1988 New Orleans Saints season
OwnerTom Benson
General managerJim Finks
Head coachJim Mora
Home fieldLouisiana Superdome
Results
Record10–6
Division place3rd NFC West
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersTE Hoby Brenner
WR Eric Martin
LB Sam Mills
K Morten Andersen

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.[1]

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.[2]

Offseason

NFL Draft

1988 New Orleans Saints draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 24 Craig Heyward *  Running back Pittsburgh
2 52 Brett Perriman  Wide receiver Miami (FL)
3 81 Tony Stephens  Defensive tackle Clemson
4 106 Lydell Carr  Running back Oklahoma
5 112 Greg Scales  Tight end Wake Forest
5 134 Keith Taylor  Defensive back Illinois
6 162 Bob Sims  Guard Florida
7 190 Brian Forde  Linebacker Washington State
8 218 Glenn Derby  Offensive tackle Wisconsin
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
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[3]

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.[4]

Personnel

Staff

1988 New Orleans Saints staff

Front office

  • Owner/general partner – Tom Benson
  • President/general manager – Jim Finks
  • Vice-president of administration – Jim Miller
  • Director of player personnel – Bill Kuharich

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Russell Paternostro

[5]

Roster

1988 New Orleans Saints roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad None

47 active, 9 inactive


Rookies in italics

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Time TV Result Record Game Site Attendance Recap
1 September 4 San Francisco 49ers 12 Noon CDT CBS L 33–34 0–1 Louisiana Superdome 66,357
2 September 11 at Atlanta Falcons 12 Noon CDT CBS W 29–21 1–1 Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium 48,901
3 September 18 at Detroit Lions 12 Noon CDT CBS W 22–14 2–1 Pontiac Silverdome 32,943
4 September 25 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12 Noon CDT CBS W 13–9 3–1 Louisiana Superdome 66,671
5 October 3 Dallas Cowboys 8:00 p.m. CDT ABC W 20–17 4–1 Louisiana Superdome 68,474
6 October 9 at San Diego Chargers 3:00 p.m. CDT CBS W 23–17 5–1 Jack Murphy Stadium 42,693
7 October 16 at Seattle Seahawks 3:00 p.m. CDT CBS W 20–19 6–1 Kingdome 63,569
8 October 23 Los Angeles Raiders 12 Noon CDT NBC W 20–6 7–1 Louisiana Superdome 66,249
9 October 30 Los Angeles Rams 12 Noon CST CBS L 10–12 7–2 Louisiana Superdome 68,238
10 November 6 at Washington Redskins 3:00 p.m. CST CBS L 24–27 7–3 RFK Stadium 54,183
11 November 13 at Los Angeles Rams 3:00 p.m. CST CBS W 14–10 8–3 Anaheim Stadium 63,305
12 November 20 Denver Broncos 3:00 p.m. CST NBC W 42–0 9–3 Louisiana Superdome 68,075
13 November 27 New York Giants 7:00 p.m. CST ESPN L 12–13 9–4 Louisiana Superdome 66,526
14 December 4 at Minnesota Vikings 3:00 p.m. CST CBS L 3–45 9–5 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome 61,215
15 December 11 at San Francisco 49ers 3:00 p.m. CST CBS L 17–30 9–6 Candlestick Park 62,977
16 December 18 Atlanta Falcons 12 Noon CST CBS 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

[6]

