2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 15: at Buffalo Bills
The Patriots' first possession reached midfield before a Brady pass intended for Welker was intercepted by linebacker Paul Posluszny at the Bills' 39-yard line. However, another penalty and two straight sacks set up a Bills three-and-out. The Patriots' next drive spanned into the second quarter, moving 75 yards on 5 plays; the Patriots moved to the Bills' 3-yard line on a 43-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Donte Whitner. Brady then hit Moss in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown, putting the Patriots ahead 7–3.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 15: at Buffalo Bills
The Bills offense continued to struggle on their next possession, facing a 2nd-and-23 and a 3rd-and-20 before punting; the Patriots advanced into Bills territory on their next possession before also punting. This time the Bills offense began to move the ball, reaching midfield before quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw an interception to Wilhite at the Patriots' 36-yard line. With 3:30 remaining, the Patriots drove back downfield, and assisted by a 21-yard defensive pass interference penalty, into the red zone. Maroney then ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 14–3 lead. Following a 41-yard Bills kickoff return, they were able to reach the Patriots' 38-yard line and attempt a 56-yard field goal at the end of the half, but it fell wide left to keep the score at 14–3.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 15: at Buffalo Bills
Both teams opened the second half with three-and-out punts. The Patriots came back with a 14-play, 64-yard drive that ended on a 30-yard Gostkowski field goal. The Bills, however, responded with a lengthy drive of their own before an offensive holding penalty and two incompletions set up a punt from the Patriots' 38-yard line early in the fourth quarter. After an exchange of four punts, the Bills drove to the Patriots' 12-yard line, before an incompletion, a one-yard run, and two more incompletions turned the ball over on downs.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 15: at Buffalo Bills
With just over four minutes left in the game, the Patriots were unable to gain a yard net on their next drive, in fact losing one yard in the process, before punting back to the Bills with 3:37 left; a 38-yard punt and a 20-yard return gave the Bills the ball at the Patriots' 28-yard line. After a 17-yard completion to Josh Reed, Fitzpatrick threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Lee Evans to cut the Patriots' lead to 17–10.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 15: at Buffalo Bills
The Bills attempted an onside kickoff with 3:02 remaining in the game, which was recovered by the Bills but nullified on an offsides penalty. The Bills then kicked off normally to the Patriots, hoping for a defensive stop. However, on the first play after the two-minute warning, the Patriots converted a third down on an 8-yard pass to Welker, sealing a Patriots victory. The win moved the Patriots to 9–5 on the season and gave them a two-game lead in the division.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Looking to secure their third straight win and another division title, the Patriots returned home to face the 7–7 Jaguars. After the Jaguars deferred the opening coin toss, the Patriots received the opening kickoff to begin a 10-play, 82-yard drive. On a 1st-and-goal run from the Jaguars' 1-yard line, Maroney fumbled before breaking the plane of the goal line; it was recovered by Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith at the 1-yard line. The Jaguars reached their own 35-yard line on their ensuing possession before failing to convert on a fourth down attempt, turning the ball back over the Patriots.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Two plays after a 21-yard Morris run, Brady and Moss connected on a 2-yard touchdown reception to give the Patriots a 7–0 lead. After the kickoff, the Jaguars drove to the Patriots' 42-yard line before a David Garrard pass intended for Marcedes Lewis was intercepted by Meriweather at the Patriots' 17-yard line and returned 56 yards. Two plays later, on the first play of the second quarter, Brady threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Baker to extend the Patriots' lead to 14–0.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars continued to move the ball on their next possession, reaching midfield on completions of 15 and 14 yards; however a false start penalty negated another 15-yard reception and the Jaguars were forced to punt. Following a Patriots' three-and-out, Garrard was strip-sacked by Banta-Cain on the first play of the Jaguars' next-drive; tackle Eben Britton recovered the fumble for the Jaguars, who punted three plays later. On the third play of their ensuing drive, the Patriots moved into the red zone on a 55-yard Morris run, and later took a 21–0 lead on a 1-yard Morris touchdown run. After another Jaguars three-and-out, the Patriots moved into Jaguars territory on a 29-yard Welker catch and later extended their lead to 28–0 on a 6-yard touchdown reception by Moss. This would remain the score after the Jaguars ended the half on another punt.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars began the second half with a 16-play, 69-yard drive that took over eight minutes off the clock; however, it ended without any points after Garrard was intercepted by Springs at the Patriots' 2-yard line on a 3rd-and-goal from the 5-yard line. The Patriots responded with a 10-play, 90-yard drive of their own, despite a false start penalty to begin it. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Brady hit Moss on his third touchdown catch of the game, putting the Patriots ahead 35–0.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
However, the Jaguars responded quickly, moving past midfield on a 22-yard Rashad Jennings run and into the red zone on a 20-yard Nate Hughes reception. Two plays later, Garrard scrambled two yards for a touchdown, cutting the Patriots' lead to 35–7. With 12:41 remaining in the game, the Patriots received the ball after the kickoff. What ensued was a 20-play drive, with the Patriots reaching midfield with about ten minutes remaining in the game, and reaching the Jaguars' 10-yard line by the two-minute warning. The drive included five first downs, including two off fourth down conversions.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 16: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
One play after the two-minute warning, Hoyer replaced Brady at quarterback, and one play later, the Patriots turned the ball over on downs after a failed 4th-and-2 run by Morris. The Jaguars, with 29 seconds left in the game, ran one play to end the game. With the win, the Patriots secured their first division title since 2007 and posted a 10–5 record heading into the final week of the season.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
On the final week of the regular season, the Patriots traveled to Houston having wrapped up a division title but still playing for the third seed in the AFC playoffs. The Texans, meanwhile, needed a victory plus help from other teams to earn a playoff berth. The Patriots did not activate Wilfork, Warren, Faulk, Maroney, or Bodden for the game. The Texans won the opening coin toss and received the opening kickoff, driving 76 yards on seven plays and taking a 7–0 lead on a 25-yard touchdown reception by tight end Joel Dreessen.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
On the fourth play of the Patriots' opening drive, Welker caught a 12-yard pass from Brady, and when cutting to avoid a tackler, had his knee buckle and fell to the ground. He suffered a torn MCL and ACL on the play in his left knee and was placed on injured reserve. The Patriots, who replaced Welker with Edelman, drove to the Texans' 42-yard line before punting. Following a Texans three-and-out, the Patriots began a drive from their own 37-yard line and capped a 9-play, 63-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run by Taylor, tying the game at 7–7. After a 36-yard kickoff return by André Davis, the Texans passed midfield on a 16-yard Dreessen catch, but could not advance any further and punted, early in the second quarter.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
The Patriots responded with a 9-play, 58-yard drive that ended in a 51-yard Gostkowski field goal to give the Patriots a 10–7 lead. On their ensuing possession, the Texans drove to the Patriots' 1-yard line before attempting to convert a fourth down; quarterback Matt Schaub's pass fell incomplete to Andre Johnson to turn the ball over on downs and give the Patriots the ball at their own 1-yard line. On the next play, Taylor fumbled after a handoff from Brady; the ball was recovered by Bernard Pollard in the end zone for a touchdown.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
However, kicker Kris Brown missed the extra point to keep the score at 13–10. Hoyer entered the game at quarterback for the Patriots on their next drive. He led the Patriots from their own 9-yard line to the Texans' 25-yard line, with the Patriots settling for a 43-yard Gostkowski field goal with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Brown missed a 56-yard field goal as time expired in the half for the Texans to keep the score tied at 13 at halftime.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
Brady re-entered the game for the Patriots to begin the second half, but the Patriots failed to reach midfield and punted. The Texans then drove from their own 16-yard line to the Patriots' 15-yard line before a Schaub pass intended for wide receiver Jacoby Jones was tipped and intercepted by Butler at the 9-yard line and returned 91 yards for a touchdown, giving the Patriots a 20–13 lead. The Texans continued to move the ball on their next possession, reaching the 20-yard line before Brown missed another field goal, a 38-yarder.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
The Patriots next drive spanned into the fourth quarter, and ended with an 11-yard Taylor touchdown to extend the Patriots' lead to 27–13. However, the Texans again drove on the Patriots, with a 26-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Butler setting up an 8-yard touchdown pass from Schaub to Jones. The Patriots went three-and-out on their next possession, giving the ball back to the Texans with 7:30 left in the game.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
After a 31-yard punt return by Jones, the Texans drove from the Patriots' 34-yard line and tied the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by Arian Foster with 4:46 left. Two plays later, Brady was intercepted by Pollard on a long pass intended for Aiken; Pollard returned the interception from the Patriots' 43-yard line to the 28-yard line. On the first play after the two-minute warning, Foster ran in for a 3-yard touchdown to give the Texans a 34–27 lead.


2009 New England Patriots season, Regular season results, Week 17: at Houston Texans
Hoyer entered the game again for the Patriots and reached the Texans' 34-yard line before a fourth down pass intended for Edelman fell incomplete. The Texans then kneeled to end the game. The loss gave the Patriots 10–6 record for the season and also gave the Texans their first winning season in franchise history, at 9–7.


2009 New England Patriots season, Postseason results, Wild Card Round vs. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens converted three first-quarter turnovers by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady into 17 points on their way to a 24–0 lead New England could not recover from. It was the Patriots' first home loss of the season and their first home loss in the playoffs in more than 30 years. On top of that, it was the Ravens' first ever win against the Patriots after five consecutive losses.


