How Saints Can Make Franchise History With Week 3 Win Over Eagles

This year's New Orleans squad can achieve a rarity in franchise history with a win over Philadelphia

New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) celebrates after making an interception against the Dallas Cowboys / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Saints are now in their 58th NFL season. It's no secret that the Saints were one of the NFL's worst franchises through their first two decades of football. Starting play in 1967, New Orleans didn't even have their first non-losing season until an 8-8 finish in 1979.

After only two non-losing seasons (8-8 records) over their first 20 years of existence, New Orleans finally became relevant. A 12-3 record in 1987 was not only the first winning record in franchise history but also earned the Saints their first playoff berth. That marked the beginning of a six-year stretch where New Orleans had five winning records and made the playoffs four times.

After the breakup of the Dome Patrol in 1993, the Saints again became a mostly irrelevant franchise. For a 13-year stretch between 1993 and 2005, the Saints had a non-losing record only five times, just two winning seasons, and one playoff berth.

The arrival of Drew Brees and Sean Payton in 2006 changed the course of New Orleans sports history. Over 14 years together (Payton was suspended in 2012), the Saints had nine winning seasons and trips to the playoffs, won seven division titles, and recorded a victory in Super Bowl XLIV.

Feb 7, 2010; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) drops back to throw against the Indianapolis Colts during Super Bowl XLIV / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

Brees retired after the 2020 campaign. Payton followed him out the door a year later. Under coach Dennis Allen and a carousel of quarterbacks, New Orleans has missed the playoffs for three consecutive years (including Payton's final year in 2021). A strong start to 2024 is extremely encouraging, but also an outlier for this franchise.

This start is amazingly only the 10th time in 58 years that the Saints have started a year with a 2-0 record. Just as incredibly, this is just the second time in franchise history that New Orleans has a 2-0 record to open a year.

Saints 2-0 Starts

1991 - finished season at 11-5
1993 - finished 8-8
1998 - finished 6-10
2002 - finished 9-7
2006 - finished 10-6
2009 - finished 13-3
2010 - finished 11-5
2013 - finished 11-5
2023 - finished 9-8
2024 - TBD

New Orleans Saints defensive back Alontae Taylor (1) / USA TODAY NETWORK

If you're looking for an omen, you won't find it in these starts. Of the previous nine times New Orleans has started 2-0, they wound up advancing to the playoffs in five of those seasons. Not bad, but well below the league average.

Since the NFL adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978, teams that have started the year 2-0 have qualified for the playoffs 68.7% of the time. Since 1990 and the expansion to a 12-team postseason, 72.6% of teams that start 2-0 have gone to the playoffs.

The Saints look for a 3-0 start when they host the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. If successful, they'll achieve an even bigger rarity in franchise history.

New Orleans has started a season 3-0 only seven times in their previous 57 years. It's something they haven't accomplished since 2013. The Saints have made the playoffs the last four times they began 3-0. Those seasons were 2013, 2009, and 2006.

Obviously, the New Orleans Saints have a long way to go before postseason talk is a realistic conversation. In any sport, it's more important how you finish than how you start. However, a strong start can also give a team some margin for error during the year.

For the Saints, they will be focusing on one game at a time. Beating the Eagles would not only give them three victories, but all three over conference opponents in the NFC.