Week 1: San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
49ers (1–0) 7 3 21334
Saints (0–1) 7 10 01633

at Louisiana Superdome • New Orleans, Louisiana

TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
SF PassingJoe Montana13/23, 161 YDS, 3 TDs, 1 INT
RushingRoger Craig18 CAR, 67 YDS, 1 TD
ReceivingRoger Craig5 REC, 43 YDS
NO PassingBobby Hebert22/31, 245 YDS, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
RushingDalton Hilliard19 CAR, 95 YDS
ReceivingLonzell Hill7 REC, 74 YDS, 1 TD
  • Point spread: Saints Pick'em
  • Over/Under: 43.0 (over)
  • Time of Game: 3 hours, 7 minutes
49ers Game Statistics Saints
21 First downs 23
32–124 Rushes–yards 31–147
165 Passing yards 245
14–26–1 Passes 22–31–2
0–0 Sacked–yards 5–48
165 Net passing yards 197
289 Total yards 344
128 Return yards 310
1–24.0 Punts 3–40.0
1–1 Fumbles–lost 2–1
2–12 Penalties–yards 10–77
23:50 Time of possession 36:10

Starting Lineups

PositionStarting 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/ATT1 Yds TD INT Sk Yds LG3 Rate
Hebert 22/31 245 4 2 5 48 33 106.9
Saints Rushing
Car2 Yds TD LG3
Hilliard 19 95 0 22
Heyward 8 27 0 11
Hebert 1 16 0 16
Hill 1 5 0 5
Mayes 2 4 0 3
Saints Receiving
Rec4 Yds TD LG3
Hill 7 74 1 18
Martin 7 68 1 19
Clark 3 45 1 21
Perriman 2 48 1 33
Tice 2 5 0 8
Hilliard 1 5 0 5
Saints Kick Returns
Ret Yds Y/Rt TD Lng
Gray 6 144 24.0 0 0
Mayes 2 45 22.5 0 0
Saints Punting
Pnt Yds Y/P Lng Blck
Hansen 3 120 40.0 0 0
Saints Kicking
XPM–XPA FGM–FGA
Anderson 4–4 1–1
Saints Interceptions
Int Yds TD LG PD
Waymer 1 44 0 44

Week 2

1 234Total
• Saints 3 9107 29
Falcons 7 770 21
Scoring summary
Q1NOAndersen 41 yard field goalNO 3–0
Q1ATLWhisenhunt 12 yard pass from Miller (Davis kick)ATL 7–3
Q2ATLHigdon 34 yard pass from Miller (Davis kick)ATL 14–3
Q2NOAndersen 29 yard field goalATL 14–6
Q2NOMartin 14 yard pass from Hebert (kick failed)ATL 14–12
Q3NOAndersen 28 yard field goalNO 15–14
Q3ATLSettle 1 yard run (Davis kick)ATL 21–15
Q3NOMayes 17 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 22–21
Q4NOHilliard 4 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 29–21

[9]

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).

1 234Total
• Saints 0 7123 22
Lions 7 700 14
  • Date: September 18
  • Location: Pontiac Silverdome
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 32,943
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (CBS): James Brown and Gary Fencik
Scoring summary
Q1DETBland 9 yard pass from Long (Murray kick)DET 7–0
Q2NOHill 29 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)Tie 7–7
Q2DETBland 10 yard pass from Long (Murray kick)DET 14–7
Q3NOAndersen 37 yard field goalDET 14–10
Q3NOSafety, Long tackled by Jackson in end zoneDET 14–12
Q3NOHilliard 4 yard run (Anderson kick)NO 19–14
Q4NOAndersen 29 yard field goalNO 22–14

[10]

Week 4

1 234Total
Buccaneers 0 603 9
• Saints 10 300 13
  • Date: September 25
  • Location: Louisiana Superdome
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 66,671
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
Scoring summary
Q1NOHill 5 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 7–0
Q1NOAndersen 28 yard field goalNO 10–0
Q2TBIgwebuike 25 yard field goalNO 10–3
Q2NOAndersen 41 yard field goalNO 13–3
Q2TBIgwebuike 35 yard field goalNO 13–6
Q4TBIgwebuike 35 yard field goalNO 13–9

[11]