2009 New England Patriots season, Postseason results, Wild Card Round vs. Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore stormed to a 7–0 lead on the first play of the game with Ray Rice's 83-yard touchdown run, the second longest run in NFL playoff history. Then linebacker Terrell Suggs forced and recovered a fumble from Brady on the Patriots 17-yard line, and they scored another touchdown with a 1-yard run by Le'Ron McClain. Following an exchange of punts, cornerback Chris Carr intercepted a pass from Brady and returned it to the New England 25-yard line, setting up Rice's second touchdown on a 1-yard run.


2009 New England Patriots season, Postseason results, Wild Card Round vs. Baltimore Ravens
Just two plays after the ensuing kickoff, Ravens safety Ed Reed intercepted a deep pass from Brady and returned it 25 yards before lateraling the ball to safety Dawan Landry, who took it another 25 yards to the Patriots 9-yard line. The Ravens could not gain any yards on their ensuing drive, but Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal to make the score 24–0.


2009 New England Patriots season, Postseason results, Wild Card Round vs. Baltimore Ravens
New England was forced to punt on their next drive, but Baltimore returner Tom Zbikowski muffed the kick and Kyle Arrington recovered the ball for the Patriots at the Ravens 16-yard line. Five plays later, Brady threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Julian Edelman. But midway through the second half, Brady threw his third interception of the game, this one to Landry, who returned it 42 yards to the New England 22-yard line to set up another Cundiff field goal. Taking the ball back at the Patriots 47-yard line after Darius Butler's 42-yard kickoff return, New England responded with a 53-yard scoring drive. Brady finished it with his second touchdown pass to Edelman to cut their deficit to 27–14.


2009 New England Patriots season, Postseason results, Wild Card Round vs. Baltimore Ravens
Zbikowski returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to his own 48-yard line, sparking a 52-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard touchdown run from Willis McGahee, making the score 33–14 after the two-point conversion failed. New England responded with a drive deep into Baltimore territory, but Stephen Gostkowski missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with 7:19 left in the game, ending any chance of a miracle comeback.


2009 New England Patriots season, Postseason results, Wild Card Round vs. Baltimore Ravens
Rice rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns, while McGahee added 62 yards and a score. Neither quarterback had much success, as Brady was held to 154 yards and intercepted three times, while Baltimore's Joe Flacco completed only 4 of 10 passes for 34 yards.


2009 New England Patriots season, Awards and honors, Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections
Four Patriots were elected to the 2010 Pro Bowl. Guard Logan Mankins and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork were named as starters, while wide receiver Wes Welker and quarterback Tom Brady were named as a reserves. After Welker suffered a season-ending injury in Week 17, Randy Moss was named as his replacement in the Pro Bowl, while safety Brandon Meriweather was also an injury replacement. Moss subsequently pulled out of the game due to injury, as did Brady.


2009 New England Patriots season, Awards and honors, Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections
Welker and Mankins were also voted to the 2009 All-Pro First Team and Second Team, respectively.


2009 New England Revolution season
The 2009 New England Revolution season was the fourteenth season of the team's existence, and the eighth straight in which the team made the playoffs. It began on March 21 with a 1–0 road win over the San Jose Earthquakes and ended on November 7 with a 2–0 loss to the Chicago Fire (the Revs lost the series 3–2 on aggregate).


2009 New England Revolution season, Squad, First-team squad
As of August 8, 2009. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 New England Revolution season, Squad, Transfers, In
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 New England Revolution season, Squad, Transfers, Out
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2009 New England Revolution season, Competitions, Major League Soccer, Standings
(SS) = Supporters Shield winner; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference champion


2009 New England Revolution season, Competitions, Major League Soccer, Results summary
Last updated: October 25, 2009Source: Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won;  T = Matches tied;  L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference


2009 New Hampshire Wildcats football team
The 2009 New Hampshire Wildcats football team represented the University of New Hampshire during the 2009 NCAA Division I FCS football season. New Hampshire competede as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) under head coach Sean McDonnell and played their home games at Cowell Stadium. They won the North Division of the CAA with a 9–2 (6–2 conference) record.


2009 New Jersey General Assembly election
The 2009 New Jersey General Assembly elections were held on November 3, 2009 for all 80 seats in the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature. Voters in New Jersey's 40 legislative districts cast 4,204,034 votes. Each voter may cast up to two votes. The Democratic Party won a 47-seat majority while losing the popular vote. The Republican Party won a majority of votes cast but received only a 33-seat minority, an increase of 1 seat from their 2007 election results. The election coincided with a gubernatorial election where Democratic incumbent Governor Jon Corzine was defeated by Republican challenger Chris Christie.


2009 New Jersey elections
The following offices were up for election in the United States State of New Jersey in the general election on November 3, 2009:


2009 New Jersey elections
Persons 18 years or older on the general election date (born on or before November 3, 1991) were eligible to register and vote in the general election.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor
Democratic Governor Jon Corzine was running for a second term and was being challenged by Republican Chris Christie, Independent Christopher Daggett, and nine others (not including write-in candidates). Christie won the election with about 49 percent of the vote, to 45 percent for Corzine and 6 percent for Daggett. Christie is expected to assume office on January 20, 2010.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor
This was the first election to fill the newly created office of lieutenant governor. The candidates for governor and lieutenant governor were joined together as a single choice, so that voters did not have the opportunity to split the ticket. Kim Guadagno, Christie's running mate, will be New Jersey's first lieutenant governor.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, General Election Candidates, Major candidates
The following three candidates all qualified to appear, and did appear, in the debates.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, General Election Candidates, Other candidates
Nine other candidates qualified to appear on the ballot as independents or third-party nominees but did not raise enough money to qualify for the debates. These include Libertarian Kenneth Kaplan, the Socialist Party USA's Greg Pason, and the following independents: Jason Cullen, Joshua Leinsdorf, Alvin Lindsay, David R. Meiswinkle, Kostas Petris, Gary T. Steele and Gary Stein. At least five others, including popular New Jersey comedian Uncle Floyd, announced that they would run write-in campaigns.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, Primary Election Candidates
The following candidates were defeated by Jon Corzine in the Democratic primary:


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, Primary Election Candidates
The following candidates were defeated by Chris Christie in the Republican primary:


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, Primary Election Candidates
The following Republican Primary candidates were removed from the ballot:


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, Republican primary
Former U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie had long been considered the front-runner for the Republican nomination. He was heavily favored by the party establishment and had won the endorsement and county line of all county GOP organizations. Christie's chief opponent in the primary was former Bogota mayor Steve Lonegan, known for his very right-wing positions and vocal opposition to the Corzine administration; another staunch conservative, General Assemblyman Rick Merkt was also on the ballot.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, Republican primary
David Brown, Christian Keller, and Franklin Township mayor Brian D. Levine also filed to run in the Republican primary, but their petitions were challenged by Lonegan and they were disqualified from the ballot when administrative judges ruled that their nominating petitions failed to meet the threshold of 1,000 valid signatures. Upon leaving the race, Brown and Levine endorsed Christie.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, Republican primary
Christie and Lonegan attacked each other relentlessly throughout the primary campaign through mailers and robocalls, with each seeking to undermine the other by drawing the public's attention to scandals involving the other. Lonegan proposed ending the state's progressive income tax system and replacing it with a 2.9% flat tax for all New Jerseyans. Christie strongly opposed this proposal, arguing that Lonegan's proposal would amount to a tax increase for most New Jerseyans. Christie instead proposed cutting taxes "across the board," although he refused to say by how much. There were two televised debates, which excluded Merkt, and two radio debates, which included him. Ultimately, Christie was able to win the primary with 55% of the vote to Lonegan's 42% and Merkt's 3%.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, Democratic primary
Although polls indicated his vulnerability in the general election, Governor Jon S. Corzine was heavily favored to win the Democratic primary over his three little-known challengers. The only one of those to have held elected office, former Glen Ridge mayor Carl Bergmanson, was running on a platform of fiscal discipline, social liberalism, and government reform; he had received the support of the Citizens Against Tolls website. In the primary, Corzine won renomination with 77% of the vote, while Bergmanson, his closest competitor, received about 9%.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, General election
Since the primaries, polls have consistently showed Christie leading Corzine, sometimes by double digits. The election became a three-way race on July 7, when independent candidate Christopher Daggett announced that he had raised enough money to qualify for public funds and to qualify for participation in the debates. On July 20, Christie selected Kim Guadagno as his running mate. On July 24, Corzine announced in an e-mail to his supporters that he had selected Loretta Weinberg as his running mate.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, General election
On July 27, Daggett announced that he had selected longtime Kean University professor and administrator Frank J. Esposito as his running mate. Although the economy and taxes have long been prominent issues in the campaign, the issue of ethics and anti-corruption efforts was thrust into the spotlight in July when several public officials were arrested on corruption charges in Operation Bid Rig. One of Corzine's main lines of attack has involved Christie's ties to the unpopular former President of the United States George W. Bush, who appointed Christie to the U.S. Attorney's office in 2001.


2009 New Jersey elections, Governor, General election
In August 2009, Bush political strategist Karl Rove revealed that he had held conversations with Christie about a potential gubernatorial run during Christie's time as U.S. Attorney. U.S. Attorneys are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activities by the Hatch Act of 1939. Corzine quickly incorporated this into his advertisements targeting Christie.


2009 New Jersey elections, Lieutenant governor
On November 8, 2005, voters passed a Constitutional amendment to the New Jersey State Constitution which created the office of Lieutenant Governor of New Jersey, the first of whom is to be elected in the 2009 general election and to take office in January 2010. Until the creation of the office, governors who died in office or stepped down were succeeded by the President of the New Jersey Senate. This has happened twice in recent years, with the resignations of Christine Todd Whitman in 2001 and James McGreevey in 2004.


2009 New Jersey elections, Lieutenant governor
Concerns over separation of powers (Acting Governors continued to serve concurrently in the Senate) and the fact that Acting Governors were not elected by the people to succeed the Governor led to the Constitutional amendment that created the new office. All 12 candidates for governor appearing on the ballot selected their running mates by the June 27, 2009 deadline.


2009 New Jersey elections, Lieutenant governor
Chris Christie, the Republican nominee for governor, selected Monmouth Beach's Kim Guadagno, the sheriff of Monmouth County, as his running mate. Others mentioned for the post had included New Jersey Senators Diane Allen and Jennifer Beck, as well as Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan.


2009 New Jersey elections, Lieutenant governor
Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, the Democratic nominee, selected Teaneck's Loretta Weinberg, a New Jersey Senator and former New Jersey General Assemblywoman, as his running mate. Other mentioned for the post had included New Jersey Senator Barbara Buono, New Jersey General Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, and wealthy businessman Randal Pinkett.


2009 New Jersey elections, Lieutenant governor
Chris Daggett, an independent candidate who has qualified for matching funds, selected Ocean Township's Frank J. Esposito, a longtime professor and administrator at Kean University who served as an advisor to the Commissioner of Education in the Thomas Kean, Sr. administration, as his running mate. Others mentioned for the post had included Edison Mayor Jun Choi, Atlantic County freeholder Alisa Cooper, and Passaic County freeholder James Gallagher.


2009 New Jersey elections, Legislature, Regularly scheduled elections
All 80 seats in the lower house of the legislature, the General Assembly, were up for election. Voters in each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts elected two General Assemblymen. Two sitting General Assemblymen, Democrat L. Harvey Smith of the 31st Legislative District and Republican Daniel Van Pelt of the 9th Legislative District, were arrested on corruption charges on July 23, 2009. Van Pelt, who was arrested for accepting a $10,000 bribe, resigned from the Assembly and withdrew from his re-election bid on July 31.


2009 New Jersey elections, Legislature, Regularly scheduled elections
Smith was under pressure from the Democratic Party to resign, but did not; he is not seeking re-election. The scandal resulting from the arrests in Operation Bid Rig did not affect the legislative elections in 2009, as Democrats lost only 1 seat despite the rising Tea Party movement that led to Democratic Party defeats at the Governor's level and in Virginia on the same day.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election
The 2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election took place on November 3, 2009. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine ran for a second term against Republican Chris Christie, Independent Christopher Daggett and nine others, in addition to several write-in candidates. Christie won the election, with about 48.5 percent of the vote, to 44.9 percent for Corzine and 5.8 percent for Daggett. Christie won the largest margin for a non-incumbent Republican since 1969. Christie assumed office on January 19, 2010.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election
This was the first election to fill the newly created office of lieutenant governor, with the candidates for governor choosing their running mates. Kim Guadagno, Christie's running mate, became New Jersey's first lieutenant governor following her inauguration.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election
As of 2021, this is the last New Jersey gubernatorial election where two candidates received over a million votes each.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Democratic primary, Campaign
Although Corzine was unpopular among independents and Republicans, he polled much more highly among registered Democrats. His three opponents were former Glen Ridge mayor Carl Bergmanson, who ran on a platform of fiscal discipline, governmental reform, and removing the tolls on the Garden State Parkway, the New Jersey Turnpike and the Atlantic City Expressway; perennial candidate Jeff Boss; and businessman and former Congressional candidate Roger Bacon. A Quinnipiac poll conducted shortly before the primary and released on May 20, 2009, indicated that 65% of Democratic primary voters would vote for Corzine, with the other three candidates each receiving 4%–5%. Also, 62% of Democrats approved of him while 24% did not.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Democratic primary, Campaign
On the primary election night, when Corzine accepted his party's nomination, Vice President Joe Biden campaigned for him, saying that he and President Barack Obama would help him get re-elected. Biden also characterized Corzine as "America's governor."


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Candidates, Removed
Lonegan disputed the nominating petitions of Brown, Keller and Levine, and administrative judges ruled that their petitions fell below the threshold of 1,000 valid signatures. As such, their names were removed from the primary ballot.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
Most of the focus in the primary campaign was on the Republican contest between the front-runner, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who was heavily favored by the party establishment, and former Bogota mayor Steve Lonegan. Both sides released numerous television and radio advertisements, as well as mailers to registered Republicans. Christie focused on his record of fighting corruption, while Lonegan emphasized his credentials as a lifelong conservative.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
On April 1, Lonegan released the first attack ad of the 2009 campaign, and released another one on April 19. He accused Christie of ethically dubious awarding of no-bid monitor contracts during his tenure as U.S. attorney, described him as a moderate, and made other allegations. However, on April 24, Christie responded with a new 60 second radio ad noting that Lonegan has lost many elections in his career, including losing by a landslide to Steve Rothman for Congress in 1998 and finishing fourth (out of seven) in the Republican primary of the 2005 New Jersey Governor's race. He also claimed that Lonegan's "flat tax" plan, a crucial part of the candidate's platform which calls for applying the same income tax rate to everyone, "would raise taxes on almost 70 percent of New Jersey workers", and characterized Lonegan's previous attacks as "desperate."


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
Among those to endorse Christie in the primary were former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, Sr., businessman Steve Forbes, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney. In addition, all county GOP organizations endorsed Christie, as did several New Jersey congressmen.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
Joe the Plumber endorsed Lonegan and campaigned with him on May 5. On May 14, United States Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) sent out an email endorsing Lonegan and asking for donations to Lonegan's campaign. Economists Art Laffer and Peter Schiff also endorsed Lonegan, as did New Jersey General Assemblyman Michael J. Doherty.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
Christie was declared the winner of the primary, defeating Lonegan by a margin of 55 to 42 percent. Lonegan immediately endorsed Christie, stating:


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Campaign
It's our job now, it's your job now to change our focus on taking this Republican Party in a new direction. We must have one common cause, one cause. We need to beat Jon Corzine.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, Republican primary, Debates
Two state-sponsored televised debates were held before the primary. The first, on May 12, was broadcast on NJN, while the other, held on May 17, was broadcast on the New York television station WABC-TV. Both debates were between Christie and Lonegan. Because Merkt did not meet the fund-raising or spending thresholds set by the state, he was not allowed to participate. However, all three candidates were featured in two additional radio-only privately sponsored debates shortly before the primary.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Candidates, Major
The following three candidates all qualified to appear in the state-sponsored debates.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Candidates, Minor
The following nine candidates were third-party or independent candidates who qualified for the ballot but did not raise enough money to qualify for the state-sponsored debates.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
Corzine kicked off his campaign in June criticizing his Republican opponents and tying them to former President George W. Bush. Corzine also released the first two television campaign ads, both were 30 second spots, released on January 5. One of the ads compared the two candidates' positions on social issues. The Republican Governors Association shot back, releasing two of its own television ads showing how Corzine had broken campaign promises on June 16.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
Corzine was criticized by GOP leadership for granting contract concessions to state workers, by granting them an additional seven paid days off, after threats were made to protest the primary election night event where Vice President Biden was the keynote speaker. It is estimated that these concessions will cost the state $40 million.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
The election became a three-way race on July 7, when independent candidate Christopher Daggett, a former regional administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency and Deputy Chief of Staff to former governor Tom Kean, announced that he had raised enough money to qualify for public funds and to qualify for participation in the debates. Both Democratic and Republican leaders took Daggett's campaign seriously. Only a day before the election, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee admitted to funding political robocalls in Somerset County attacking Christie and urging a vote for Daggett.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
Party chairman Joe Cryan initially denied the charges until it was revealed that the disclaimer at the end of the call declared it was paid for by "Victory '09, a project of the NJDSC," the abbreviation referring to the state Democratic party. Kevin Roberts, a spokesman for the New Jersey Republican State Committee, attacked Cryan as an "outright liar," adding that "Corzine's party boss knows what we know: Jon Corzine's record is so dreadful that they feel they need to try to trick voters into a second term." Similarly, state senator Marcia Karrow, a Christie campaign coordinator in Hunterdon County, declared that Daggett voters "might as well pull the lever for Corzine."


