#4 – 2000 Wild Card: New Orleans Saints – 31 vs. Rams – 28

For 33 years, the New Orleans Saints had tried and didn’t win their first playoff sport in franchise historical past. In 2000, coming off their second ever division championship and returning to the playoffs after a seven-year drought, they confronted the division rival St. Louis Rams within the first spherical. The Rams in fact featured the Best Present on Turf, a document setting offense that featured 4 eventual Corridor of Famers and have been the defending Tremendous Bowl champions.

Picture by Joseph Patronite/Getty Pictures

Previous to kickoff, in true New Orleans vogue, the Saints held a Voodoo ritual at midfield that includes priestess Ava Kay Jones, a dwell Boa Constrictor, and a large number of drummers and dancers. The ceremony was meant to cleanse the Superdome of adverse spirits which will have lingered from the cemetery that when occupied the land now taken up by the Superdome.

Initially, it appeared the ritual had labored. The Saints held a 10-7 lead at halftime and would maintain a 31-7 lead with 12:02 left within the fourth quarter. The protection had hounded Kurt Warner all day, sacking final 12 months’s Tremendous Bowl MVP twice and forcing him to commit 4 turnovers. Marshall Faulk, the present MVP, was held to simply 24 yards dashing, his lowest whole of the season. Nonetheless, as quickly because the Saints cashed in on the Rams newest turnover to go up by 24 factors, it appeared the adverse spirits had returned to the Superdome.

The Rams would wind up scoring 21 unanswered factors in slightly below 10 minutes of sport time. The Best Present on Turf was not going to be held down for your entire sport, as Warner and Faulk would join for 80 yards, a landing, and a two-point conversion over the Rams remaining 4 drives. The Saints offense led by first 12 months starter Aaron Brooks stalled out and was unable to place extra factors on the board.

Nonetheless, because the Saints punted the ball again to Warner and the Rams with now solely a three-point lead and beneath two minutes to play, the adverse spirits proved to lastly be expelled. Punt returner Az-Zahir Hakim, who was one of the best punt returner within the NFL that season, muffed honest catch, which was recovered by the Saints fullback Brian Milne, clinching the primary playoff win in franchise historical past.

Aaron Brooks would wind up outdueling Warner, throwing for 4 touchdowns and 266 yards with just one interception to Warner’s three. Huge receiver Willie Jackson would show to be the participant of the sport, as in a sport that featured All-Execs Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, Jackson would wind up with 142 yards and three touchdowns on six receptions.

I believe it’s secure to say the ritual carried out previous to the sport labored out, because the Saints had didn’t win a single playoff sport within the 33 years prior and have received 10 within the 23 years since. The primary playoff win in franchise historical past took a little bit of luck, however because the Saints have came upon lately, generally it’s higher to be fortunate than good.

Watch highlights of the sport right here

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