Game Preview: Saints vs. Titans - 2023 NFL Week 1

The Tennessee Titans visit the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome for Week 1 of the 2023 NFL regular season on Sunday, Sep. 10, 2023 at 12 p.m. CT.

Sep 05, 2023 at 12:07 PM

New Orleans Saints

Titans

Tennessee Titans

Saints

New Orleans Saints

CBS

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Caesars Superdome

🏈 GAME CENTER 📺 WATCH

After going 2-1 in the preseason, the Saints start their 2023 NFL regular season schedule at home in Week 1 at Caesars Superdome against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Sep. 10, 2023 at 12 p.m. CT.

The Saints and Titans both are eager to bounce back from disappointing 7-10 seasons, each their first losing seasons in five years. The result will be a matchup between two hungry teams led by passionate head coaches looking forward to showing off squads upgraded through free agency and the draft.

This will be the second time the Saints face the Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers franchise in a season opener. In the 1993, the Saints defeated the Oilers, 33-21 in a Sunday Night Football contest at the Superdome.

New Orleans has won their last four home openers for the first time in franchise history. They will be looking to extend that streak to five.

SAINTS vs. TITANS SERIES HISTORY

The New Orleans Saints and the Tennessee Titans, who were the Houston Oilers from 1960-96, have met 16 times.

New Orleans has posted a 6-9-1 record all-time against the Titans. Eight of the outcomes in the series have been decided by a touchdown or less. The Titans won the last meeting, a 23-21 win at Nashville's Nissan Stadium on November 14, 2021.

The Saints first met Sunday's opponent in 1971 and played to a 13-13 tie with the Oilers in Houston's Astrodome. The Oilers captured the next two games in the series, before the Saints won their first game in the series in 1981 as Head Coach Bum Phillips exacted revenge on his former team.

This was the start of a three-game winning streak, including a 24-10 win in 1987 that would ensure the Saints a home playoff game in their seventh straight victory in the season where the club would both finish with a winning record and qualify for the postseason for the first time. The two clubs split their next two meetings.

The Titans then went on to capture four straight before the Saints win in 2011. The Saints have posted a 2-6 record against the Oilers/Titans at the Caesars Superdome.

New Orleans will be looking for their first home win against the Titans since the 1993 season-opening win against the Oilers.

In the 16 games of the New Orleans-Tennessee series there has been:

342 points scored by New Orleans, 364 allowed.
A three-game New Orleans winning streak from 1981-87.
A four-game winning streak for the Titans/Oilers from 1996-2007.
A 2-6 record for the Saints in home contests in the series.
Eight games decided by double-digits.
Eight games decided by seven points or less.
One tie and four games decided by three points.
A 17-point win by New Orleans (9/30/84) - Biggest Saints win.
Two 17-point losses by New Orleans (11/10/96 and 9/24/03) - Biggest Saints losses.

THE LAST MEETING

Titans 23, Saints 21; November 14, 2021 @ Nissan Stadium – An untimely turnover, a questionable call that took away an end zone interception, two missed extra points and a false start proved too much for the New Orleans Saints to overcome in a 23-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, Nov. 14 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn.

The Saints had a chance to send the game to overtime after Trevor Siemian's 15-yard touchdown pass to Marquez Callaway made it 23-21 Tennessee with 1:16 to play. With Taysom Hill in at quarterback for the 2-point play, the Saints were penalized for a false start by tight end Adam Trautman. Siemian came back in and his pass to running back Mark Ingram II from the 7-yard line was incomplete.

Mark Ingram II added another line to an already impressive resume': all-time leading rusher for the Saints.

The former Heisman Trophy winner and 2011 first-round draft pick out of Alabama entered Sunday's game against Tennessee with 6,077 career rushing yards with the Saints, 19 yards behind Saints Hall of Famer Deuce McAllister. Ingram accomplished the mark in the third quarter with a 6-yard run.

FULL GAME RECAP

SAINTS vs. TITANS SERIES FAST FACTS

Saints' Largest Margin of Victory: 17 points, Saints won 27-10 on 9/30/84 at the Astrodome.

Titans' Largest Margin of Victory: 17 points (twice), Titans 31, Saints 14 on 9/24/07 at the Louisiana Superdome (Most Recent) and Oilers 31, Saints 14 on 11/10/96 at the Louisiana Superdome (first).

Current Series Streak: Titans won the last contest, 11/14/21.

Saints' Longest Win Streak: Three games, 11/22/81-12/13/87.

Titans' Longest Win Streak: Four games, 11/10/96-09/24/07.

Most Points by Saints in a Game: 38 points, Saints won 38-28 on 12/22/19 at Nissan Stadium.

Most Points by Titans in a Game: 34 points, Titans 34, Saints 28 on 11/8/15 at the Louisiana Superdome.

Most Combined Points (Both Teams): 63 points, Titans won 34-28 on 11/8/15 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Fewest Points by Saints in a Game: 10 points, Oilers won 21-10 on 10/21/90 at the Astrodome.

Fewest Points by Titans in a Game: 10 points (Tie), Saints won 24-10 on 12/10/87 at the Louisiana Superdome (Most Recent). Saints won 27-10 on 9/30/84 at Astrodome (First).

Fewest Combined Points (Both Teams): 26 points, Saints 13, Oilers 13 on 10/3/71 at the Astrodome.

Most Rushing Yards: George Rogers, 142 yards on 28 carries on 11/22/81 at Astrodome.

Most Passing Yards: Drew Brees, 387 yards on 28 of 39 passing (71.8%) with three touchdowns (118.2 rating) on 11/8/15 at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

Most Receiving Yards (Saints): Michael Thomas, 136 yards on 12 receptions with one touchdown on 12/22/19 at Nissan Stadium.