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
On July 15, the New Jersey chapter of a liberal environmental group, the Sierra Club, released a report critical of the Corzine administration's environmental record, with New Jersey Executive Director Jeff Tittel stating that group believes "this will go down as the worst environmental administration in state history." The state organization formally endorsed Daggett on August 17, its first endorsement of an independent candidate.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
Corzine was the target of a vigorous advertising campaign funded by the Christie campaign and the Republican Governors Association, attacking his record as governor, tying him to corrupt officials, and assailing him for failing to deliver on his campaign promises. The RGA set up a mock newspaper website, , collecting newspaper articles critical of Corzine.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
One of Corzine's main lines of attack involved Christie's ties to the unpopular former president George W. Bush, who appointed Christie to the U.S. Attorney's office in 2001. In August 2009, Bush political strategist Karl Rove revealed that he had held conversations with Christie about a potential gubernatorial run during Christie's time as U.S. Attorney. U.S. Attorneys are prohibited from engaging in partisan political activities by the Hatch Act of 1939. Corzine quickly incorporated this into his advertisements targeting Christie.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
The Corzine campaign filed requests under the Freedom of Information Act since March 2009 seeking records of budgets, travel expenses, and no-bid contracts from Christie's tenure as U.S. Attorney. The U.S. Attorney's office did not release the requested documents before election day. State Sen. Loretta Weinberg demanded an end to the "logjam" by the U.S. Attorney's office. On August 12, Christie's successor, Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph J. Marra, Jr., issued a press release defending the office:


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
The U.S. Attorney's Office has worked as professionally and expeditiously as it can to fulfill all the requests and has been in virtually daily contact with the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) in Washington to accomplish this burdensome and continuous task. ... At absolutely no time has there been an effort to slow down or inhibit the FOIA process.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
On August 18, 2009, Christie acknowledged that he had loaned $46,000 to First Assistant U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Michele Brown two years ago, while serving as her superior as the state's U.S. attorney, and that he had failed to report the loan on either his income tax returns or his mandatory financial disclosure report to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
In response to the disclosure of the financial relationship between Christie and Brown, Weinberg called on Brown to recuse herself from the task of retrieving U.S. Attorney's Office records requested by the Corzine campaign under the Freedom of Information Act. On August 25, Brown resigned from her post, stating that she does not want to be "a distraction" for the office. Although the Corzine campaign sought to make the loan a major campaign issue, a Quinnipiac poll showed that only 43% of voters believed that the loan controversy was a legitimate attack, while a plurality of 49% called it an unfair attack.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Campaign
As of September 20, Corzine had put out 4,806 television advertisements to Christie's 1,393 ads.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Debates
Corzine, Christie, and Daggett debated each other three times by the election. Two debates were sanctioned by the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission; Christie and Daggett were required to participate in these debates, as they received public financing. Corzine did not seek public financing but appeared in both ELEC debates. The first debate, sanctioned by the ELEC and sponsored by NJN, Gannett New Jersey, and The Philadelphia Inquirer, was held on October 1 in Trenton. It was televised on NJN. It was widely reported by mainstream media that Chris Daggett won the first debate.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Debates
The second ELEC-sanctioned debate, sponsored by Fox News, The Record, WWOR-TV out of Secaucus, and WTXF-TV out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was held on October 16 at William Paterson University in Wayne. It was televised on WWOR-TV and WTXF-TV.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Debates
All three candidates appeared in a third debate, which was not sanctioned by the ELEC, that was held on October 22. The debate was broadcast on the radio on WBGO, a Newark-based jazz station, and was simulcast on WNYC out of New York City, WHYY-FM out of Philadelphia, and public radio stations throughout the state of New Jersey. Christie and Daggett agreed to participate in a fourth debate, broadcast on the radio on New Jersey 101.5; Corzine declined to participate.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Debates
There was also a debate between the three major candidates for lieutenant governor: Loretta Weinberg, Kim Guadagno, and Frank Esposito. This debate, sponsored by Leadership New Jersey, was held at Monmouth University in West Long Branch on October 8. It was televised on News 12 New Jersey and broadcast on the radio on New Jersey 101.5.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Lieutenant governor factor
This was the first gubernatorial election since the position of lieutenant governor was created. As such, this year's candidates were the first gubernatorial candidates in New Jersey history to pick running mates. All 12 candidates for governor appearing on the ballot selected their running mates by the July 27, 2009 deadline.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Lieutenant governor factor
Christie, as the Republican nominee for governor, selected Monmouth Beach's Kim Guadagno, the sheriff of Monmouth County, as his running mate. Others mentioned for the post had included former Congressman Bob Franks, State Senators Diane Allen and Jennifer Beck, and Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Lieutenant governor factor
Corzine, as the Democratic nominee, selected Teaneck's Loretta Weinberg, a New Jersey Senator and former New Jersey General Assemblywoman, as his running mate. Other mentioned for the post had included Newark Mayor and future U.S. Senator Cory Booker, New Jersey Senators Nia Gill and Barbara Buono, New Jersey General Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, and wealthy businessman Randal Pinkett.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Lieutenant governor factor
Daggett, having qualified for matching funds, selected Ocean Township's Frank J. Esposito, a longtime professor and administrator at Kean University who served as an advisor to the Commissioner of Education in the Thomas Kean, Sr. administration, as his running mate. Others mentioned for the post had included Edison Mayor Jun Choi and Passaic County freeholder James Gallagher.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Regional factors
In New Jersey, Republicans tend to be strongest in the Northwest and Shore regions of the state, Democrats tend to be strongest in urban areas, and suburban areas such as those in Mercer County, Middlesex County, Union County, Passaic County, and Bergen County are considered toss-ups. In the Democratic primary, Corzine got over 70% of the vote only in the urban areas, doing relatively poorly among suburban Democrats. His weakest performance was in Warren County, where he won with just 55% of the vote. On the other hand, Corzine performed strongly in Bergen County, winning with almost 87% of the vote. In the Republican primary, Christie lost some key Republican strongholds, such as Hunterdon County (where he received 45.8%) and Warren County (where he received 46.9%) to Lonegan.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Regional factors
According to a September 1 Quinnipiac University poll, Hudson County and Essex County were the only counties where a majority of voters viewed Corzine favorably. Corzine had upside-down ratings in all 19 other counties in that poll. In contrast, Christie had upside-down ratings in those two counties but was viewed favorably by pluralities of voters in every other county except for Atlantic County, Ocean County, and Monmouth County, where a majority of voters viewed him favorably.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
Taxes and the economy were overwhelmingly the top issues in this campaign. Corzine's strongest issue was on education, but it was the most important issue for only 4% of likely voters. Christie attacked Corzine's record of raising taxes, failing to deliver property tax relief, and presiding over a period of unusually high unemployment in the state. Corzine pointed to the global economic recession as the reason for the state's economic troubles. Republicans contended that Corzine's policies led to over-taxation and economic decline, causing an out-migration of residents documented in a report by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
Christie also campaigned on the issues of ethics, reducing corruption, and ending fiscal waste. These issues were brought back to the forefront of the debate after 44 individuals, including several public officials in New Jersey, were arrested by the FBI in July 2009 in Operation Bid Rig. Corzine was not a target of the probe; however, the office of a member of his cabinet, Commissioner of Community Affairs Joseph Doria, was raided by the FBI in connection with Operation Bid Rig. Governor Corzine asked for, and accepted, Doria's resignation on July 23. Doria has not been charged with any crime.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
Although Corzine has not been accused of any wrongdoing, the corruption sting, which resulted in the arrests of mostly Democratic officials, nevertheless further injured Corzine's reputation. Former EPA Regional Administrator Alan J. Steinberg predicted in his July 23 column that the corruption scandal would doom Corzine's re-election bid, as ethics would become a major issue again, thus helping Christie. State Senator Ray Lesniak, a prominent Democrat, acknowledged that "If it's about ethics, Corzine loses. Not because Jon Corzine's weak on ethics, but because it's Chris Christie's strength, and now it's national news."


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
Under normal circumstances, Corzine would have been considered to have an inherent advantage in the "blue state" of New Jersey. No Republican has won New Jersey's electoral votes in a presidential election since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Prior to the 2009 election, no Republican had won a statewide election in New Jersey since 1997, when Governor Christine Todd Whitman won re-election with 47.1% of the vote. The last Republican to win a statewide election in New Jersey with over 50% of the vote was incumbent Governor Thomas Kean in 1985, who won with 71% of the vote. No Republican has won a U.S. Senate election in New Jersey since liberal Republican Clifford Case in 1972.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
Between February 2009 and the end of his term, Corzine's approval ratings ranged between 33% and 42%. His disapproval ratings ranged between 46% and 66%. These weak poll numbers were the result of several factors. Going into the 2009 fiscal year, New Jersey faced a budget shortfall of approximately $3 billion. Corzine attempted to close this gap by enacting pay freezes and furloughs of state employees, a policy that was unpopular with many public employee unions, a major Democratic constituency.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
Corzine had also cut state aid to local governments, which hurt his standing in the urban areas which made up another key segment of the Democrats' base. Across the state, voters expressed sentiments that taxes were too high and too few budget cuts were being made, and further public dissatisfaction mounted following the economic recession in 2008. By the end of May 2009, Corzine's job approval was the lowest of any New Jersey governor in modern history, putting him behind Christie in early election polling. These weak numbers indicated that he could be vulnerable against a strong Republican challenger. Moreover, no Democrat has won re-election to the state governor's office since Brendan Byrne's victory in 1977.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
Some thought that Corzine would benefit from the popularity of President Barack Obama, who carried the state in 2008 with 57% of the vote and had higher approval ratings than Corzine had. However, Obama's approval ratings in the state varied, ranging from as high as 68% in a June Quinnipiac poll to as low as 53% in a PPP poll, which is lower than what he obtained on election day in 2008. Another poll in July gave him 55% approval in the state, also less than what he obtained on election day. In the same poll 47% believed Obama would help Corzine's numbers in the election by campaigning with him.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Political factors
After Vice President Biden's June appearance at a "poorly attended" Corzine primary-night event, the Barack Obama administration approached President of the New Jersey Senate and former governor Richard Codey to consider running in the governor's place if the incumbent withdrew from his reelection bid, citing polls showing that Codey led Christie. Obama held a campaign rally for Corzine on July 16. Originally the rally was set to be held at Rutgers University, but ultimately it was held at the PNC Bank Arts Center instead.


