1985 New Orleans Saints season

Wade Phillips (interim, weeks 13–16) K Morten Andersen

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.

One day after winning at Minnesota to end the skid, Phillips resigned. His son, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, took over as interim coach for the final four games. The Saints won their first game under the younger Phillips, routing the eventual NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams 29–3, but losses to the Cardinals, 49ers and Falcons ended the year on another glum note.

The Saints finished with a non-winning record for the nineteenth time in as many seasons, going 5–11. Benson promised big changes following the campaign, which he delivered upon.

Regular season

Schedule

New Orleans Saints	year=1985	border=2}}"	Week	New Orleans Saints	year=1985	border=2}}"	Date	New Orleans Saints	year=1985	border=2}}"	Opponent	New Orleans Saints	year=1985	border=2}}"	Result	New Orleans Saints	year=1985	border=2}}"	Record	New Orleans Saints	year=1985	border=2}}"	Venue	New Orleans Saints	year=1985	border=2}}"	Attendance	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16
September 8	Kansas City Chiefs	L 27–47	0–1	Louisiana Superdome	57,760
September 15	at Denver Broncos	L 23–34	0–2	Mile High Stadium	74,488
September 22	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 20–13	1–2	Louisiana Superdome	45,320
September 29	at San Francisco 49ers	W 20–17	2–2	Candlestick Park	58,053
October 6	Philadelphia Eagles	W 23–21	3–2	Louisiana Superdome	56,364
October 13	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 13–23	3–3	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	48,152
October 20	at Atlanta Falcons	L 24–31	3–4	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	44,784
October 27	New York Giants	L 13–21	3–5	Louisiana Superdome	54,082
November 3	at Los Angeles Rams	L 10–28	3–6	Anaheim Stadium	49,030
November 10	Seattle Seahawks	L 3–27	3–7	Louisiana Superdome	47,365
November 17	at Green Bay Packers	L 14–38	3–8	Milwaukee County Stadium	52,104
November 24	at Minnesota Vikings	W 30–23	4–8	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	54,117
December 1	Los Angeles Rams	W 29–3	5–8	Louisiana Superdome	44,122
December 8	at St. Louis Cardinals	L 16–28	5–9	Busch Memorial Stadium	29,527
December 15	San Francisco 49ers	L 19–31	5–10	Louisiana Superdome	46,065
December 22	Atlanta Falcons	L 10–16	5–11	Louisiana Superdome	37,717
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 8

Week 12

• Earl Campbell 35 Rush, 160 Yds

Week 15

• Joe Montana 25/38, 354 Yds

Standings