The Saints did not quite live up to their 2009 level of play the following season. Hosting the Vikings in the 2010 season opener, a much-vaunted rematch of the NFC Championship resulted in a meandering 14-9 win, the lowest-scoring victory of Sean Payton's tenure as head coach. After a close win in San Francisco, the Saints went 3-3 down the stretch, as Drew Brees threw several interceptions and Garrett Hartley (the hero of the 2009 postseason) missed multiple field goals that resulted in his being temporarily benched in favor of John Carney, a former Saint who had first played in the NFL back in 1988. The last remaining active NFL player from the 1980s booted two field goals to help New Orleans beat the 0-3 Carolina Panthers in Week 3. After a loss to the Cardinals the following week, Carney quit, and the kicking position returned to Hartley.