2016 New Orleans Saints
The 2016 New Orleans Saints went 7–9, finishing 3rd in the NFC South, and missed the playoffs. They scored 469 points and allowed 454.
- Record
- 7–9
- Home
- 4–4
- Road & neutral
- 3–5
- Points
- 469–454
- NFC South
- Place 3 of 4
- Postseason
- Did not qualify
Where the season ranked
They scored 469 points, the second-most among the 32 teams, and allowed 454, the second-most. Their point differential was +15.
How the season unfolded
The Saints started 1–3 and were 4–4 after eight games. They went 2–2 over the final four weeks to finish 7–9.
Their longest losing streak was three games, from Week 1 to Week 3.
Best and worst games
Their biggest win was 49–21 over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12 (November 27, 2016).
Their heaviest loss was 28–13 to the Detroit Lions in Week 13 (December 4, 2016).
In games decided by eight points or fewer, they went 5–7.
Division and playoff opponents
They went 2–4 against the NFC South, splitting with the Panthers and the Buccaneers and getting swept by the Falcons.
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 9–7, two games better than their record.
Before and after
That matched the win total of 2015, when they went 7–9.
In 2017, they went 11–5 and returned to the playoffs.
2016 schedule and results
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Sep 11, 2016 | vs Oakland Raiders | L 34–35 |
| Week 2 | Sep 18, 2016 | at New York Giants | L 13–16 |
| Week 3 | Sep 26, 2016 | vs Atlanta Falcons | L 32–45 |
| Week 4 | Oct 2, 2016 | at San Diego Chargers | W 35–34 |
| Week 6 | Oct 16, 2016 | vs Carolina Panthers | W 41–38 |
| Week 7 | Oct 23, 2016 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 21–27 |
| Week 8 | Oct 30, 2016 | vs Seattle Seahawks | W 25–20 |
| Week 9 | Nov 6, 2016 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 41–23 |
| Week 10 | Nov 13, 2016 | vs Denver Broncos | L 23–25 |
| Week 11 | Nov 17, 2016 | at Carolina Panthers | L 20–23 |
| Week 12 | Nov 27, 2016 | vs Los Angeles Rams | W 49–21 |
| Week 13 | Dec 4, 2016 | vs Detroit Lions | L 13–28 |
| Week 14 | Dec 11, 2016 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 11–16 |
| Week 15 | Dec 18, 2016 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 48–41 |
| Week 16 | Dec 24, 2016 | vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 31–24 |
| Week 17 | Jan 1, 2017 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 32–38 |
Counted by WHYNFL from the final score of every 2016 game. Division place uses win percentage, then point differential; the NFL's full tiebreaker procedure is not applied.