MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

FP recently published this neat article breaking down every team's MNF appearances split between road and home.

The NFL Likes The Giants On Monday Night Football — On the Road

In 49 years of MNF, our Saints have been in a total of 42 games. 31 of those games were at home, 11 were on the road.

I did some more digging out of curiosity - our first ever MNF game was in 1972, the third year of MNF's existence. The Saints hosted the Chiefs at Tulane stadium and we lost 20-17.

It's interesting to note that MNF was reserved back in the day only for the good teams, yet for 3 consecutive years, they gave our Saints a game back then. They were blown out in Dallas in 1973 and then were beat down by Pittsburgh at home in Tulane stadium in 1974. It would be 5 years after that before our Saints got another MNF game and it just so happened to be the Raiders game at the dome where Ken Stabler had the huge comeback.

Hope you folks enjoy this stuff.

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

I was at the Monday night game against the Steelers. In the upper deck, freezing! It was cold and windy and the Saints were terrible. Bobby Scott threw the only TD for the Saints.

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

You and me both. That was one of Archie's better prime time games too. His good game is completely overshadowed by Stabler having a heroic performance. That game was also probably Stabler's last career great game cause he completely burnt out and was awful the next years.

Somebody uploaded that game on Youtube a few years ago and I swear you can hear someone say 'Fumble! Fumble! Fumble!' just before Muncie's backbreaking turn over.

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

1982 New Orleans Saints traded Archie Manning, their veteran quarterback, to the Houston Oilers today for Leon Gray, an offensive lineman

1984 Oilers Exchange Campbell For Saints' No. 1 Draft Pick

Players Drafted during Bum Phillips tenure:
(* Saints Hall Of Fame Inductees)

Rickey Jackson*, Brad Edelman, Jim Wilks, Morten Andersen*, Louis Oubre, Frank Warren*, George Rogers*, Steve Korte, John Tice, Jumpy Geathers, Terry Hoage, Brian Hansen, Hokie Gajan, Hoby Brenner*, Joel Hilgenberg*, Johnnie Poe

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

Great post.

Archie went 0-8 as a starter in Houston.

If you ever thought we did a bad job protecting him, watch this. 3 downs, and he gets nearly killed all 3 times. George Martin and Lawrence Taylor just about killed him. Poor Archie, they get there within less than 3 seconds. Any younger fans out here reading, THIS is how bad QBs got hit in the old days.

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

Yea... Playing the Raiders on Monday Dec 3, 1979.

We were up 14-35 at halftime before we lost 42-35. That was the last season Manning would have a great season and make the Probowl. :rolleyes:

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

^^^^^

I remember my dad talking about this game, "The Snake" & how the Saints losing focus :(.

Monday Night meltdown.

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

Yea... I lived it. :brood:

It was on TV because it was one of the first Monday Night Football games and the TV station bought out all of the tickets.

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

The irony of that Raiders loss is that it was probably the last great game of Ken Stabler's career. He peaked so early in his career on a loaded team and then went crashing down hard. 1979 was the last year in his career he had a positive TD/INT ratio. The Raiders were able to trade him and take what was considered a first round draft bust and journeyman in Plunkett and they went back to the SB with him. People tend to forget just how talented that Raiders team was cause they weren't the Steelers or Cowboys making the SB constantly. Stabler was on a team with 15+ Pro Bowlers, that also featured Hall of Famers. His MVP year was the peak of the Raiders, but that same team was still pretty darn good in 1980 when they were able to replace him and improve.

Stabler was a disaster in Houston, wasting the prime years of Earl Campbell's career by having a QB who was a downgrade to Dan Pastorini. When people argue against Stabler being in the HoF, it's cause of how bad he burned out after 1979.

Let's nor forget 1991 with the Raiders. Back then, they were the kings of MNF and had some impressive win streak. We crushed them 27-0 in the dome. We came into that game on a losing streak and completely dismantled them in that game. It was also the game Seth Green came into town to perform the Rallys commercial.

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

I remember that Oakland team. They were always great and fun to watch. The illegal aliens destroyed Oakland.

https://media.giphy.com/media/14xknsDx713Cr6/giphy.gif

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

On the bright side, since Drew came to town we do much better on Monday night football and they are fun to watch!

Re: MNF History: 42 games all time for our Saints
 

Just went through our MNF record since 2006.

14-7 all together.

From 2009 to 2012, we were the kings of MNF for a short period of time. We had an undefeated record of 7-0 and extended it to 8 consecutive MNF wins in 2013 (beating the Dolphins), before the Seahawks snapped our streak at the end of the year.

From 2014 to 2017, we did not win any MNF games. We only had a few and they were all losses; Baltimore, Detroit, Atlanta and Minnesota. The Lions loss was in the middle of that weird streak we had losing to them under Jim Caldwell.

Interesting tidbit - we only had a single MNF game in 2012, probably due to the Bountygate controversy (only a single SNF that year too, despite having a 13-3 record the previous year). I often wonder if Bountygate don't happen, what would've been our other MNF or SNF game? My guess would've been Green Bay.