1988 New Orleans Saints season

NFL team season August 2023 March 2026 New Orleans Saints 1988 10–6 3rd NFC West Jim Mora Jim Finks Tom Benson Louisiana Superdome Did not qualify TE Hoby BrennerWR Eric MartinLB Sam MillsK Morten Andersen Saints seasons thumb | right | alt=New Orleans Saints' Fleur-de-lis logo, 1967 - 1999 | New Orleans Saints' Fleur-de-lis logo, 1967 - 1999 The 1988 New Orleans Saints season was the team's 22nd as a member of the National Football League (NFL). They were unable to match their previous season's output of 12–3, winning only ten games and missing the playoffs (and losing the division) by a tiebreaker, going 6–6 vs. NFC opponents compared to 8–4 for the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Road losses to the Washington Redskins and Minnesota Vikings, as well as a sweep by San Francisco, ended up being the difference in New Orleans staying home and the California teams advancing.1988 New Orleans Saints With the Louisiana Superdome hosting the 1988 Republican National Convention; all but the last pre-season game (against the Pittsburgh Steelers) for the Saints were played on the road.https://www.profootballarchives.com/1988nflno.html 1988 New Orleans Saints (NFL) Pro Football Archives May 2, 2023 Offseason NFL draft 1988 NFL draft 1988 New Orleans Saints 1 24 Craig Heyward Running back Pittsburgh yes yes 2 52 Brett Perriman Wide receiver Miami (FL) yes 3 81 Tony Stephens Defensive tackle Clemson 4 106 Lydell Carr Running back Oklahoma 5 112 Greg Scales Tight end Wake Forest yes 5 134 Keith Taylor Defensive back Illinois 6 162 Bob Sims Guard Florida 7 190 Brian Forde Linebacker Washington State yes 8 218 Glenn Derby Offensive tackle Wisconsin yes 9 246 Clarence Nunn Defensive back San Diego State 10 274 Todd Santos Quarterback San Diego State 10 276 Vincent Fizer Linebacker Southern 11 302 Gary Couch Wide receiver Minnesota 12 330 Paul Jurgensen Defensive end Georgia Tech no https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nor/1988_draft.htm 1988 New Orleans Saints draftees Pro-Football-Reference.com November 5, 2014 Training Camp Prior to the start of the 1988 season, the Saints held training camp for the first time at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in La Crosse, Wisconsin. The team would hold training camp in La Crosse through the 1999 season.https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/nor/training-camps.htm New Orleans Saints Training Camp Locations Pro-Football-Reference.com Personnel Staff 1988 New Orleans Saints Owner/general partner – Tom Benson President/general manager – Jim Finks Vice-president of administration – Jim Miller Director of player personnel – Bill Kuharich Head coach – Jim Mora Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Carl Smith Running backs – Jim Skipper Wide receivers – Steve Walters Offensive line – Paul Boudreau Defensive coordinator – Steve Sidwell Defensive line – John Pease Linebackers – Vic Fangio Defensive backs – Dom Capers Special Teams/Tight Ends – Joe Marciano Strength and conditioning – Russell Paternostro All-Time Roster http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/history/all-time-roster.html NewOrleansSaints.com February 28, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20120618110940/http://www.neworleanssaints.com/team/history/all-time-roster.html 2012-06-18 dead Roster 1988 New Orleans Saints 11 John Fourcade  3 Bobby Hebert 18 Dave Wilson American football 37 Mel Gray return specialist KR/PR 34 Craig Heyward y 21 Dalton Hilliard 23 Buford Jordan 36 Rueben Mayes 89 Robert Clark gridiron football 87 Lonzell Hill y PR 84 Eric Martin wide receiver 88 Mark Pattison American football 80 Brett Perriman y 85 Hoby Brenner 83 Greg Scales y 82 John Tice 66 Chuck