2014 New Orleans Saints season
The 2014 season was the New Orleans Saints' 48th in the National Football League, their 39th playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their eighth under head coach Sean Payton.
2014 New Orleans Saints season | |
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Owner | Tom Benson |
Head coach | Sean Payton |
General manager | Mickey Loomis |
Home field | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
Results | |
Record | 7–9 |
Division place | 2nd NFC South |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | Drew Brees (QB) Jahri Evans (G) Jimmy Graham (TE) Mark Ingram (RB) |
Uniform | |
After they lost to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 16, the Saints were officially eliminated from postseason contention for the first time since 2012.[1]
2014 draft class
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 20 | Brandin Cooks | Wide receiver | Oregon State |
2 | 58 | Stanley Jean-Baptiste | Cornerback | Nebraska |
3 | None — see draft trades below | |||
4 | 126 | Khairi Fortt | Inside linebacker | California |
5 | 167 | Vinnie Sunseri | Safety | Alabama |
5 | 169 | Ronald Powell | Outside linebacker | Florida |
6 | 202 | Tavon Rooks | Offensive tackle | Kansas State |
7 | None — see draft trades below |
Draft trades
- The Saints traded their first- and third-round selections (Nos. 27 and 91 overall, respectively) to the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for the Cardinals' first-round selection (No. 20 overall).
- The Saints acquired an additional fifth-round selection (No. 169 overall) in a trade that sent running back Darren Sproles to the Philadelphia Eagles.
- The Saints traded their seventh-round selection (No. 242 overall) to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for linebacker Parys Haralson.
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Final roster
Schedule
Preseason
In March 2014, the Saints announced an agreement with The Greenbrier resort to hold the team's training camp at the hotel, in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, for three years beginning with 2014. The hotel has committed to build three football fields and other facilities for the Saints, at an estimated cost of $20–25 million, adjacent to its sports medicine facilities. The project will be partially subsidized by tax breaks recently approved by the state legislature. The relationship between the hotel and the Saints reportedly grew out of a visit by Saints head coach Sean Payton to the 2013 Greenbrier Classic golf tournament to play in its pro-am competition and then to serve as caddie for his friend, PGA Tour golfer Ryan Palmer.[2]
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
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1 | August 8 | at St. Louis Rams | W 26–24 | 1–0 | Edward Jones Dome | Recap |
2 | August 15 | Tennessee Titans | W 31–24 | 2–0 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
3 | August 23 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 23–17 | 3–0 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
4 | August 28 | Baltimore Ravens | L 13–22 | 3–1 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
Regular season
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 7 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 34–37 (OT) | 0–1 | Georgia Dome | Recap |
2 | September 14 | at Cleveland Browns | L 24–26 | 0–2 | FirstEnergy Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 21 | Minnesota Vikings | W 20–9 | 1–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
4 | September 28 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 17–38 | 1–3 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 37–31 (OT) | 2–3 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
6 | Bye | |||||
7 | October 19 | at Detroit Lions | L 23–24 | 2–4 | Ford Field | Recap |
8 | October 26 | Green Bay Packers | W 44–23 | 3–4 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
9 | October 30 | at Carolina Panthers | W 28–10 | 4–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 9 | San Francisco 49ers | L 24–27 (OT) | 4–5 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
11 | November 16 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 10–27 | 4–6 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
12 | November 24 | Baltimore Ravens | L 27–34 | 4–7 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
13 | November 30 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 35–32 | 5–7 | Heinz Field | Recap |
14 | December 7 | Carolina Panthers | L 10–41 | 5–8 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
15 | December 15 | at Chicago Bears | W 31–15 | 6–8 | Soldier Field | Recap |
16 | December 21 | Atlanta Falcons | L 14–30 | 6–9 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
17 | December 28 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 23–20 | 7–9 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
- Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: at Atlanta Falcons
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 6 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 34 |
Falcons | 0 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 37 |
at Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Georgia
- Date: September 7
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 70,706
- Referee: Bill Leavy
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 2: at Cleveland Browns
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Browns | 10 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 26 |
at FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: September 14
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 67,407
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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This was the Browns' first home opener win since 2004, and also marked Johnny Manziel's NFL debut. The defense, primarily by rotating DB's Tashaun Gipson, Buster Skrine, rookie Justin Gilbert and Joe Haden, were able to neutralize TE Jimmy Graham and QB Drew Brees for almost the entire first half. Rookie Terrence West, who had 2500+ all-purpose yards at Division II-school Towson Univ., ran for almost 70 yards and one touchdown. Billy Cundiff hit the game-winning FG as time expired.
Week 3: vs. Minnesota Vikings
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vikings | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
Saints | 13 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 20 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: September 21
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,005
- Referee: Walt Anderson
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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After initially stating that Adrian Peterson would return to the active roster for their Week 3 game at New Orleans, the Vikings later placed the running back on the inactive list indefinitely, pending the outcome of the court case against him. Despite coming into the game at 0–2, the Saints started well, scoring two touchdowns on their first two drives, although DE Everson Griffen was able to block the extra point attempt on the second. The Vikings responded to going 13–0 down with two field goals from 25 and 30 yards respectively, but an injury to Matt Cassel meant a debut for rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater.
