Saints have dashed unbeaten hopes before

The Los Angeles Rams bring their perfect 8-0 record into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Sunday afternoon to face the 6-1 Saints.

Undefeated teams coming to New Orleans is not new. In fact, the Rams are the fourth team in the last seven seasons to start with at least eight consecutive wins, and the third one to come to the Dome.

In 2012, the Saints ended the 8-0 Atlanta Falcons’ undefeated start with a 31-27 victory.

Three years ago, the Carolina Panthers came to town at 11-0 and escaped with a 41-38 win.

Now, the Rams will cap off an extraordinary football weekend in southeast Louisiana by visiting the Dome on Sunday.

Including that 2012 win over Atlanta, the Saints have ended the perfect hopes of the NFL’s last remaining unbeaten team four times, and two of them have been Rams teams.

In 2001, New Orleans forced eight turnovers and Aaron Brooks led a 25-point third quarter rally as the Saints stunned the 6-0 Rams, 34-31, in St. Louis. That was the last Rams to reach the Super Bowl, when they lost to the New England Patriots in New Orleans.

In 1987, the Saints’ first playoff season, they defeated the 4-0 Bears 19-17 in Chicago. That game was with replacement players in the midst of a strike. The Bears’ quarterback that day? None other than Sean Payton.

In 1978, the Rams were in their first stint in Los Angeles and welcomed the Saints to the Coliseum. A late touchdown pass from Archie Manning to Tony Galbreath gave New Orleans a 10-3 victory.

Only once have the Saints been the last NFL unbeaten team, back in 1993. New Orleans started 5-0 before losing 37-14 at Pittsburgh, starting a Saints slide that led to an 8-8 finish.