Commiskey C/G 70 Bill Contz T 72 Jim Dombrowski T 63 Brad Edelman G 77 Daren Gilbert T 61 Joel Hilgenberg G/LS 60 Steve Korte C 65 Steve Trapilo G 76 Dwaine Board DE 75 Bruce Clark gridiron football DE 95 Jon Dumbauld DE 97 Jumpy Geathers DE 73 Frank Warren American football DE 94 Jim Wilks DE/NT 52 Brian Forde y OLB 92 James Haynes American football OLB 57 Rickey Jackson OLB 53 Vaughan Johnson ILB 55 Joe Kohlbrand OLB 51 Sam Mills ILB 56 Pat Swilling OLB 28 Gene Atkins SS/KR 41 Toi Cook FS 27 Antonio Gibson safety FS 22 Van Jakes CB 24 Milton Mack CB 39 Brett Maxie FS 29 Reggie Sutton CB 44 Dave Waymer CB  7 Morten Andersen K 10 Brian Hansen American football P 40 Michael Adams cornerback CB IR 67 Stan Brock American football T IR 59 James Campen C IR 42 Lydell Carr y RB IR 79 Glenn Derby y T IR 99 Tony Elliott defensive lineman NT IR 74 Ted Gregory y NT IR 54 Alvin Toles LB IR 68 Jeff Walker American football T/G IR 47 active, 9 inactive None Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap 1 September 4 San Francisco 49ers L 33–34 0–1 Louisiana Superdome 66,357 2 September 11 at Atlanta Falcons W 29–21 1–1 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 48,901 3 September 18 at Detroit Lions W 22–14 2–1 Pontiac Silverdome 32,943 4 September 25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 13–9 3–1 Louisiana Superdome 66,671 5 October 3, 1988 Dallas Cowboys W 20–17 4–1 Louisiana Superdome 68,474 6 October 9 at San Diego Chargers W 23–17 5–1 Jack Murphy Stadium 42,693 7 October 16 at Seattle Seahawks W 20–19 6–1 Kingdome 63,569 8 October 23 Los Angeles Raiders W 20–6 7–1 Louisiana Superdome 66,249 9 October 30 Los Angeles Rams L 10–12 7–2 Louisiana Superdome 68,238 10 November 6 at Washington Redskins L 24–27 7–3 RFK Stadium 54,183 11 November 13 at Los Angeles Rams W 14–10 8–3 Anaheim Stadium 63,305 12 November 20 Denver Broncos W 42–0 9–3 Louisiana Superdome 68,075 13 November 27 New York Giants L 12–13 9–4 Louisiana Superdome 66,526 14 December 4 at Minnesota Vikings L 3–45 9–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 61,215 15 December 11 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–30 9–6 Candlestick Park 62,977 16 December 18 Atlanta Falcons W 10–9 10–6 Louisiana Superdome 60,566 Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. Game summaries Week 1 (Sunday, September 4, 1988): vs. San Francisco 49ers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Dec-16. New Orleans Saints 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary September 4, 1988 12:01 p.m. CDT 49ers (1–0) 7 3 21 3 Saints (0–1) 7 10 0 16 Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana 66,357 indoors Jerry Markbreit CBS Verne Lundquist (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – September 4, 1988 New Orleans Saints 2023 Media Guide New Orleans Saints 452 right San Francisco 49ers SF New Orleans Saints NO Joe Montana 13/23, 161 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT Roger Craig 18 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD Roger Craig 5 REC, 43 YDS Bobby Hebert 22/31, 245 YDS, 4 TDs, 2 INTs Dalton Hilliard 19 CAR, 95 YDS Lonzell Hill 7 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD SF NO collapsed 1 8:41 49ers 13 70 RushTD Craig 1 good Cofer 7 0 1 1:24 Saints 12 67 RecTD Martin Hebert 2 good Andersen 7 7 2 14:55 Saints 3 28 RecTD Clark Hebert 21 good Andersen 7 14 2 8:47 Saints 7 24 FG 20 Andersen 7 17 2 6:55 49ers 6 51 FG 25 Cofer 10 17 3 11:05 49ers 4 49 RecTD Frank Montana 9 good Cofer 17 17 3 8:05 49ers 5 35 RecTD Wilson Montana 71 good Cofer 24 17 3 3:07 49ers 6 42 RecTD Frank Montana 17 good Cofer 31 17 4 13:26 Saints 10 79 RecTD Hill Hebert 18 good Andersen 31 24 4 6:33 Saints – – – SafetyOther Swilling tackled Young in end zone for a safety 31 26 4 1:50 49ers 9 29 FG 32 Cofer 34 26 4 0:21 Saints 8 70 RecTD Perriman Hebert 15 good Andersen 34 33 34 33 Point spread: Saints Pick'em Over/under: 43.