From 1967 New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams action. The Rams great Hall of Fame defensive lineman Merlin Olsen breaks through the Saints offensive line to harass Billy Kilmer. The Saints opened up the 1967 season as well as franchise play against the Rams at Tulane Stadium. The two teams could not have been more opposites. The Rams featured one of the NFL’s best defenses that included multiple Pro Bowlers as well as future Hall of Famers as well. The Saints, the latest expansion team of the NFL, were comprised of misfits and cast-offs of other teams. They did receive the 1st overall pick of the draft – which they traded away, and a handful of extra draft picks. Billy Kilmer was one of those memorable players that joined the Saints through the expansion draft. He was originally with the San Francisco 49ers.
By the end of that very first season, New Orleans ended up with a 3 and 11 record. Despite the low number of victories, in comparison with other expansion teams of that era it really wasn’t that bad. It matched the Minnesota Vikings record of 1961 and the Atlanta Falcons record of 1966. The Dallas Cowboys went winless in their inaugural season of 1960.
This weekend, the NFC championship of the 2018 season marks the 76th time the Rams and Saints have met and the second time they’ve played each other in post-season play. The previous playoff game between these two teams in 2000 saw the Saints as the NFC Western Divisional title Champs and the Rams as the NFL’s previous years Super Bowl victors. The result was a huge upset by the Black and Gold. It was the very first post-season win by the New Orleans Saints.