2009 New Jersey gubernatorial election, General election, Polling
"*" denotes voluntary response only. In the August 26–30 FDU poll, 4% also responded "neither" or "other."


2009 New Mexico Bowl
The 2009 New Mexico Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on December 19, 2009, at University Stadium on the campus of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, as part of the 2009–10 NCAA bowl season. The game, telecast on ESPN, featured the Wyoming Cowboys from the Mountain West Conference and the Fresno State Bulldogs from the WAC.This was the first trip to the New Mexico Bowl for Wyoming.


2009 New Mexico Bowl
It was also their first trip to a post season bowl game since the 2004 season when the Cowboys defeated the UCLA Bruins 24–21 in the Pioneer PureVison Las Vegas Bowl. This marked Fresno State's second straight trip to the New Mexico Bowl; they were defeated 40–35 by Colorado State in the 2008 contest. Before the 2009 New Mexico Bowl, Wyoming and Fresno State had played each other a total of six times, playing in consecutive years from 1992–1997 as rivals in the Western Athletic Conference; the teams have split their match-ups with each squad winning three games. The last meeting in 1997 was won by Fresno State, 24–7.


2009 New Mexico Bowl
Behind freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels, Wyoming upset Fresno State 35–28 in the game, which went into double overtime after a late field goal by Cowboy kicker Ian Watts. Carta-Samuels threw three touchdowns in the win including the game-winner in overtime, a 13-yard strike to David Leonard.


2009 New Mexico Bowl, Game summary
Wyoming wore their home Brown uniforms, and Fresno wore white visitor uniforms. Wyoming freshman Austyn Carta-Samuels, the offensive MVP, threw for 201 yards and three touchdowns including the game-winning 13-yard touchdown pass to David Leonard. Defensive MVP Mitch Unrein tallied six tackles and two sacks for the Wyoming defense including a forced fumble midway through the 4th quarter which led to the game-tying field goal. Wyoming stopped the nation's leading rusher, Fresno State's Ryan Mathews, on three rushing attempts from the 1 in the first overtime. The Bulldogs tried a quarterback sneak on third down, and Mathews came up short again on fourth down.


2009 New Mexico Lobos football team
The 2009 New Mexico Lobos football team represented the University of New Mexico in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS college football season. The Lobos were led by first-year head coach Mike Locksley and played their home games at the University Stadium. The Lobos finished the season with a record 1–11 (1–7 MW).


2009 New Mexico State Aggies football team
The 2009 New Mexico State Aggies football team represented New Mexico State University as members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Aggies were led by first–year head coach DeWayne Walker and played their home games at Aggie Memorial Stadium. They finished the season with a record of 3–10 overall and 1–7 in WAC play to tie for eighth place.


2009 New Orleans Bowl
The 2009 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl was the ninth edition of the bowl. The game was played at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, December 20, 2009. The game was televised live on ESPN. The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, the Sun Belt Conference runners-up, defeated the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, a team from Conference USA, by a score of 42–32. The kickoff took place at 7:30 p.m., Central Time.


2009 New Orleans Bowl
Southern Miss returned to the New Orleans Bowl for the second straight season and faced one of the nation's hottest teams, Middle Tennessee. Middle Tennessee reached nine wins for the first time since moving to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 1999 and was on a six-game winning streak going into the game, also a team high in that span.


2009 New Orleans Bowl
The New Orleans Bowl's Sun Belt slot typically goes to the conference champion, but Troy, who lost 30–27 to Southern Miss in the  2008 New Orleans Bowl, played in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, instead, opening the opportunity for Middle Tennessee. The bowl marked the Blue Raiders' second bowl appearance in four seasons. Southern Miss was playing in their 12th bowl in 13 years. It was also the fourth time Southern Miss played in the New Orleans Bowl in the game's nine-year history. They were  3–0 in New Orleans Bowl games before the loss. The game also marked the first meeting between the two schools.


2009 New Orleans Bowl, Game summary
Middle Tennessee wore their home blue jerseys, Southern Mississippi wore their away white jerseys.


2009 New Orleans Bowl, Game summary
The star of the game was MTSU quarterback Dwight Dasher, who rushed for 201 yards, the most ever by a quarterback in a bowl game. He broke the quarterback bowl rushing record of 200 yards set by Texas' Vince Young in the 2006 Rose Bowl against Southern California. Dasher also rushed for 2 touchdowns and passed for 2 more. Southern Miss quarterback Martevious Young completed 18 of 34 passes for 271 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.


2009 New Orleans Bowl, Game summary
Southern Miss running back Damion Fletcher ran for 78 yards. He finished the season with 1,015 to become the ninth player in major college football to reach 1,000 in all four seasons. With 5,302 yards rushing overall, Fletcher passed Herschel Walker (5,259) and LaDainian Tomlinson (5,263) for eighth on the NCAA's career list.


2009 New Orleans Saints season
The 2009 season was the New Orleans Saints' 43rd in the National Football League (NFL). It was the most successful season in franchise history, culminating with a victory in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints recorded a franchise record 13 regular season victories (later tied in the 2011, 2018, and 2019 seasons) an improvement on their 8–8 record and fourth-place finish in the National Football Conference (NFC)'s southern division from 2008. As a result, the Saints advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2006. For head coach Sean Payton, this was his fourth season with the franchise, commanding a club overall record of 36–24, though it also marked the first year of the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal that would ultimately result in his unprecedented (for a coach) one-year suspension from the league.


2009 New Orleans Saints season
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 went 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.


2009 New Orleans Saints season
Despite 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.


2009 New Orleans Saints season
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, and were the only team to do so until the 2020 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the Buccaneers beating Drew Brees and the Saints in the NFC Divisional. The Saints, along with the New York Jets, are the only teams to go to one Super Bowl and win it.


2009 New Orleans Saints season
Although five Saints were elected to the Pro Bowl (with two others added as injury replacements), since the game was held one week prior to Super Bowl XLIV, they did not participate.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions
The Saints began their season with a Week 1 duel against the Detroit Lions. New Orleans got off to a fast start in the first quarter as quarterback Drew Brees completed a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston and a 39-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem. The Lions answered with kicker Jason Hanson kicking a 47-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Detroit came closer as running back Kevin Smith scored on a 4-yard touchdown run. The Saints replied with Brees completing 1-yard and a 15-yard touchdown passes to tight end Jeremy Shockey.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions
The Lions tried to catch up in the third quarter as quarterback Matthew Stafford got a 1-yard touchdown run, yet New Orleans answered with kicker John Carney making a 39-yard field goal. Detroit responded respond with Hanson nailing a 24-yard field goal, while the Saints kept pounding away as Brees completed a 58-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Devery Henderson. The Lions closed out the period with safety Louis Delmas returning a fumble 65 yards for a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, New Orleans closed out the game as Brees completed a 13-yard touchdown pass to fullback Heath Evans.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 1: vs. Detroit Lions
With the win, not only did the Saints begin their season at 1–0, but Brees (26-of-34, 358 yards, 6 touchdowns, 1 interception) became the first quarterback to throw 6 touchdown passes in an opening day game, as well as tying Billy Kilmer's franchise record for touchdown passes in a game.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles
Coming off their win over the Lions, the Saints flew to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 2 duel with the Philadelphia Eagles. In the first quarter, New Orleans drew first blood as quarterback Drew Brees completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston. The Eagles answered with quarterback Kevin Kolb (in his first start as the Eagles' quarterback) completing a 71-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver DeSean Jackson, yet the Saints replied with kicker John Carney making a 23-yard field goal. In the second quarter, Philadelphia tied the game as kicker David Akers got a 23-yard field goal. New Orleans answered with Brees completing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Colston. The Eagles closed out the half as Akers made a 32-yard field goal.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles
In the third quarter, the Saints began to take command as Brees completed an 11-yard touchdown pass to fullback Heath Evans, along with running back Mike Bell getting a 7-yard touchdown run and Carney nailing a 25-yard field goal. The Eagles answered with Kolb completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jason Avant. In the fourth quarter, New Orleans kept up its domination as running back Reggie Bush got a 19-yard touchdown.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 2: at Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia drove to the Saints' 5-yard line, but could not score and the drive ended on downs; the Saints were then unable to move the ball and, rather than punting out of their own end zone, opted to have Brees throw the ball out of the end zone for an intentional safety. After the ensuing free kick, the Eagles again drove deep into Saints territory, but again failed to score, as Kolb threw an interception which safety Darren Sharper returned 97 yards for a touchdown.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 3: at Buffalo Bills
Coming off their win over the Eagles, the Saints flew to Ralph Wilson Stadium for a Week 3 interconference duel with the Buffalo Bills. New Orleans made an immediate impact in the first quarter with running back Lynell Hamilton's 1-yard touchdown run. The Bills answered in the second quarter on a fake field goal attempt; punter Brian Moorman completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to defensive end Ryan Denney. The Saints closed out the half with kicker John Carney's 27-yard field goal. After a scoreless third quarter, New Orleans took control in the fourth quarter with running back Pierre Thomas' 34-yard touchdown run, Carney's 35-yard field goal, and Thomas' 19-yard touchdown run.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. New York Jets
Coming off their road win over the Bills, the Saints went home for a Week 4 interconference duel with the New York Jets. New Orleans delivered the game's first points as kicker John Carney got a 34-yard field goal. In the second quarter, the defense went to work. Safety Darren Sharper returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown, followed by defensive end Will Smith forcing an endzone fumble by sacking Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, which allowed defensive tackle Remi Ayodele to land on the ball for a touchdown. Afterwards, New York closed out the half with kicker Jay Feely's 38-yard field goal.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. New York Jets
The Jets began a comeback attempt in the third quarter with running back Thomas Jones getting a 15-yard touchdown run. Afterwards, the Saints closed out the game with running back Pierre Thomas' 1-yard touchdown and the defense making an impressive stand.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 4: vs. New York Jets
With the win, New Orleans entered its bye week at 4–0.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
"Saints keep Giants off balance: The Saints completely dismantled the Giants by showcasing a versatile passing game out of multiple formations and personnel groupings. New Orleans' ability to routinely switch from conventional two-back sets to three- and four-receiver formations kept New York off balanced. It also enabled Drew Brees to attack a defense that was sitting back in conventional coverage. With the Giants playing a heavy amount of two-deep zone, Brees repeatedly attacked the middle of the field with seams and deep crosses.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
The Giants' underneath defenders were unable to disrupt the timing or release of the receivers' routes, which allowed Brees to routinely find an open target in the zone. Brees capitalized on the Giants' tactical error, and the Saints topped the 40-point mark for the third time this season as a result."