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 7 minutes 49ersGame statisticsSaints21 First downs 2332–124 Rushes–yards 31–147165 Passing yards 24514–26–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 22–31–20–0 Sacked–yards 5–48165 Net passing yards 197289 Total yards 344128 Return yards 3101–24.0 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–40.01–1 Fumbles–lost 2–12–12 Penalties–yards 10–7723:50 Time of possession 36:10 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups – Week 1: vs. San Francisco Offense QB #3 Bobby Hebert RB #21 Dalton Hilliard FB #34 Craig Heyward WR #87 Lonzell Hill WR #84 Eric Martin TE #85 Hoby Brenner LT #72 Jim Dombrowski LG #63 Brad Edelman C #60 Steve Korte RG #65 Steve Trapilo RT #67 Stan Brock Defense LDE #97 Jumpy Geathers NT #99 Tony Elliott RDE #94 Jim Wilks LOLB #57 Rickey Jackson LILB #51 Sam Mills RILB #53 Vaughn Johnson ROLB #56 Pat Swilling LCB #44 Dave Waymer RCB #22 Van Jakes SS #27 Antonio Gibson FS #39 Brett Maxie Individual stats Saints Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RateHebert22/312454254833106.9 Saints Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Hilliard1995022Heyward827011Hebert116016Hill1505Mayes2403 Saints ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Hill774118Martin768119Clark345121Perriman248133Tice2508Hilliard1505 Saints Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngGray614424.000Mayes24522.500 Saints PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckHansen312040.000 Saints KickingXPM–XPAFGM–FGAAnderson4–41–1 Saints InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDWaymer144044 Week 2 Saints 3 9 10 7 Falcons 7 7 7 0 September 11 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 1:00 p.m. EST 48,901 75 F; wind 10 mph on yes Q1 NO Andersen 41 yard field goal NO 3–0 Q1 ATL Whisenhunt 12 yard pass from Miller (Davis kick) ATL 7–3 Q2 ATL Higdon 34 yard pass from Miller (Davis kick) ATL 14–3 Q2 NO Andersen 29 yard field goal ATL 14–6 Q2 NO Martin 14 yard pass from Hebert (kick failed) ATL 14–12 Q3 NO Andersen 28 yard field goal NO 15–14 Q3 ATL Settle 1 yard run (Davis kick) ATL 21–15 Q3 NO Mayes 17 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 22–21 Q4 NO Hilliard 4 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 29–21 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25. Week 3 The Saints won for the first time in Detroit going 0-4-1 in their previous five trips to Michigan (three to Tiger Stadium and two to the Pontiac Silverdome). Saints 0 7 12 3 Lions 7 7 0 0 September 18 Pontiac Silverdome 1:00 p.m. EST 32,943 Indoors (dome) Johnny Grier James Brown and Gary Fencik CBS yes Q1 DET Bland 9 yard pass from Long (Murray kick) DET 7–0 Q2 NO Hill 29 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) Tie 7–7 Q2 DET Bland 10 yard pass from Long (Murray kick) DET 14–7 Q3 NO Andersen 37 yard field goal DET 14–10 Q3 NO Safety, Long tackled by Jackson in end zone DET 14–12 Q3 NO Hilliard 4 yard run (Anderson kick) NO 19–14 Q4 NO Andersen 29 yard field goal NO 22–14 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25. Week 4 Buccaneers 0 6 0 3 Saints 10 3 0 0 September 25 Louisiana Superdome 1:00 p.m. EST 66,671 Indoors (dome) yes Q1 NO Hill 5 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q1 NO Andersen 28 yard field goal NO 10–0 Q2 TB Igwebuike 25 yard field goal NO 10–3 Q2 NO Andersen 41 yard field goal NO 13–3 Q2 TB Igwebuike 35 yard field goal NO 13–6 Q4 TB Igwebuike 35 yard field goal NO 13–9 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25. Week 5 Cowboys 0 7 7 3 Saints 7 7 3 