<P> With a victory over the Carolina Panthers on November 8 , the Saints jumped out to an 8 -- 0 start , the best in franchise history . They would go on to set the record for the longest undefeated season opening ( 13 -- 0 ) by an NFC team since the AFL -- NFL merger , eclipsing the previous record ( 12 -- 0 ) held by the 1985 Chicago Bears . This record has since been tied by the 2011 Green Bay Packers and surpassed by the 2015 Carolina Panthers . Although losing the last three games of the season to finish 13 -- 3 , the team clinched a playoff berth , a first - round bye and -- for the first time ever -- the top seed in the NFC . The Saints defeated Kurt Warner and the defending NFC Champions Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Divisional playoffs , and proceeded to host the NFC Championship Game for the first time in franchise history . There , they defeated Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings in overtime , then went on to face Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts at Super Bowl XLIV in the franchise 's first - ever Super Bowl appearance . The Saints won the Super Bowl 31 -- 17 , giving the city of New Orleans its first NFL championship . The Saints are the first team to defeat three former Super Bowl winning quarterbacks in a row in the playoffs to win the Super Bowl . The Saints , along with the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers , are the only teams to go to one Super Bowl and win it . </P>
who did the saints beat to go to the super bowl
Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings