The 2002 season started with promise (in the now geographically accurate NFC South division) but finished in familiar fashion. The Saints began the year with impressive wins over three 2001 playoff teams – an overtime win over new division rival Tampa Bay, a 15-point trouncing of Green Bay, and a come-from-behind win over Chicago on the road. But the season would include a loss to bottom-dweller Detroit, as well as another late-season collapse that included three straight losses to Minnesota, Cincinnati, and Carolina, when a victory in any one of these three games would have all but guaranteed a playoff berth. The Saints, after starting 6-1, finished at 9-7 and missed the playoffs once again.