3 October 3 Louisiana Superdome 9:00 p.m. EST 68,474 Indoors (dome) Gene Barth Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf ABC yes Q1 NO Hill 7 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q2 NO Perriman 17 yard pass from Hebert (Anderson kick) NO 14–0 Q2 DAL Martin 13 yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick) NO 14–7 Q3 DAL Martin 14 yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick) Tie 14–14 Q3 NO Andersen 27 yard field goal NO 17–14 Q4 DAL Ruzek 39 yard field goal Tie 17–17 Q4 NO Andersen 49 yard field goal NO 20–17 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25. Week 6 Saints 0 13 7 3 Chargers 14 0 3 0 October 9 Jack Murphy Stadium 4:00 p.m. EST 42,693 72 F; wind 8 mph on Ben Dreith Tim Ryan and Dan Jiggetts CBS yes Q1 SD Miller 47 yard pass from Laufenberg (Abbott kick) SD 7–0 Q1 SD Roy Bennett recovered fumble in end zone (Abbott kick) SD 14–0 Q2 NO Andersen 27 yard field goal SD 14–3 Q2 NO Andersen 35 yard field goal SD 14–6 Q2 NO Hill 19 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) SD 14–13 Q3 NO Martin 10 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 20–14 Q3 SD Abbott 35 yard field goal NO 20–17 Q4 NO Andersen 34 yard field goal NO 23–17 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25. Week 7 Saints 0 10 7 3 Seahawks 3 3 6 7 October 16 Kingdome 4:00 p.m. EST 63,569 Indoors (dome) Pat Haggerty Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts CBS yes Q1 SEA Johnson 22 yard field goal SEA 3–0 Q2 NO Martin 19 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–3 Q2 SEA Johnson 47 yard field goal NO 7–6 Q2 NO Andersen 23 yard field goal NO 10–6 Q3 SEA Johnson 46 yard field goal NO 10–9 Q3 NO Waymer 58 yard blocked field goal return (Andersen kick) NO 17–9 Q3 SEA Johnson 42 yard field goal NO 17–12 Q4 NO Andersen 31 yard field goal NO 20–12 Q4 SEA Blades 3 yard pass from Stouffer (Johnson kick) NO 20–19 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25. Week 8 The Saints defeated the Raiders for the first time in six meetings (the 1971 matchup, the first between the teams, ended in a 21-21 tie). Raiders 0 6 0 0 Saints 3 0 14 3 October 23 Louisiana Superdome 1:00 p.m. EST 66,249 Indoors (dome) Jerry Seeman NBC yes Q1 NO Andersen 51 yard field goal NO 3–0 Q2 LA Fernandez 85 yard pass from Schroeder (kick failed) LA 6–3 Q3 NO Heyward 73 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 10–7 Q3 NO Hilliard 7 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 17–7 Q4 NO Andersen 25 yard field goal NO 20–7 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-27. Week 9 May 2015 Week 10 May 2015 Week 11 Saints 0 7 7 0 Rams 0 3 0 7 November 13 Anaheim Stadium 4:00 p.m. EST 63,305 61 F; wind 6 mph on Tom Dooley Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts CBS yes Q2 NO Hilliard 4 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q2 LA Lansford 23 yard field goal NO 7–3 Q3 NO Mayes 3 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 14–3 Q4 LA Bell 1 yard run (Lansford kick) NO 14–10 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-29. Week 12 In the Broncos' first appearance in the Louisiana Superdome since Super Bowl XII 11 years earlier, the Saints defeated Denver for the first time in five tries, and posted their largest margin of victory at the time. Broncos 0 0 0 0 Saints 14 7 14 7 November 20 Louisiana Superdome 1:00 p.m. EST 68,075 Indoors (dome) Dick Jorgensen Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen NBC yes Q1 NO Mayes 2 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q1 NO Hilliard 2 yard run (Andersen kick) NO 14–0 Q2 NO Martin 40 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 21–0 Q3 NO Gray 66 yard punt return (Andersen kick) NO 28–0 Q3 NO Tice 8 