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
Coming off their bye week, the Saints stayed at home for a huge Week 6 game in a "Battle of The Unbeatens" against the New York Giants. New Orleans' offense roared out of the gates in the first quarter with running back Mike Bell's 2-yard touchdown run on a 4th-down-conversion and quarterback Drew Brees' 1-yard touchdown pass to former Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey. New York closed out the opening quarter with a 49-yard field goal from kicker Lawrence Tynes, with the Saints leading 14–3.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
The Saints' high-powered offense continued to heat up in the second quarter as Brees completed a 36-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem, being called a "Week 6 Can't-Miss Play." The Giants tried to keep up as running back Ahmad Bradshaw got a 10-yard touchdown run, yet New Orleans answered with Brees hooking up with wide receiver Lance Moore on a 12-yard touchdown pass.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
New York tried to catch up, yet continued to stay persistent as quarterback Eli Manning completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mario Manningham, yet the Saints closed out the half with a 7-yard touchdown run from running back Reggie Bush. The Saints now led 34–17, with the point deficit being at 17 points. The Saints had over 300 yards of total offense, with 5 offensive touchdowns and 2 TD runs by Mike Bell and Reggie Bush, and 3 TD passes from Drew Brees to Jeremy Shockey, Robert Meachem and Lance Moore.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
New Orleans solidified its lead in the third quarter with Brees finding wide receiver Marques Colston on a 12-yard touchdown pass. The Giants opened the fourth quarter with Tynes booting a 38-yard field goal, yet the Saints ended its dominating run with fullback Heath Evans getting a 2-yard touchdown run. New York then closed out the game's scoring with quarterback David Carr completing a 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Hakeem Nicks.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
The New Orleans Saints finished the game with 493 yards of total offense (369 passing and 124 rushing), 7 offensive touchdowns (3 runs and 4 pass), 48 points, 28 first-downs, finished 7/13 (53%) in 3rd-down-conversions and 1/2 (50%) in 4th-down conversions, ran 70 plays (30 pass plays and 40 rushing plays), controlled the ball 36:07 minutes and did not commit a turnover, though Robert Meachem fumbled, with the fumble being recovered by the Saints.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
According to NFL Game Center, some of the team leaders for the Saints included Drew Brees, who missed only 7 passes, passed for 369 yards, scored 4 touchdowns and spread them to 4 different receivers, and threw 0 interceptions, did not fumble and did not get sacked. For the receiving game, Marques Colston caught 8 receptions for 166 yards with 1 touchdown coming from 12 yards out from Drew Brees in the 3rd quarter, and Lance Moore caught 6 receptions for 78 yards with 1 touchdown, being from 12 yards out from Drew Brees.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
For the running game, Pierre Thomas ran 15 times for 72 yards with 0 touchdowns, and Mike Bell ran 15 times for 34 yards, with 1 touchdown, being a 2-yard touchdown run early in the 1st quarter on the Saints' first possession on 4th-down.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
The Giants lost the game by a 21-point deficit and finished it with only 325 yards of total offense (241 passing and 84 rushing), 3 offensive touchdowns (2 pass and 1 run), 27 points, 17 first-downs, finished 3/10 (30%) in 3rd-down-efficiency and 1/1 in 4th-down-efficiency, ran only 57 plays (36 pass plays and 19 rushing plays), controlled the ball for 23:53 minutes on the clock and committed 2 turnovers (1 interception and 1 fumble).


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 6: vs. New York Giants
Their team leaders included Eli Manning, who completed 14 passes out of 31 attempts, passed for 178 yards, ran the ball 1 time for a loss 1 yard, threw an interception and fumbled on a sack, while David Carr finished 4/5 for 72 yards and 1 touchdown, a 37-yarder to Hakeem Nicks. For the receiving game, Hakeem Nicks caught 5 receptions for 114 yards, with 1 touchdown reception coming from quarterback David Carr, while Mario Manningham caught 4 receptions for 50 yards, with 1 touchdown from Eli Manning. For the running game, Ahmad Bradshaw had 10 carries for 48 yards for a 4.8 average with 1 touchdown, and Brandon Jacobs had 7 carries for 33 yards for a 4.7 average, with 0 touchdowns.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Miami Dolphins
In Week 7, the Saints traveled to Miami to continue their interconference series against the Dolphins. Miami jumped out to a 24–3 lead by the second quarter, with former Saints first-rounder and Heisman winner Ricky Williams scoring on runs of 4 and 68 yards, and Ronnie Brown added a touchdown run of 8 yards in the second quarter. Despite being behind for the first time in the season, the Saints gained momentum when Drew Brees scored on a quarterback sneak to end the first half and cap a 1:36 drive of 51 yards.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 7: at Miami Dolphins
In the second half, the Saints scored on a 42-yard interception return by Darren Sharper in the third, but Dan Carpenter added a second field goal to push the lead back to ten points. The Saints responded with a 10-yard Brees-Colston connection, but Ricky Williams answered with another 4-yard rushing score to make the score 34–24. The Saints completed their comeback in the fourth quarter, first with Reggie Bush scoring on a reverse from 10 yards out, then with Brees scoring his second rushing touchdown from 2. Though John Carney missed the extra point, he later hit a field goal from 20 yards, and Tracy Porter sealed the comeback with a 54-yard interception return. The Saints outscored Miami 22–0 in the fourth quarter, and 36–10 for the second half.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons
Coming off their comeback road win over the Dolphins, the Saints went home for a Week 8 NFC South duel with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. New Orleans would initially trail in the first quarter as Falcons running back Michael Turner got a 13-yard touchdown run, yet the Saints answered with running back Pierre Thomas getting a 22-yard touchdown run. Atlanta would come right back as quarterback Drew Brees was sacked by free safety Thomas DeCoud, causing him to fumble and allow defensive end Kroy Biermann to return the ball 4 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, New Orleans would go on a rampage with Brees' 18-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marques Colston, running back Reggie Bush's 1-yard touchdown run, and cornerback Jabari Greer's 48-yard interception return for a touchdown.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons
However, the Falcons began to get back into the game with quarterback Matt Ryan finding wide receiver Roddy White on a 68-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, followed by kicker Jason Elam booting a 25-yard field goal. Fortunately, cornerback Tracy Porter's key interception (helped from linebacker Jonathan Vilma's tip) lead to Brees finding Thomas on a 1-yard touchdown pass. Even though Atlanta crept closer with Elam nailing a 40-yard field goal and recovering an onside kick, free safety Darren Sharper's interception sealed the tight victory.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 8: vs. Atlanta Falcons
With the win, the Saints improved to 7–0 (tying their best start since 1991).


