1967 Saints & Rams! Welcome to the NFL!
 One of the early moments in New Orleans Saints history is captured here as legendary Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Merlin Olsen breaks through the Saints offensive line to pressure quarterback Billy Kilmer during the franchise’s inaugural season in 1967. The Saints played the first game in franchise history on September 17, 1967, hosting the Rams at Tulane Stadium before a sellout crowd. Although New Orleans stunned the Rams when John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown, the visiting veterans from LA quickly regained control and went on to win 27-13. The Saints produced little offense as Kilmer was sacked 4 times and threw 2 interceptions. He was the Saints’ leading rusher for the day, 65 yards on 5 attempts.
 The two clubs entered that game from very different positions. Los Angeles boasted one of the NFL’s premier defenses, led by future Pro Football Hall of Famers Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones along with several Pro Bowl stars. The expansion Saints, meanwhile, were built almost entirely through the NFL Expansion Draft, veteran acquisitions, and a collection of extra draft selections. Quarterback Billy Kilmer, acquired from the San Francisco 49ers, became one of the franchise’s first recognizable stars and helped establish the foundation for professional football in New Orleans. New Orleans finished  its inaugural 1967 campaign with a respectable 3-11 record. While far from a winning season, it compared favorably to several other expansion franchises of the era. The Saints matched the inaugural records posted by the 1961 Minnesota Vikings and the 1966 Atlanta Falcons, while surpassing the Dallas Cowboys who failed to win a single game during their first season in 1960.
 As of the 2026 NFL season, the Saints and Rams have developed one of the NFC’s most memorable interconference rivalries. For over 30 seasons they were both members of the NFC West Division as the Rams dominated throughout that period winning the Division Title 10 times – New Orleans claimed the pennant twice. They have met 81 times in the regular season and playoffs with Los Angeles holding the advantage of 46 wins, New Orleans has 35. Their postseason history includes the Saints’ unforgettable 31-28 victory in the 2000 NFC Wild Card Game — the first playoff win in franchise history. The most recent though was one of the most controversial contests in NFL history.Â
 The scene was the 2018 NFC Championship. the winner would advance to the Super Bowl. The Rams had just moved back to Los Angeles from St Louis and were desperate to build a market share of the city. The game tied With 1:49 in the 4th quarter and Drew Brees and the Saints offense deep in Ram territory, Ram defender committed an obvious pass interference infraction to keep Saints receiver Tommylee Lewis from catching the ball. Unfortunately, the officials failed to make the call and the Saints had to settle for a field goal. With New Orleans unable to run out the clock the Rams would tie the game and win it in overtime to go to Super Bowl LIII where they would lose to the New England Patriots.