Week 5

1 234Total
Cowboys 0 773 17
• Saints 7 733 20
  • Date: October 3
  • Location: Louisiana Superdome
  • Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 68,474
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
  • Referee: Gene Barth
  • TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf
Scoring summary
Q1NOHill 7 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 7–0
Q2NOPerriman 17 yard pass from Hebert (Anderson kick)NO 14–0
Q2DALMartin 13 yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick)NO 14–7
Q3DALMartin 14 yard pass from Pelluer (Ruzek kick)Tie 14–14
Q3NOAndersen 27 yard field goalNO 17–14
Q4DALRuzek 39 yard field goalTie 17–17
Q4NOAndersen 49 yard field goalNO 20–17

[12]

Week 6

1 234Total
• Saints 0 1373 23
Chargers 14 030 17
  • Date: October 9
  • Location: Jack Murphy Stadium
  • Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 42,693
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C); wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
  • Referee: Ben Dreith
  • TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Dan Jiggetts
Scoring summary
Q1SDMiller 47 yard pass from Laufenberg (Abbott kick)SD 7–0
Q1SDRoy Bennett recovered fumble in end zone (Abbott kick)SD 14–0
Q2NOAndersen 27 yard field goalSD 14–3
Q2NOAndersen 35 yard field goalSD 14–6
Q2NOHill 19 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)SD 14–13
Q3NOMartin 10 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 20–14
Q3SDAbbott 35 yard field goalNO 20–17
Q4NOAndersen 34 yard field goalNO 23–17

[13]

Week 7

1 234Total
• Saints 0 1073 20
Seahawks 3 367 19
  • Date: October 16
  • Location: Kingdome
  • Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 63,569
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts
Scoring summary
Q1SEAJohnson 22 yard field goalSEA 3–0
Q2NOMartin 19 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 7–3
Q2SEAJohnson 47 yard field goalNO 7–6
Q2NOAndersen 23 yard field goalNO 10–6
Q3SEAJohnson 46 yard field goalNO 10–9
Q3NOWaymer 58 yard blocked field goal return (Andersen kick)NO 17–9
Q3SEAJohnson 42 yard field goalNO 17–12
Q4NOAndersen 31 yard field goalNO 20–12
Q4SEABlades 3 yard pass from Stouffer (Johnson kick)NO 20–19

[14]

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).

1 234Total
Raiders 0 600 6
• Saints 3 0143 20
  • Date: October 23
  • Location: Louisiana Superdome
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 66,249
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
  • Referee: Jerry Seeman
  • Television network: NBC
Scoring summary
Q1NOAndersen 51 yard field goalNO 3–0
Q2LAFernandez 85 yard pass from Schroeder (kick failed)LA 6–3
Q3NOHeyward 73 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 10–7
Q3NOHilliard 7 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 17–7
Q4NOAndersen 25 yard field goalNO 20–7

[15]

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

1 234Total
• Saints 0 770 14
Rams 0 307 10
  • Date: November 13
  • Location: Anaheim Stadium
  • Game start: 4:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 63,305
  • Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C); wind 6 mph (9.7 km/h)
  • Referee: Tom Dooley
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts
Scoring summary
Q2NOHilliard 4 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 7–0
Q2LALansford 23 yard field goalNO 7–3
Q3NOMayes 3 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 14–3
Q4LABell 1 yard run (Lansford kick)NO 14–10

[16]

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.

1 234Total
Broncos 0 000 0
• Saints 14 7147 42
Scoring summary
Q1NOMayes 2 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 7–0
Q1NOHilliard 2 yard run (Andersen kick)NO 14–0
Q2NOMartin 40 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 21–0
Q3NOGray 66 yard punt return (Andersen kick)NO 28–0
Q3NOTice 8 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 35–0
Q4NOMartin 6 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 42–0

[17]

Week 13

Week 14

Week 15 (Sunday, December 11, 1988): at San Francisco 49ers

[18]

