not lose a game for the rest of the regular season as they finished with a then franchise best 12-3 record to earn their first ever winning season and playoff berth in franchise history.
But the 49ers would not lose for the rest of the regular season as well as they finished one game ahead of the Saints with a league best 13-2 record as Rice would catch fire as he caught 14 touchdown passes in the 49ers' final six regular season games to set the NFL record for most touchdown receptions in a season with 22, which stood for 20 years until Randy Moss broke it in 2007.
However, both teams' seasons would end at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings as the 8-7 Vikings destroyed the Saints 44-10 in the NFC Wild Card Game, then shocked the 49ers 36-24 in the Divisional Round, before being eliminated by the Washington Redskins 17-10 in the NFC Championship Game.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Flipper Anderson Sets Receiving Yards Record in Rams Win

Flipper Anderson would set the single-game record for most receiving yards in a NFL game with his performance against the Saints in 1989.

When the Los Angeles Rams traveled to New Orleans to take on their NFC West rivals the Saints in a Week 12 showdown during the 1989 season, little did anyone know that history was going to be made that Sunday night as Willie "Flipper" Anderson put together a performance for the ages.
The Rams started off the 1989 season on fire as they jumped out to a 5-0 record thanks to the dynamic passing combination of quarterback Jim Everett and wide receiver Henry Ellard.
However, the Rams were be brought down to earth as they lost their next four games, including losing on a safety in overtime to the Minnesota Vikings, bringing their record to 5-4, only to rebound with back-to-back wins to bring their record back to 7-4.
While the Rams were on this roller coaster, second-year receiver Anderson had become LA's deep threat as he averaged nearly 31 yards per catch as he made only 19 catches over the first 11 games of the season, but for 584 yards and three touchdowns.
But as the Rams prepared for their huge game in the Crescent City, Anderson was going to have to take on a larger role as Ellard went down that week in practice with a pulled hamstring.
While the Rams had started the season hot, the Saints started out the season cold as they limped to a 1-4 start.
But following a win over the New York Jets in Week 6, the Saints traveled to California to take on the Rams where the team's linebacking corps known as the "Dome Patrol"(Pat Swilling, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, and Rickey Jackson) helped lead the Saints to a 40-21 win as the Saints defense sacked Everett six times in the game.
By the time the Rams came to the Superdome for their rematch, the Saints stood at 6-5 needing another win over the Rams to stay in the hunt for a Wild Card spot as the 49ers had pulled away with the lead in the NFC West.
The Rams got the ball to start the game at their 20-yard-line and Anderson made his presence felt on the first play of the game as he made a 14-yard reception for a LA 1st down, which was immediately followed by a 11-yard catch on the next play.
The Rams eventually drove to the Saints' 29-yard-line until a holding penalty on fullback Buford McGee pushed them out of field goal range and forced LA to punt the ball to the Saints, who took over at their nine-yard-line.
From there, the Saints drove 91 yards in 13 plays with quarterback Bobby Hebert completing four of five passes on the drive with the last one being a 15-yard touchdown to Eric Martin to give New Orleans a 7-0 lead with 1:28 left in the first quarter.
After forcing another Rams punt, the Saints took over at the Los Angeles 44-yard-line and proceeded to drive into field goal range, thanks in large part to a 17-yard pass from Hebert to tight end Greg Scales.
Morten Andersen came on and kicked a 36-yard field goal to increase the Saints' lead to 10-0 with 10:31 to go in the second quarter.

Saints running back Dalton Hilliard would run for 112 yards on 24 carries and threw a 35-yard touchdown pass.

