2005 New Orleans Saints
The 2005 New Orleans Saints went 3–13, finishing 4th in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 235 points and allowed 398.
- Record
- 3–13
- Home
- 1–7
- Road & neutral
- 2–6
- Points
- 235–398
- NFC South
- Place 4 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 235 points, the second-fewest among the 32 teams, and allowed 398, the fifth-most. Their point differential was -163.
How the season unfolded
The Saints started 2–2 and were 2–6 after eight games. They lost their last four games to finish 3–13.
Their longest losing streak was six games, from Week 5 to Week 11.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 19–7 over the Buffalo Bills in Week 4 (October 2, 2005).
Their heaviest loss was 52–3 to the Green Bay Packers in Week 5 (October 9, 2005).
They scored a season-high 31 points against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6 (October 16, 2005), losing 34–31.
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 2–5.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 1–5 against the NFC South, splitting with the Panthers and getting swept by the Falcons and the Buccaneers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–6 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 10–6, seven games better than their record.
Before and after
That was five wins fewer than in 2004, when they went 8–8.
Their three wins are tied for the franchise’s fewest in any season since 1999.
In 2006, they went 10–6 and returned to the playoffs.
2005 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 11, 2005 | at Carolina Panthers | W 23–20 |
| Week 2 | Sep 19, 2005 | vs New York Giants | L 10–27 |
| Week 3 | Sep 25, 2005 | at Minnesota Vikings | L 16–33 |
| Week 4 | Oct 2, 2005 | vs Buffalo Bills | W 19–7 |
| Week 5 | Oct 9, 2005 | at Green Bay Packers | L 3–52 |
| Week 6 | Oct 16, 2005 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 31–34 |
| Week 7 | Oct 23, 2005 | at St. Louis Rams | L 17–28 |
| Week 8 | Oct 30, 2005 | vs Miami Dolphins | L 6–21 |
| Week 9 | Nov 6, 2005 | vs Chicago Bears | L 17–20 |
| Week 11 | Nov 20, 2005 | at New England Patriots | L 17–24 |
| Week 12 | Nov 27, 2005 | at New York Jets | W 21–19 |
| Week 13 | Dec 4, 2005 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 3–10 |
| Week 14 | Dec 12, 2005 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 17–36 |
| Week 15 | Dec 18, 2005 | vs Carolina Panthers | L 10–27 |
| Week 16 | Dec 24, 2005 | vs Detroit Lions | L 12–13 |
| Week 17 | Jan 1, 2006 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 13–27 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2005 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.