Week 15: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Saints (9–6) 3 7 7017
49ers (10–5) 0 21 3630

at Candlestick Park • San Francisco, California

TeamCategoryPlayerStatistics
NO PassingBobby Hebert19/30, 170 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingDalton Hilliard9 CAR, 35 YDS
ReceivingEric Martin7 REC, 61 YDS
SF PassingJoe Montana18/29, 233 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
RushingRoger Craig22 CAR, 115 YDS, 1 TD
ReceivingJerry Rice6 REC, 78 YDS
  • Point spread: Saints +6
  • Over/Under: 41.0 (over)
  • Time of Game: 3 hours, 1 minute
Saints Game Statistics 49ers
15 First downs 20
24–70 Rushes–yards 35–152
197 Passing yards 233
20–35–1 Passes 18–29–1
2–15 Sacked–yards 2–12
182 Net passing yards 221
252 Total yards 373
127 Return yards 79
5–38.2 Punts 3–36.7
2–1 Fumbles–lost 1–1
2–11 Penalties–yards 1–0
26:35 Time of possession 33:25

Starting Lineups

PositionStarting 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/ATT1 Yds TD INT Sk Yds LG3 Rate
Hebert 19/34 170 1 1 2 12 28 67.0
Hilliard 1/1 27 1 0 0 0 27 158.3
Saints Rushing
Car2 Yds TD LG3
Hilliard 9 35 0 10
Hebert 3 14 0 3
Mayes 8 10 0 4
Heyward 3 8 0 3
Martin 1 3 0 3
Saints Receiving
Rec4 Yds TD LG3
Martin 7 61 0 20
Hill 6 61 1 27
Tice 3 44 0 28
Hilliard 1 9 0 9
Pattison 1 8 0 8
Perriman 1 8 0 8
Scales 1 6 1 6
Saints Kick Returns
Ret Yds Y/Rt TD Lng
Atkins 4 58 14.5 0 0
Gray 2 44 22.0 0 0
Saints Punt Returns
Ret Yds Y/Rt TD Lng
Gray 1 4 4.0 0 4
Hill 1 4 4.0 0 4
Saints Punting
Pnt Yds Y/P Lng Blck
Hansen 5 191 38.2 0 0
Saints Kicking
XPM–XPA FGM–FGA MFG
Anderson 2–2 1–3 40, 32
Saints Sacks
Sacks
Swilling 1.0
Wilks 1.0
Saints Interceptions
Int Yds TD LG PD
Waymer 1 17 0 17

Week 16

1 234Total
Falcons 0 333 9
• Saints 7 003 10
  • Date: December 18
  • Location: Louisiana Superdome
  • Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game attendance: 60,566
  • Game weather: Indoors (dome)
  • Referee: Pat Haggerty
  • TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Dan Fouts
Scoring summary
Q1NOHilliard 13 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)NO 7–0
Q2ATLDavis 27 yard field goalNO 7–3
Q3ATLDavis 43 yard field goalNO 7–6
Q4ATLDavis 39 yard field goalATL 9–7
Q4NOAndersen 30 yard field goalNO 10–9

[20]

Standings

NFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
San Francisco 49ers(2) 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 369 294 L1
Los Angeles Rams(5) 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 407 293 W3
New Orleans Saints 10 6 0 .625 3–3 6–6 312 283 W1
Atlanta Falcons 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 244 315 L3

References

  1. ↑ 1988 New Orleans Saints
  2. ↑ "1988 New Orleans Saints (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
  3. ↑ "1988 New Orleans Saints draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2014.
  4. ↑ "New Orleans Saints Training Camp Locations". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  5. ↑ "All-Time Roster". NewOrleansSaints.com. Archived from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Dec-16.
  7. ↑ Pro Football Reference; San Francisco 49ers at New Orleans Saints – September 4, 1988
  8. 1 2 New Orleans Saints 2023 Media Guide. New Orleans Saints. p. 452.
  9. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
  10. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
  11. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
  12. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
  13. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
  14. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-25.
  15. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-27.
  16. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-29.
  17. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-30.
  18. ↑ The Football Database. Retrieved 2023-Dec-16.
  19. ↑ Pro Football Reference; New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers – December 11, 1988
  20. ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2015-May-31.
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