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Carolina Panthers
Coming off their Monday night win over the Falcons, the Saints stayed at home for a Week 9 NFC South duel with the Carolina Panthers. New Orleans would trail in the first quarter as Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams got a 66-yard and a 7-yard touchdown run. In the second quarter, the Saints got on the board with a 23-yard field goal from kicker John Carney. Carolina would reply with kicker John Kasay getting a 32-yard field goal, yet New Orleans would close out the half with Carney's 25-yard field goal.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Carolina Panthers
In the third quarter, the Saints crept closer with a 10-yard touchdown by running back Pierre Thomas. The Panthers would reply with Kasay nailing a 25-yard field goal, yet New Orleans would close out the period with quarterback Drew Brees' 54-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Meachem. Afterwards, the Saints took command in the fourth quarter as Carney booted a 40-yard field goal, followed by defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove forcing Williams into a fumble and recovering it for a 1-yard touchdown run.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 9: vs. Carolina Panthers
With the win, the Saints improved to 8–0, which is the team's best start in franchise history.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at St. Louis Rams
Coming off their divisional home win over the Panthers, the Saints flew to the Edward Jones Dome for a Week 10 duel with the St. Louis Rams. After a scoreless first quarter, New Orleans got the game's inaugural points in the second quarter with running back Reggie Bush getting a 3-yard touchdown run. The Rams would respond with quarterback Marc Bulger completing a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Donnie Avery. New Orleans would answer with quarterback Drew Brees hooking up with Bush on a 15-yard touchdown pass, yet St. Louis would close out the half with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back Steven Jackson.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 10: at St. Louis Rams
The Saints would begin the third quarter with wide receiver Courtney Roby returning the second half's opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. The Rams would stay close with kicker Josh Brown nailing a 32-yard field goal. New Orleans would extend their lead in the fourth quarter Brees finding wide receiver Robert Meachem on a 27-yard touchdown pass. St. Louis tried to catch up as Bulger found Avery again on a 19-yard touchdown pass (with a failed 2-point conversion), yet the defense prevented the Rams from getting any closer.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Coming off a tough road win against the Rams, the Saints went to Raymond James Stadium for a Week 11 duel against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After a quick first quarter Tampa Bay touchdown from rookie quarterback Josh Freeman to Micheal Clayton to cap a 95-yard drive, the Bucs showed how the Saints struggled defensively. The Bucs looked to improve on their next drive by moving the ball with running backs Carnell Williams and Ernest Graham. The Saints would answer defensively as they took advantage of numerous mistakes by rookie Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 11: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Drew Brees passed for 187 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Robert Meacham for a 4-yard touchdown catch and a 6-yard touchdown catch, and to tight end David Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown. Pressure on the young Freeman from the Saints forced him to throw 3-interceptions and a fumble, allowing the Saints to take more control during the second half. The Saints would close out the game with two scores from running back Mike Bell from 3 yards and one yard out.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
The Saints returned to the Dome for possibly the most hyped game in recent team history, a Monday Night showdown in front of 70,768 with the 7–3 Patriots, winners of 3 Super Bowls in this decade. The Saints came out firing from the start with a 33-yard completion from Brees to Devery Henderson. The drive resulted in a John Carney field goal from 30 yards. The Patriots stormed back on the next drive, converting twice on 4th-and-1, the second being Laurence Maroney's 4-yard touchdown run to put New England in the lead.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
On New England's next drive, Tom Brady was intercepted by a healthy and re-signed Mike McKenzie, leading to a touchdown from Brees to Pierre Thomas on an 18-yard swing pass. Forcing the Patriots to punt again, Drew Brees found a wide-open Henderson on the next play, who waltzed into the endzone on a 75-yard reception to make it 17–7. The Patriots scored again on a 38-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski. Drew Brees made it 24–10 on a 38 yarder to Robert Meachem, which was set up by a 25-yard catch by former Patriots tight end David Thomas, and Gostkowski missed a 50-yard field goal wide to close out the half.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
On the Pats first play of the third quarter, Scott Fujita forced Maroney to fumble, and Sedrick Ellis recovered the ball. However, Maroney forced Ellis to fumble, and Wes Welker recovered the ball on the New England 19. Brady then drove New England downfield, including a 47 yarder to Randy Moss, and Maroney scored his second rushing touchdown from two yards. On the next offensive play, Marques Colston turns a 10-yard catch into a 68-yard gain to the Patriots 6, and New Orleans gets another touchdown via a two-yard catch by backup tight end Darnell Dinkins. In the fourth quarter, Brees hits Colston from 20 yards for his 5th passing touchdown of the game, and the game was sealed when Sharper got his 8th interception of the year, and Brady was pulled with 5:28 to go, replaced by backup Brian Hoyer.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
With the win, the Saints improve to 11–0. Drew Brees completed 18 of 23 passes for a season-high 371 yards, five touchdowns and his first-ever perfect passer rating of 158.3, and became the first to throw 5 touchdowns against a Bill Belichick-coached team.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 12: vs. New England Patriots
The television broadcast of the game on ESPN's Monday Night Football was the second-most-watched cable telecast of all time.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Washington Redskins
After an emotional Monday night win against the New England Patriots, the Saints traveled to FedExField in Landover, Maryland for a Week 13 matchup against the Washington Redskins. In the 1st quarter, the Redskins scored first with Jason Campbell throwing an 8-yard touchdown to Fred Davis. Shaun Suisham then kicked a 32-yard field goal to go up 10–0. In the 2nd quarter, the Saints finally scored with a Garrett Hartley 34-yard field goal. After a defensive stance, Drew Brees threw a 40-yard touchdown to Marques Colston which tied the game 10–10.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Washington Redskins
The Redskins retook the lead with Jason Campbell connecting with Devin Thomas for a 10-yard touchdown. With the Saints now down 17–10, Brees and the Saints attempted to drive the field. Brees’ pass attempt to Jeremy Shockey was intercepted by Kareem Moore. Robert Meachem then ran into Moore, stripped the football, and returned it for a 44-yard touchdown.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Washington Redskins
In the 3rd quarter, the Redskins kicker Suisham made a 28-yard field goal. The Redskins then extended their lead with Devin Thomas catching a 13-yard touchdown pass from Campbell. The Saints’ Hartley made a 27-yard field goal. In the 4th quarter, Shaun Suisham and Garrett Hartley traded field goals. After a field goal miss from 23 yards by Shaun Suisham, the Saints, only down by 7 points, now had the opportunity to tie the game.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Washington Redskins
Drew Brees and the Saints offense drove the field in 5 plays, in 33 seconds and capped the drive with a 53-yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem to tie the game 30–30 at the end of regulation. The Saints completed the comeback with Garrett Hartley's 18-yard field goal for the first lead in the game and the win 33–30 in overtime.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 13: at Washington Redskins
With the win, the Saints improved to 12–0 and clinched the NFC South title. Their 12 wins also tied a single-season franchise record set in the 1987 and 1992 seasons.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons
After a tough road win in overtime against the Redskins. The Saints marched into Atlanta with their eyes on a franchise best 13th straight victory. In the first quarter, Atlanta started out fast driving down the field for a Matt Bryant 36-yard field goal. The Saints responded with a Garrett Hartley 33-yard field goal. Atlanta responded with another Matt Bryant 30-yard field goal to take 6–3 lead at the end of the first quarter.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons
The Saints would come out strong in the second quarter, when RB Reggie Bush scored on a 6-yard pass from Drew Brees to take a 10–6 lead. The Saints continued to move the ball and added onto the lead with a Marques Colston 3-yard touchdown catch from Drew Brees. Garrett Hartley kick failed giving the Saints a 16–6 lead in the second quarter. The Falcons troubles would continue. After failing to score a touchdown for the third time in the first half, Atlanta settled for a Matt Bryant 27-yard field goal to get within a touchdown at halftime.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons
The second half looked promising for the Saints but RB Reggie Bush fumbled and recovered the ball. RB Reggie Bush would redeem his performance on the next play with a 21-yard screen pass from Drew Brees to put the Saint up 23–9. Atlanta would make a run and wear down the Saints defense when Michael Jenkins caught a 50-yard touchdown pass from Chris Redman to move within a touchdown. Jason Snelling would add a 4-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 23.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons
Late in the fourth quarter, the Saints would have a chance to get the lead back with a Garrett Hartley 38-yard field goal. The Saints got a break when Jonathan Vilma intercepted a Chris Redman pass to give the Saints a chance to increase the lead. The Saints would move the ball but only settle for a fake field goal that failed. The results continued in doubt for the Saints until Vilma came up with another defensive fourth-down hit on RB Jason Snelling.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons
Stopping him a yard short of the marker with just over a minute remaining, the Saints' defense came up big but gave up 392 yards. Drew Brees threw for 296 yards for the season and threw for more than 30,000 yards in his career. He also added three touchdowns for the season and tied a club record with 120 in his Saints career. Running back Reggie Bush had 47 rushing yards, 33 receiving yards and two touchdowns added for the season.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 14: at Atlanta Falcons
The Saints won 26–23. With the win, they improved to 13–0, clinching a first-round bye in the playoffs.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Coming off yet another close win, this time over the Falcons, the Saints went home for a Week 15 Saturday night duel with the Dallas Cowboys. In the first quarter, Dallas would get off to a fast start with quarterback Tony Romo completing a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Miles Austin. The Cowboys then increased their lead later in the quarter with a 3-yard touchdown run by running back Marion Barber. In the second quarter, the Saints would score their only points of the half with kicker Garrett Hartley nailing a 34-yard field goal. However, the Cowboys took a 17–3 lead at halftime with kicker Nick Folk's 44-yard field goal.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
In the third quarter, Dallas scored the period's only points when running back Marion Barber got a 2-yard touchdown run. An exciting fourth quarter ensued. New Orleans got the first score of the period when running back Mike Bell scored from one yard out to make a 24–10 Dallas lead. Following a Dallas three-and-out, New Orleans made it a one touchdown game when quarterback Drew Brees hit wide receiver Lance Moore for a 7-yard touchdown pass.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Dallas then marched down the field to the Saints' eight-yard line, but then kicker Nick Folk's potential game-icing 24-yard field goal hit the right goalpost and went no good, setting up another fourth quarter comeback for the Saints. However, unlike in such games against Washington and Atlanta, quarterback Drew Brees was sacked with 10 seconds left in the contest at the Dallas 48-yard line, forcing a fumble for the second time in the game by Dallas' DeMarcus Ware, which was then recovered by nose tackle Jay Ratliff. The Cowboys then took a knee to end the game.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys
With the loss, the Saints fell to 13–1, ending their chance at a perfect season. Also with the Colts' win, the Saints held the 2nd best overall record of any team.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Saints dominated the first quarter and entered halftime riding on a 17–3 lead. Tampa Bay scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, including a 77-yard kick return by Micheal Spurlock, to tie the game at 17. As time expired, Garrett Hartley attempted a 37-yard field goal that would have salvaged the game for the Saints, but the kick hooked left. In overtime, Tampa Bay won the coin toss, received the kickoff, and drove down the field to win the game with a field goal, for a final score of 20–17.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 16: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With the loss, the Saints fell to 13–2, and appeared to be at risk of losing homefield advantage in the playoffs to the Vikings. However, the Vikings lost in overtime to the Chicago Bears in Week 16's Monday night game, and the Saints clinched the top seed in the NFC.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Carolina Panthers
After barely losing to the now 3–12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the New Orleans Saints looked to rest their starters for the remaining game against the Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, the Carolina Panthers started out with great runs from Jonathan Stewart who capped off the first drive with a 67-yard run for a touchdown. In the second quarter the Saints got on the board with a Garrett Hartley 35-yard field goal making the score 7–3.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Carolina Panthers
Carolina was not done, they continued to go to their play makers like Dwayne Jarrett who caught a 30-yard pass from Matt Moore to go up 14–3. Later John Kasay added a 41-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17–3. In the second half, the Saints could not stop Carolina from scoring twice more on a John Kasay 39-yard field goal and a 37-yard field goal to go up 23–3. The Saints would show promise when Lynell Hamilton ran for a 1-yard touchdown to end the game at 23–10.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Regular season, Game summaries, Week 17: at Carolina Panthers
Game Notes: Mark Brunell was dismal completing 15 of his 29 attempts for 102 yards, 1 interception and a passer rating of 45.5. This marks the first time this season that the Saints did not have a productive quarterback, receiver or running back. This marks the second time the Saints have allowed a Carolina running back to run for over 100 yards in a game (DeAngelo Williams 149 yards week 9 & Jonathan Stewart 128 yards week 17). Sitting out allowed Drew Brees to break the NFL record for completion percentage in a season with 70.60, beating the previous NFL record of 70.55 by Ken Anderson of Cincinnati set in 1982. The Saints have home-field throughout the national football conference playoffs.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Wildcard Round: Bye week
By earning the NFC top-seed, the Saints earned a bye week in the first round of the NFC Playoffs.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Divisional Round: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Entering the postseason as the NFC's #1 seed, the Saints began their playoff run at home in the NFC Divisional Round against the #4 Arizona Cardinals. New Orleans would immediately trail in the first quarter as Cardinals running back Tim Hightower ran for a 70-yard touchdown. The Saints would greatly respond with a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Lynell Hamilton, quarterback Drew Brees finding tight end Jeremy Shockey on a 17-yard touchdown pass, and running back Reggie Bush's 54-yard touchdown run. Arizona would reply in the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run from running back Chris "Beanie" Wells. Afterwards, New Orleans struck again as Brees found wide receiver Devery Henderson on a 44-yard touchdown pass, followed by wide receiver Marques Colston for a 2-yard touchdown pass.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Divisional Round: vs. Arizona Cardinals
In the third quarter, the Saints continued their offensive day as place-kicker Garrett Hartley kicked a 43-yard field goal, followed by Bush's 83-yard punt return for a touchdown. For the rest of the game, New Orleans' defense took control and shut down the Cardinal's offense.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Divisional Round: vs. Arizona Cardinals
With the win, the Saints advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the second time in franchise history.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Championship Game: vs. Minnesota Vikings
Coming off their divisional home win over the Cardinals, the Saints stayed at home for the NFC Championship Game against the #2 Minnesota Vikings. New Orleans would initially trail in the first quarter as Vikings running back Adrian Peterson got a 19-yard touchdown run, yet the Saints responded with quarterback Drew Brees hooking up with running back Pierre Thomas on a 38-yard touchdown pass. However, Minnesota would answer with quarterback Brett Favre completing a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sidney Rice. New Orleans would tie the game again in the second quarter with Brees finding wide receiver Devery Henderson on a 9-yard touchdown pass.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Championship Game: vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Saints would take the lead in the third quarter with Thomas' 9-yard touchdown run, but the Vikings would tie the game with a 1-yard touchdown run from Peterson. In the fourth quarter, New Orleans would regain the lead as Brees found running back Reggie Bush on a 5-yard touchdown pass, yet Minnesota would tie again with Peterson's 2-yard touchdown run. A key interception late in 4th quarter by Tracy Porter stopped what could have been Minnesota's game-winning drive, leading to overtime. In overtime, the Saints came out on top as place-kicker Garrett Hartley booted the game-winning 40-yard field goal.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, NFC Championship Game: vs. Minnesota Vikings
With the win, not only did the Saints improve their overall record to 15–3, but they would advance to their very first Super Bowl in franchise history.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, Super Bowl XLIV: vs. Indianapolis Colts
In continuation of a string of firsts, the Saints advanced to their first Super Bowl in franchise history and won it in dramatic fashion. After the coin toss, the Saints wanted the ball first; however, they did not score on their first drive. The Colts drove the ball down the field with an attempt to score the first touchdown but was denied and forced Matt Stover to kick a 38-yard field goal. But the Colts were not finished: on their next possession, Pierre Garçon caught a 19-yard TD pass from Peyton Manning, and the Colts led 10–0 after fifteen minutes.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, Super Bowl XLIV: vs. Indianapolis Colts
In the second quarter, the Saints were forced to look upon Garrett Hartley for two field goals – a 46 yarder and a 44 yarder respectively – and the deficit was reduced to four points by halftime. Garrett Hartley ended the half with the Super Bowl record for kicks of more than 40 yards, with 3.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, Super Bowl XLIV: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Kicking off the second half, the Saints caught Indy by surprise with the "Ambush" play (an onside kick in kickoff formation), which the Saints recovered, shifting the momentum to them. Pierre Thomas caught a 16-yard screen pass from Drew Brees and NO had their first lead of the game, 13–10 after the extra point. The Colts would not be denied from scoring again with the rushing attack of Joseph Addai, capping off the scoring drive with a 4-yard run. From here, however, the Colts would be denied.


