re: A Sunday throwback...Saints (37) at Atlanta (6) in 1979

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In your opinion, do you feel like the 1979 team was our best pre-1987 squad?

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He beat me to your question, but yeah, the week 14 MNF choke vs. the Raiders was the heartbreaker. The next week they were deflated and the Chargers curb-stomped them to drop to 7-8. And then they whipped the Rams in the Coliseum to finish 8-8. The Rams finished 9-7 and made it to the Super Bowl and the Bucs had HFA with a 10-6 record. The Saints went 2-1 vs. the Bucs and Rams. They were THAT close to being a legit Super Bowl contender that year because the rest of the NFC was in flux.

It's debatable whether 78 or 79 was the best Saints team ever before 1987. 78 was 7-9 but lost on 2 Hail Marys to the Falcons (one completed, one bullshite DPI penalty), and the Falcons finished 9-7 and made the playoffs. Those Hail Marys don't happen and the Saints were a wild card in 78 instead of the Falcons.