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 35–0 Q4 NO Martin 6 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 42–0 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-30. Week 13 May 2015 Week 14 May 2015 Week 15 (Sunday, December 11, 1988): at San Francisco 49ers The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Dec-16. New Orleans Saints 1988 2; text-align:center collapsed Week 15: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary December 11, 1988 3:00 p.m. CST Saints (9–6) 3 7 7 0 49ers (10–5) 0 21 3 6 Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California 62,977 62 °F °C; (Drizzle) wind 5 Red Cashion CBS Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator) Pro Football Reference; New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – December 11, 1988 New Orleans Saints 2023 Media Guide New Orleans Saints 452 right New Orleans Saints NO San Francisco 49ers SF Bobby Hebert 19/30, 170 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Dalton Hilliard 9 CAR, 35 YDS Eric Martin 7 REC, 61 YDS Joe Montana 18/29, 233 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Roger Craig 22 CAR, 115 YDS, 1 TD Jerry Rice 6 REC, 78 YDS NO SF collapsed 1 10:36 Saints 3 3 FG 38 Andersen 3 0 2 12:17 49ers 8 56 RushTD Craig 1 good Cofer 3 7 2 11:05 Saints 1 27 RecTD Hill Hilliard 27 good Andersen 10 7 2 6:05 49ers 9 80 RushTD Montana 2 good Cofer 10 14 2 3:37 49ers 1 66 RecTD Taylor Montana 66 good Cofer 10 21 3 6:50 49ers 4 31 FG 40 Cofer 10 24 3 1:25 Saints 8 80 RecTD Scales Hebert 6 good Andersen 17 24 4 11:53 49ers 9 43 FG 43 Cofer 17 27 4 9:18 49ers 4 3 FG 19 Cofer 17 30 17 30 Point spread: Saints +6 Over/under: 41.0 (over) Time of game: 3 hours, 1 minute SaintsGame statistics49ers15 First downs 2024–70 Rushes–yards 35–152197 Passing yards 23320–35–1 Passes Completions–Attempts–Interceptions 18–29–12–15 Sacked–yards 2–12182 Net passing yards 221252 Total yards 373127 Return yards 795–38.2 Punts Number–Average yardage 3–36.72–1 Fumbles–lost 1–12–11 Penalties–yards 1–026:35 Time of possession 33:25 Starting Lineups Position Starting Lineups – Week 15: at San Francisco Offense QB #3 Bobby Hebert RB #36 Rueben Mayes RB #23 Buford Jordan WR #84 Eric Martin TE #82 John Tice TE #85 Hoby Brenner LT #72 Jim Dombrowski LG #63 Brad Edelman C #60 Steve Korte RG #65 Steve Trapilo RT #67 Stan Brock Defense LDE #73 Frank Warren NT #97 Jumpy Geathers RDE #94 Jim Wilks LOLB #57 Rickey Jackson LILB #51 Sam Mills RILB #53 Vaughn Johnson ROLB #56 Pat Swilling LCB #44 Dave Waymer RCB #22 Van Jakes SS #27 Antonio Gibson FS #39 Brett Maxie Individual stats Saints Passing C/ATT1YdsTDINTSkYdsLG3RateHebert19/34170112122867.0Hilliard1/127100027158.3 Saints Rushing Car2YdsTDLG3Hilliard935010Hebert31403Mayes81004Heyward3803Martin1303 Saints ReceivingRec4YdsTDLG3Martin761020Hill661127Tice344028Hilliard1909Pattison1808Perriman1808Scales1616 Saints Kick ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngAtkins45814.500Gray24422.000 Saints Punt ReturnsRetYdsY/RtTDLngGray144.004Hill144.004 Saints PuntingPntYdsY/PLngBlckHansen519138.200 Saints KickingXPM–XPAFGM–FGAMFGAnderson2–21–340, 32 Saints SacksSacksSwilling1.0Wilks1.0 Saints InterceptionsIntYdsTDLGPDWaymer117017 Week 16 Falcons 0 3 3 3 Saints 7 0 0 3 December 18 Louisiana Superdome 1:00 p.m. EST 60,566 Indoors (dome) Pat Haggerty Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts CBS yes Q1 NO Hilliard 13 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7–0 Q2 ATL Davis 27 yard field goal NO 7–3 Q3 ATL Davis 43 yard field goal NO 7–6 Q4 ATL Davis 39 yard field goal ATL 9–7 Q4 NO Andersen 30 yard field goal NO 10–9 yes Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-31. Standings References 30em Category:New Orleans Saints seasons New Orleans New