Afterwards, New Orleans faced the Dallas Cowboys at home and were finally brought down by a 17–24 score. The next week, the Saints were upset at home by the 2–12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime. They secured the #1 NFC playoff seed when the 11–3 Minnesota Vikings lost to the Chicago Bears in Week 16. The Saints rested starters during their Week 17 game against the Panthers, finishing their season at 13–3. The re-energized team came back from the first-round bye week and hosted the Arizona Cardinals, crushing them 45–14. Now in the NFC Championship, the Saints faced the Vikings. The two teams waged an epic struggle through all four quarters. Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre was hit several times by the New Orleans defensive line, and there were multiple penalties, timeouts, and booth reviews of questionable plays. Although the Vikings never trailed by more than a touchdown, they could not gain a lead, and as the 4th quarter was drawing to a close, Favre threw an ill-advised pass across the middle of the field, which was intercepted by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter. The game went into overtime, and New Orleans got possession of the ball after winning the coin toss. Kicker Garrett Hartley made a 40-yard field goal, sending the Saints to Super Bowl XLIV.