2017 New Orleans Saints season
The 2017 season was the New Orleans Saints' 51st in the National Football League, their 42nd playing home games at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and their 11th under head coach Sean Payton. Thanks to a significantly improved defense and consistent quality on offense, the team improved on their 7–9 output from the previous three seasons, while achieving an eight-game winning streak after losing their first two contests, their longest streak since 2009, when they won Super Bowl XLIV. In Week 13 the Saints clinched their first winning season since 2013 and swept the [2017 2017 Carolina Panthers season|Carolina Panthers season|Carolina Panthers] for the first time since 2011. In Week 16, the Saints clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013 by defeating the Atlanta Falcons. In Week 17, the Saints clinched the NFC South for the first time since 2011 with the Panthers loss to the Falcons. This was the first of four consecutive NFC South titles for the Saints. On January 7, 2018 the Saints played their divisional rival Carolina Panthers in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. They beat Carolina 31–26 in the Wild Card, but lost 29–24 to the [2017 2017 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings] in the Divisional Round in a shocking ending.
This year was Tom Benson's final season as owner of the Saints, as he died at the age of 90 on March 15, 2018 from influenza.
Draft
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 11 | Marshon Lattimore | CB | Ohio State |
| 1 | 32 | Ryan Ramczyk | OT | Wisconsin |
| 2 | 42 | Marcus Williams | FS | Utah |
| 3 | 67 | Alvin Kamara | RB | Tennessee |
| 3 | 76 | Alex Anzalone | OLB | Florida |
| 3 | 103 | Trey Hendrickson | DE | Florida Atlantic |
| 6 | 196 | Al-Quadin Muhammad | DE | Miami |
Preseason
After three years of holding training camp at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia, the Saints opted to move camp back to the team's headquarters facility in Metairie, Louisiana.| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
| 1 | at Cleveland Browns | L 14–20 | 0–1 | FirstEnergy Stadium | ||
| 2 | August 20 | at Los Angeles Chargers | W 13–7 | 1–1 | StubHub Center | |
| 3 | Houston Texans | W 13–0 | 2–1 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | ||
| 4 | Baltimore Ravens | L 13–14 | 2–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome |
Regular season
Schedule
On December 13, 2016, the NFL announced that the Saints will play the [2017 2017 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins] as one of the London Games at Wembley Stadium in London, England, with the Dolphins serving as the home team. The game will occur during Week 4, and will be televised in the United States. The network and time will be announced in conjunction with the release of the regular season schedule.The Saints' 2017 schedule was revealed on April 20.
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Game summaries
Week 1: at Minnesota Vikings
In a playoff preview between these 2 teams, the Saints lost to the Vikings by a score of 29-19. Despite having a 6-3 lead at one time, the Saints were outscored 26-16 for the remainder of the game. With the loss, the Saints began the season 0-1 for the 4th straight season. It was also running back Adrian Peterson's first time playing in Minneapolis since leaving the Vikings via free agency in the offseason.Week 2: vs. New England Patriots
The Saints lose to the defending Super Bowl champions, New England Patriots, thus dropping their record to 0-2.Week 3: at Carolina Panthers
The Saints gain their first victory of the season against the Carolina Panthers. They improve to 1-2.Week 4: at Miami Dolphins
NFL London GamesHoping to improve their record to 2-2, the Saints flew to London to take on the Miami Dolphins. With the shutout victory, the Saints improved their season record in the process.