Why The Saints-Rams Rivalry Still Electrifies Fans!

Some of the most memorable home moments in an underrated and unusual Saints-Rams rivalry.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass during the 2019 NFC Championship game against the Rams / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network

The New Orleans Saints return from a bye week to square off against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday inside the Caesars Superdome. New Orleans comes in with a 4-7 record after winning two straight under interim coach Darren Rizzi. The Rams are 5-6 after losing two of their last three, including last week at home against the Eagles.

This game renews a long rivalry between these franchises. The Saints and Rams were longtime NFC West rivals for 31 years between 1970 and 2001. Before league realignment in 2002, the Saints (2000) and St. Louis Rams (1999 and 2001) alternated the last three NFC West championships.

Sunday's game will be the 80th all-time meeting between these two franchises, including two postseason matchups. The Rams relocated to St. Louis from 1995 to 2015 before moving back to the west coast, but the rivalry always remained intact.

New Orleans has just a 35-44 record against the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, with a 26-31 mark against them when the Rams were located in L.A. The Saints haven't had much success on the road in these matchups. However, they are a more respectable 19-20 at home against the Rams. That includes a 15-14 record during the years that the Rams called Los Angeles home.

This may not be among the NFL's most famous rivalries. But, it's one that often featured closely contested matchups, controversies, and has drawn the ire of fans on each side, especially from older fans of each team. This is particularly true when these teams have squared off in New Orleans, site of today's showdown.

Here are some of the most consequential, and controversial, Saints-Rams matchups in New Orleans.

Electric Debut

September 17, 1967

Sep 17, 1967; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints receiver John Gilliam (42) runs back a kick-off against the Los Angles Rams at Tulane Stadium. / Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

In their very first game as an NFL franchise, the Saints would host the Los Angeles Rams at Tulane Stadium. On their very first play of existence, New Orleans wideout John Gilliam electrified the home crowd by taking the opening kickoff back for a 94-yard touchdown.

Against a Rams team that finished 11-1-2 in 1967, the Saints hung tough through the first half and actually tied the score at 13 in the third quarter. Los Angeles proved too much offensively, getting 302 yards passing from Roman Gabriel and 146 scrimmage yards from RB Dick Bass.

New Orleans didn't have their own offensive firepower to keep pace. The Saints got 200 passing yards and 65 more on the ground from QB Billy Kilmer, but turned the ball over three times.

Two second half touchdowns allowed the Rams to pull away late for a 27-13 win in the inaugural game for New Orleans. It would be the first of four straight losses to the Rams, running through the 1971 season.

Electric Debut II

September 19, 1971

New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning (8) runs in a touchdown on the game's final play against the Los Angeles Rams / neworleanssaints.com

With the second overall choice in the 1971 NFL Draft, the New Orleans Saints would select quarterback Archie Manning out of Mississippi. Manning's first career start would come in the 1971 season opener against the Los Angeles Rams at Tulane Stadium. In their first four years of existence, the Saints had yet to win a season opener.

Defenses dominated most of the day, especially through a first half that resulted in a 3-3 score. Manning helped the Saints to two third quarter scores to take a 17-3 lead. However, the Rams came storming back to wind up taking a 20-17 lead late in the fourth quarter of the game.

Manning was battered throughout most of the game, getting sacked seven times and throwing an interception among his 218 yards passing. The rookie maintained his composure with the game on the line, driving his team the length of the field. In the waning seconds, Manning took the ball himself over the left side for a 1-yard touchdown and a 24-20 New Orleans win. It was also the first victory over the Rams by the Saints after four consecutive losses.

Heartbreak

December 18, 1983

Dec. 18, 1983; Los Angeles Rams kicker Mike Lansford (1) celebrates a game-winning field goal against the New Orleans Saints / Robert Lachman - Los Angeles Times

After starting the decade in abysmal fashion with paper bags and a 1-15 season, the Saints revamped their entire philosophy with the hiring of head coach Bum Phillips. By 1983, Phillips had New Orleans on the verge of the unthinkable -- a winning season and a spot in the playoffs for the first time ever.

All the Saints needed was a victory in the 1983 season finale against the Rams inside the Superdome. It was a winner-take-all matchup, with the victor going to the postseason and the loser staying home. The Saints struck first with a Ken Stabler touchdown pass in the first quarter, but the game was a tight battle throughout.

New Orleans controlled time of possession, a Phillips specialty, with 47 total runs and 124 yards rushing from RB George Rogers. The Saints also played strong defense, holding the Rams out of the end zone for the entire contest and limiting future Hall of Fame RB Eric Dickerson to only 80 yards.

In the end, the Saints simply bungled away a win. Los Angeles recorded a safety and scored three touchdowns by virtue of a punt return and two interception returns. Those miscues kept the Rams in a game that they won by a score of 26-24 on a 42-yard field goal by Mike Lansford in the waning seconds. The heartbreaking loss kept the Saints home for the playoffs with an 8-8 record.

Once In A Lifetime

November 26, 1989

Nov 26, 1989; FILE PHOTO; Rams receiver (83) Willie Anderson sets an NFL record with 336 receiving yards against the Saints / David Boss-Imagn Images

A 10-6 Saints team narrowly missed the playoffs in 1988, losing out on tiebreakers to the 10-6 Rams. After beating them on the road in 1989, New Orleans would host Los Angeles in a late November rematch on Sunday Night Football.

