”If You Rebuild It They Will Come” read the sign. New Orleans reeled after Hurricane Katrina. The city was desperate for hope and hungry for revival. When Katrina hit, the Saints had only made the playoffs five times -- and only won once -- in their four-decade history.

The league took notice in 2006. The Saints were on the road to glory.

The Saints had not played in the New Orleans Superdome in 638 days. So when the Saints (previous season: 3-13), with a new head coach (Sean Payton) and quarterback (Drew Brees, coming off a bad injury and four years in San Diego) came home, fans were just happy to see the team on the field.

In the season opener, safety Steve Gleason blocked a punt to make way for the first score of the day, and the Saints steamrolled. New Orleans dominated, defeating their rival Atlanta Falcons 23-3, and carried this momentum into the 2006-7 playoffs. The Saints beat the Eagles in the Superdome as part of this fairy-tale campaign, 27-24. Hopes were high. Unfortunately for the Saints, they’d lose to the Chicago Bears in Soldier Field and miss the Super Bowl. But, victory wasn’t far off.

It all came together in the 2009-10 season. The Saints posted a franchise-high 13-3 record, securing the one-seed in the NFC for the first time in the team’s history. The first round: the Arizona Cardinals. The game was never in doubt; the Saints won handily 45-14 to advance.

The NFC Championship proved more difficult. Brett Favre’s Minnesota Vikings looked agile. Favre, aging out of the league yet still an offensive threat, had something to prove after publicly falling out with the Green Bay Packers and losing his job to Aaron Rodgers. The Vikings had notorious bad luck in the postseason and they needed to kill the curse. With only a few seconds to go and the game tied, Favre threw an interception. New Orleans kicked a field goal and won in overtime, 31-28.

The Saints beat two Super Bowl Champion QBs on their way to their first title. Super Bowl XLIV pitted the Saints against Peyton Manning and the Colts. Brees was outstanding, tallying an accurate 32-39 passes, 288 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints won 31-17. Brees was named MVP, and the City of New Orleans erupted.

Four years after nearly losing it all -- their homes, their lives, their football team -- New Orleans brought the championship home to the Superdome. The lowest of lows reversed into ecstatic highs. New Orleans -- the team and the city -- recovered.

When do New Orleans Saints Playoff Tickets Go On Sale?

Though exact dates change from season to season, Saints playoff tickets usually go on sale around mid-December, when NFL teams typically clinch their postseason spots. The Saints can either enter the playoffs by winning their division or win the Wild Card, with the former almost always happening first.

Parking Passes

The fans have spoken