The Rams begin their ensuing possession at their 20-yard-line but it seemed they were set for a three-and-out as they faced a 3rd & 13 at the 17-yard-line.
That is when Everett fired a pass for Anderson, just a split second before he was hit by Swilling, that was caught by Anderson at the Rams' 22-yard-line.
Flipper then proceeded to run down the left side of the field for a 43-yard gain that gave the Rams a 1st down at the Saints' 40-yard-line.
Two plays later on 3rd & 8 from the 38-yard-line, Everett found Anderson again, this time for 17 yards for another Rams 1st down at the Saints' 21-yard-line.
Two plays later, the Rams were faced with another 3rd down situation, but this time they decided to keep it on the ground as Everett handed the ball off to running back Greg Bell on 3rd & 2 at the New Orleans 13-yard-line.
But Bell was dropped for a two-yard-loss by Saints free safety Dave Waymer, forcing Los Angeles to settle for a 35-yard field goal by Mike Lansford that cut the Saints' lead to 10-3 with 6:23 left in the first half.
Late in the second quarter, the Saints had a chance to increase the lead as cornerback Robert Massey intercepted an Everett pass to give New Orleans the ball at the Rams' 44-yard-line.
But Hebert threw three straight incomplete passes forcing the Saints to punt as neither team would mount a scoring threat for the rest of the first half as the Saints went into the locker room with a 10-3 lead.
The Saints got the ball to start the second half but quickly gave it right back to the Rams as defensive end Shawn Miller intercepted Hebert's first pass of the half to give LA the ball at the Saints' 16-yard-line.
The Rams made it to the one-yard-line where they had a 3rd & goal when Everett fell down while trying to find an open receiver only to be touched by Sam Mills for a four-yard loss.
It appeared the Rams would get three points as Lansford came on to attempt a 22-yard chip shot field goal.
But the kick was partially blocked by Saints nose tackle Jim Wilks, sending the kick wide left of the goal post and no good, keeping it a 10-3 game.
Later in the quarter, the Saints had the ball at their nine-yard-line when Dalton Hilliard made his presence felt.
First, Hilliard exploded for a 40-yard run that put the Saints in Rams territory at the LA 47-yard-line.
Then a few plays later, Hilliard took a handoff from Hebert, ran right, then stopped and fired a 35-yard touchdown pass to Martin to increase the New Orleans lead to 17-3 with just over three minutes to go in the third quarter.
After Hilliard's shocking touchdown pass, the Rams got the ball back at their 20-yard-line when Everett hit Anderson for a 50-yard bomb that put Flipper over the 100-yard receiving mark with 141 yards on 6 catches up to this point and LA in Saints territory at the 30-yard-line.

Rams quarterback Jim Everett would throw for 454 yards on 29-of-51 passing and one touchdown despite throwing two interceptions. 

However the drive stalled when Vaughn Johnson sacked Everett on the first play of the 4th quarter,  pushing the Rams out of field goal range and forcing them to punt the ball back to the Saints.
Later in the 4th quarter, the Rams would be given a golden opportunity to cut into the Saints' lead when Saints returner Rod Harris muffed a punt that was recovered by the Rams' Shawn Miller, giving Los Angeles a 1st & goal at the Saints' eight-yard-line.
But the Saints defense, more specifically "The Dome Patrol" kept the Rams out of the end zone as Swilling sacked Everett on 4th down to end the LA scoring threat.
The Rams drove into the red zone again on their next possession, thanks to two catches by Anderson for 30 yards, only to have Bell fumble the ball on a 3rd & 4 from the Saints' 20-yard-line which was recovered by New Orleans defensive end Jumpy Geathers to stop another potential scoring drive by the Rams.
Even though their offense wasted two golden opportunities for touchdowns in the 4th quarter, the Rams defense remained stiff as they would not permit a Saints 1st down and forced them to punt the ball back to LA who took over at their 39-yard-line with 4:40 left in the 4th quarter.
The drive began with a 11-yard run by McGee, which was followed by a 46-yard bomb from Everett to Anderson, that not put Anderson over 200 receiving yards(217 on nine catches) it gave the Rams a 1st & goal at the Saints' four-yard-line.
But it seemed once again the Rams were going to come away with no points as two penalties pushed them back to the Saints' 19-yard-line.
However, the Rams would not be kept out of the end zone as Everett hit Aaron Cox for 14 yards to put the Rams at the five-yard-line, which was followed by a five-yard touchdown run by McGee that brought Los Angeles to within a touchdown at 17-10 with 2:46 to go in regulation.
Then after forcing another three-and-out from the Saints' offense, the Rams got the ball in Saints territory at the New Orleans 40-yard-line with 2:04 left in regulation.
But penalties pushed the Rams all the way back to their own 38-yard-line setting up a 2nd & 32 with 1:54 to go.
That is when Everett hit Anderson for a 26-yard completion to make the upcoming 3rd down more makeable as they needed only six yards to pick up the 1st down.
The Rams ended up getting seven as Everett found tight end Pete Holohan for a LA 1st down at the Saints' 29-yard-line.
On the next play, Everett went back to Anderson, who made the catch at the 15-yard-line before going out of bounds.
Then on the very next play, Everett lofted a pass for Anderson toward the right corner of the end zone.
Anderson made the catch, his 12th of the game, a 14-yard touchdown that with Lansford's extra point tied the game at 17 with 1:02 to go in regulation.
After giving up two touchdowns in a span of 1 minute and 44 seconds, the Saints tried to put together a drive to get into field goal range and give Morton Andersen a chance to win the game on a field goal.
But on 3rd & 1 from the Saints' 30-yard-line, Hebert overthrew a wide open Floyd Turner, forcing the Saints to punt the ball back to the Rams, who took over at their 41-yard-line after a 29-yard punt by Tommy Barnhardt.
With 22 seconds left on the clock, Everett found Anderson over the middle for a 24-yard reception, then hustled the team up to the line and spiked the ball, giving Lansford a chance to win the game with a 52-yard field goal and completing a remarkable comeback.
Lansford's kick was long enough, but it sailed wide left as time expired, sending the game into overtime with the game tied at 17.