Week 4: at Dallas Cowboys
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 17 |
Cowboys | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: September 28
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 91,176
- Referee: Gene Steratore
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 5: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 0 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
Saints | 6 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 37 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: October 5
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,004
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Kirk Morrison and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 7: at Detroit Lions
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Saints | 0 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 23 |
Lions | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 24 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
- Date: October 19
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 63,271
- Referee: Terry McAulay
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Ronde Barber and Jennifer Hale
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 8: vs. Green Bay Packers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 10 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 23 |
Saints | 10 | 6 | 14 | 14 | 44 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: October 26
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,146
- Referee: Ed Hochuli
- TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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This would be only the third game in NFL history to not have a single punt.[3]
Week 9: at Carolina Panthers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
Panthers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Date: October 30
- Game time: 8:30 p.m. EDT/7:30 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 73,663
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (NFLN): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 10: vs. San Francisco 49ers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
49ers | 14 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
Saints | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: November 9
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,129
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
- Preview, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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With 5 seconds left in regulation, Drew Brees passed a potential game winning pass to Jimmy Graham until he was flagged with offensive interference, which sent the game into overtime where San Francisco won with a field goal after recovering a fumble by Brees. With the loss, the Saints dropped their record to 4-5.
This would snap an 11-game winning streak for Saints when playing at home.[4]
Week 11: vs. Cincinnati Bengals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bengals | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 27 |
Saints | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: November 16
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,073
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Evan Washburn
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 12: vs. Baltimore Ravens
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ravens | 7 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 34 |
Saints | 7 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 27 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: November 24
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,373
- Referee: Bill Leavy
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 13: at Pittsburgh Steelers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Saints | 0 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 35 |
Steelers | 3 | 3 | 7 | 19 | 32 |
at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Date: November 30
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 61,916
- Referee: Pete Morelli
- TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Donovan McNabb and Charissa Thompson
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 14: vs. Carolina Panthers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 17 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 41 |
Saints | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 7
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,006
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 15: at Chicago Bears
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 14 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
Bears | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 15 |
Game information | ||
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Week 16: vs. Atlanta Falcons
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Falcons | 3 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
Saints | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: December 21
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,164
- Referee: John Parry
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Week 17: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 0 | 7 | 0 | 16 | 23 |
Buccaneers | 3 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: December 28
- Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 59,952
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (Fox): Sam Rosen, Kirk Morrison and Peter Schrager
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Standings
Division
NFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) Carolina Panthers | 7 | 8 | 1 | .469 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 339 | 374 | W4 |
New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | 401 | 424 | W1 |
Atlanta Falcons | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 5–1 | 6–6 | 381 | 417 | L1 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0–6 | 1–11 | 277 | 410 | L6 |
Conference
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | ||||||||||||
1[lower-alpha 1] | Seattle Seahawks | West | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .525 | .513 | W6 | |
2[lower-alpha 1] | Green Bay Packers | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .482 | .440 | W2 | |
3[lower-alpha 1] | Dallas Cowboys | East | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .445 | .422 | W4 | |
4 | Carolina Panthers | South | 7 | 8 | 1 | .469 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .490 | .357 | W4 | |
Wild Cards | ||||||||||||
5[lower-alpha 2] | Arizona Cardinals | West | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .523 | .477 | L2 | |
6[lower-alpha 2] | Detroit Lions | North | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .471 | .392 | L1 | |
Did not qualify for the postseason | ||||||||||||
7 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .490 | .416 | W1 | |
8 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 2–4 | 7–5 | .527 | .508 | W1 | |
9[lower-alpha 3] | New Orleans Saints | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .486 | .415 | W1 | |
10[lower-alpha 3] | Minnesota Vikings | North | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 6–6 | .475 | .308 | W1 | |
11[lower-alpha 4] | New York Giants | East | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .512 | .323 | L1 | |
12[lower-alpha 4] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 5–1 | 6–6 | .482 | .380 | L1 | |
13[lower-alpha 4] | St. Louis Rams | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .531 | .427 | L3 | |
14 | Chicago Bears | North | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .529 | .338 | L5 | |
15 | Washington Redskins | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 2–10 | .496 | .422 | L1 | |
16 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 0–6 | 1–11 | .486 | .469 | L6 | |
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 5] | ||||||||||||
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References
- http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2014/12/new_orleans_saints_atlanta_fal_10.html
- Kate White & David Gutman, "NFL's Saints to train at The Greenbrier: Resort constructing 3 fields, facilities for Super Bowl XLIV champs", The Charleston Gazette, March 13, 2014.
- https://www.si.com/nfl/2014/10/27/no-punts-packers-saints-game
- http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/11/10/kaepernick-ad-libbing-helps-4ers-end-saints-11-game-home-winning-streak-27-24/
- "2014 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
- "2014 NFL playoff picture". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2014.