2009 New Orleans Saints season, Postseason, Game summaries, Super Bowl XLIV: vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Saints still stood by Hartley to keep the game close with a 47-yard field goal, taking the score to 17–16. In the fourth quarter, Jeremy Shockey caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Drew Brees with Lance Moore catching a two-point conversion and the Saints led 24–17. On the Colts ensuing possession, season MVP quarterback Peyton Manning swiftly moved the Indianapolis offense into Saints territory, off four passes for 44 yards, vying for the tying score. However, in the end, it was the Saints defense that would prove championship worthy, when Tracy Porter intercepted and returned Manning's shotgun pass 74 yards for a touchdown to seal the win and the first Super Bowl title for the New Orleans Saints in their 44-year existence.


2009 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 2009 were announced on 31 December 2008 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis, to celebrate the year past and mark the beginning of 2009.


2009 New Year Honours
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged by the country whose ministers advised The Queen on the appointments, then by honour, with grades i.e. Knight/Dame Grand Cross, Knight/Dame Commander etc. and then divisions i.e. Civil, Diplomatic and Military as and where appropriate.


2009 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The 2009 New Year Honours in New Zealand were appointments by Elizabeth II in her right as Queen of New Zealand, on the advice of the New Zealand government, to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by New Zealanders, and to celebrate the passing of 2008 and the beginning of 2009. They were announced on 31 December 2008.


2009 New Year Honours (New Zealand)
The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour.


2009 New York City Comptroller election
The 2009 election for New York City Comptroller was held on November 3, 2009, to coincide with the 2009 mayoral election to determine who would serve as New York City Comptroller. The Democratic and Republican primaries were held on September 15, 2009. There was a run-off election for the Democratic Party nomination on September 29, 2009.


2009 New York City Comptroller election
Joe Mendola was nominated as the Republican candidate. John Liu was nominated as the candidate of the Democratic Party; he was also on the Working Families Party line in November. Liu won the race and was elected Comptroller, becoming the first Asian American to be elected to a citywide office.


2009 New York City Comptroller election, Democratic nomination
In March 2009, Liu announced that he was running for the post of New York City Comptroller. As part of this bid, Liu donated $10,000 to the Working Families Party; they endorsed him less than 6 months later. Liu raised $3 million for his political run, more than his competitors.


2009 New York City Comptroller election, Democratic nomination
Beginning in May, Liu picked up several endorsements. The Village Independent Democrats, The Queens County Democratic organization, the local Americans for Democratic Action chapter and the Working Families Party, 1199 SEIU union local and the Uniformed Firefighters Association endorsed him. On September 1, the United Federation of Teachers endorsed Liu.