1985 New Orleans Saints season | |
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Head coach |
Bum Phillips (weeks 1-12) (5th season) Wade Phillips (interim, weeks 13-16) |
General manager |
Bum Phillips (Since 1981) |
Owner |
Tom Benson (Since 1985) |
Home field | Louisiana Superdome |
Results | |
Record | 5–11 |
Division place | 3rd NFC West |
Playoff finish | did not qualify |
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Scoring summary | ||||
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Q1 | NO | Wilson 41 yard run (Andersen kick) | NO 7–0 | |
Q1 | MIN | Anderson 54 yard pass from Kramer (Stenerud kick) | Tie 7–7 | |
Q1 | NO | Campbell 4 yard run (Andersen kick) | NO 14–7 | |
Q2 | NO | Andersen 26 yard field goal | NO 17–7 | |
Q2 | NO | Andersen 47 yard field goal | NO 20–7 | |
Q2 | MIN | Stenerud 22 yard field goal | NO 20–10 | |
Q3 | NO | Andersen 45 yard field goal | NO 23–10 | |
Q3 | MIN | Stenerud 22 yard field goal | NO 23–13 | |
Q4 | MIN | Stenerud 37 yard field goal | NO 23–16 | |
Q4 | MIN | Jones 6 yard pass from Kramer (Stenerud kick) | Tie 23–23 | |
Q4 | NO | Tice 39 yard pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) | NO 30–23 |
The 1985 New Orleans Saints season was the Saints 19th season.
The offseason began with rampant rumors the franchise was on its way out of town. Original owner John W. Mecom Jr. was anxious to sell the team, and he threatened to move to Jacksonville, Florida if no suitable owner could be found.
In May, local car magnate Tom Benson stepped up and pledged to meet Mecom's asking price of $70 million. Mecom and Benson sat down with Louisiana governor Edwin W. Edwards and hammered out a deal, which was finalized May 31. Prior to the sale to Benson, businessman Abram Nicholas Pritzker attempted to purchase the team, but he could not meet Mecom's asking price, and Edwards was unable to secure a loan from the Louisiana Legislature to assist Pritzker.
Benson moved training camp from Vero Beach, Florida to Louisiana Tech University in Ruston. The team quickly brought in local legend and United States Football League standout Bobby Hebert to compete with Richard Todd and Dave Wilson for the starting quarterback position. Hebert won the position late in the season and started the final five games.
Coach Bum Phillips offered to resign when Benson completed his purchase, but Benson declined the offer. The season got off to a disastrous start, as the Saints were routed 47–27 at home by the Kansas City Chiefs, and an angry woman poured a cup of beer on Phillips as he exited the field. The Saints won three consecutive games following a week two loss at Denver, but the season quickly turned sour, thanks to a six-game losing streak that dropped the club to 3-8.