New Orleans struggled offensively much of the night, though they did get 124 yards rushing from Dalton Hilliard. The Saints defense battered Rams QB Jim Everett, a future Saint, sacking him six times and holding Los Angeles to only 57 yards on the ground.

Despite the beating he received, Everett had a spectacular night. He repeatedly victimized the New Orleans secondary, throwing for a career-best 454 yards. Over half of Everett's 29 completions were to WR Flipper Anderson, who caught 15 passes for an NFL-record 336 yards. It's a single-game record that still stands to this day.

A late fourth quarter touchdown strike from Everett to Anderson tied the score at 17. In overtime, the Everett-Anderson connection remained unstoppable, setting the Rams up for a game-winning field goal. Mike Lansford connected on the 31-yard kick, sending the Saints to a 20-17 defeat.

The Saints would finish 1989 with a 9-7 record, missing the postseason again. A second win over the Rams, who finished 11-5 and advanced to the NFC Championship game, would have put both teams at 10-6 and given the Saints the tiebreaker advantage by virtue of a season sweep.

One-Man Show

October 23, 1994

Tyrone Hughes (33) of the New Orleans Saints returns a kickoff for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams / AP FILE PHOTO

By 1994, the Saints were an aging team in the process of retooling their roster. Jim Everett formed a prolific passing combination with wideouts Quinn Early and Michael Haynes. However, only Sam Mills remained from the vaunted Dome Patrol linebacking corps that season as the Saints hosted Los Angeles at the midway point of the year.

New Orleans jumped out to an early 14-0 lead, but the Rams battled back. The Saints pulled away again through the third quarter to have a commanding lead, then held on for a 37-34 victory. While the score indicates a shootout, neither team managed even 320 yards of total offense.

Second-SSecond-year Saints defensive back Tyrone Hughes was the star of this matchup, but most of it was done on special teams. Hughes returned two kickoffs for touchdowns, one from 92 yards and another from 98 yards. He also had a second quarter interception to set up a New Orleans field goal.

Hughes added one long punt return that set up a touchdown drive and another set up a field goal. For the game, Hughes returned seven kickoffs for 304 yards and three punts for 43 yards, an average of 14.3 on punts and incredible 43.4 on kickoffs.

Tyrone Hughes set two NFL single-game records in his spectacular afternoon. His 304 kickoff return yards and 347 combined return yardage are NFL game records that stand to this day.

Hakim Drops The Ball!!

December 30, 2000

New Orleans Saints running back Brian Milne (40) recovers a fumbled punt against the St. Louis Rams in a Wild-Card playoff game / Reddit.com

New Orleans made an improbable run to the NFC West championship in 2000, overcoming the defending Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams in the process. After two close games resulting in a split during the season, the Saints would host explosive St. Louis in the wild-card round of the playoffs.

Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks was brilliant, throwing for 266 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those scores went to unheralded wideout Willie Jackson. Stepping up for an injured Joe Horn, Jackson torched the Rams with six catches for 142 yards and those three pivotal second half scores.

New Orleans held a dominant 31-7 lead with less than 12 minutes to play. However, St. Louis raced back with future Hall of Famers Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, and Isaac Bruce to score three touchdowns in less than 10 minutes.

A euphoric Superdome crowd looked on in horror as the Saints first playoff win in franchise history looked lost. With 1:51 to play, New Orleans lined up to punt the ball back to the Rams clinging to a three-point lead.

Incredibly, explosive returner Az-Zahir Hakim muffed the catch. Running back Brian Milne pounced on the ball, clinching the Saints 31-28 historical win over their bitter rival.

BLATANTLY ROBBED!

January 20, 2019

Jan 20, 2019; Rams defensive back Nickell Robey-Coleman (23) commits uncalled pass interference on Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis (11) during the NFC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-Imagn Images / Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

The 2018 New Orleans Saints were one of the best teams in the history of the franchise. Included in their 13-3 regular season record was a 45-35 defeat of the then-undefeated Los Angeles Rams.

In that game, QB Drew Brees threw for 346 yards and four scores and RB Alvin Kamara had 116 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. However, the star of that day was WR Michael Thomas, who had 12 receptions for a franchise-record 211 receiving yards.

To the surprise of very few, a much-anticipated rematch would come during the NFC Championship in the Superdome.

The Saints squandered two touchdown opportunities, but still converted two field goals and held a 13-0 lead after the first quarter.

Los Angeles clawed back to make it a game by halftime and stayed within a score of New Orleans throughout the second half. Each defense played well enough to keep the explosive offense of the other from taking control of the game.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass during the NFC Championship against the Los Angeles Rams / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network

With the score tied at 20 late in the fourth quarter, the Saints were in position to put the game away with a touchdown and less than two minutes left. A third down pass from Brees to WR Tommylee Lewis was broken up by Nickell Robey-Coleman, who committed blatant pass interference on the play. Instead, arguably corrupt (really, no argument to be made) officials never threw the flag.

New Orleans settled for a field goal and a 23-20 lead. The Rams managed to tie the game with a 48-yard field goal with just seconds left to force overtime. In overtime, there was even more controversy.

On the first New Orleans possession of overtime, Brees was hit in the helmet, a clear penalty, as he threw. The errant pass was intercepted by the Rams on another uncalled foul. Los Angeles moved the ball just enough for kicker Greg Zuerlein to hit a 57-yard game-winning field goal.

The stolen victory robbed the Saints of another NFC title and an almost certain Super Bowl victory. While egregious, it is also a microcosm of how hotly contested and often unusual that the Saints-Rams rivalry has been for decades.