In the 4th quarter and overtime alone, Anderson would catch nine passes for 195 yards and a touchdown.

The Saints won the coin toss and elected to receive as they appear to be on their way to be driving into range for an Andersen field goal as they had a 3rd & 1 at their own 45-yard-line when Rams linebacker Kevin Greene tackled Hilliard for a two-yard-loss, forcing  Barnhardt to punt back to LA, who took over at their 15-yard-line with a chance to win the game.
A holding penalty pushed the Rams back to their eight-yard-line to make it 1st & 17 when Everett went deep again for Anderson.
Not having been stopped all night, Anderson was bumped into by the Saints' Massey, drawing a 35-yard pass interference penalty and giving the Rams a 1st down at their 43-yard-line.
Then on 3rd & 6 from the Rams' 47-yard-line, Everett hit Anderson for a 14-yard gain, to give Anderson 310 receiving yards, breaking the NFL record for most receiving yards in one game that had by set by Stephone Paige back in 1985 as the Chiefs receiver had 309 yards on eight catches.
But Anderson would have to extend that record if the Rams were to get into field goal range and when he made an over-the-shoulder catch on 3rd & 11 for a 26-yard reception, LA was at the Saints' 14-yard-line, clearly in Lansford's range to make the game-winning field goal.
Lansford would come on and make the 31-yard field goal to give the Rams a 20-17 win, pushing their record to 8-4 while dropping the Saints to 6-6.
While Lansford got the last laugh, it was Anderson that was all the talk after this game.
In total, he caught 15 passes for 336 yards, averaging 22.5 yards per catch, to lead the Rams to the win.
The Saints would go on to win three out of their last four games to finish with a 9-7 record, their third straight winning season, but it wasn't good enough to make the playoffs as the Rams would earn one of the two Wild Card spots in the NFC with a 11-5 record.
In the playoffs, the Rams would upset the Philadelphia Eagles 21-7 in their Wild Card Game, then go to the Meadowlands where Anderson caught the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime to give LA a 19-13 win over the New York Giants.
However, the Rams' Cinderella run would came to a screeching halt the following week as they were blown out by the San Francisco 49ers 30-3 in the NFC Championship Game.
As for Anderson, he would remain with the Rams for five more years, before bouncing around the league for the next three years playing for three different teams(Indianapolis, Washington, and Denver) until he hung up his cleats after the 1997 season.
Anderson finished his career with 267 receptions for 5,357 yards and 28 touchdowns, though all but eight of those catches and 111 of those yards came with the Rams.
And even though the NFL is more of a passing league than it was back in 1989, Anderson's mark of most receiving yards in one game still stands as only two players(Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones) have recorded 300-yard receiving games.
While it may be a matter of time before Anderson's record is broken, his performance against the Saints in 1989 will remain as one of the best in NFL history.