2012 New Orleans Saints
The 2012 New Orleans Saints went 7–9, finishing 2nd in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 461 points and allowed 454.
- Record
- 7–9
- Home
- 4–4
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 461–454
- NFC South
- Place 2 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 461 points, the third-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 454, the second-most. Their point differential was +7.
How the season unfolded
The Saints opened with four straight losses and were 3–5 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 7–9.
Their longest winning streak was three games, from Week 9 to Week 11.
Their longest losing streak was four games, from Week 1 to Week 4.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 41–0 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15 (December 16, 2012).
Their heaviest loss was 52–27 to the New York Giants in Week 14 (December 9, 2012).
They shut out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 15).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 4–5.
They played two games that went to overtime and went 1–1 in them.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 3–3 against the NFC South, sweeping the Buccaneers, splitting with the Falcons, and getting swept by the Panthers.
Against teams that reached the playoffs, they went 1–5 in the regular season.
Postseason
They missed the playoffs. The lowest record among NFC playoff teams was 10–6, three games better than their record.
Before and after
That was six wins fewer than in 2011, when they went 13–3.
In 2013, they went 11–5 and returned to the playoffs.
2012 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 9, 2012 | vs Washington | L 32–40 |
| Week 2 | Sep 16, 2012 | at Carolina Panthers | L 27–35 |
| Week 3 | Sep 23, 2012 | vs Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–27 (OT) |
| Week 4 | Sep 30, 2012 | at Green Bay Packers | L 27–28 |
| Week 5 | Oct 7, 2012 | vs San Diego Chargers | W 31–24 |
| Week 7 | Oct 21, 2012 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 35–28 |
| Week 8 | Oct 28, 2012 | at Denver Broncos | L 14–34 |
| Week 9 | Nov 5, 2012 | vs Philadelphia Eagles | W 28–13 |
| Week 10 | Nov 11, 2012 | vs Atlanta Falcons | W 31–27 |
| Week 11 | Nov 18, 2012 | at Oakland Raiders | W 38–17 |
| Week 12 | Nov 25, 2012 | vs San Francisco 49ers | L 21–31 |
| Week 13 | Nov 29, 2012 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 13–23 |
| Week 14 | Dec 9, 2012 | at New York Giants | L 27–52 |
| Week 15 | Dec 16, 2012 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 41–0 |
| Week 16 | Dec 23, 2012 | at Dallas Cowboys | W 34–31 (OT) |
| Week 17 | Dec 30, 2012 | vs Carolina Panthers | L 38–44 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2012 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.