Saints/Raiders Memorable Game: October 23, 1988

The New Orleans Saints will open their 2016 regular season schedule this Sunday, when they play host to the Oakland Raiders in an NFC/AFC match-up.

Kickoff time at the Mercedes Benz Superdome in New Orleans is scheduled for noon, and you can hear all the play-by-play action on ESPN 1420, as well as 97.3 The Dawg.

In the coming days, we will look ahead to Sunday's game by looking back at some of the more memorable games played between the two franchises.

On Monday, we looked back at a 1979 Monday Night game between the Saints and Raiders.

Today, we look back at the first time the Saints ever recorded a win over the Raiders, October 23, 1988.

In the first ever game that the Saints and Raiders ever played, back in 1971, the two franchises played to a 21-21 tie, before the Raiders won the next three contests, in 1975, 1979, and 1985.

That brings us to Sunday, October 23, 1988, when the Saints recorded their 7th-consecutive victory, defeating the then Los Angeles Raiders, 20-6.

New Orleans suffered a heartbreaking defeat in their 1988 season opener, falling to the San Francisco 49ers, 34-33, before reeling-off six-consecutives wins, prior to welcoming the Raiders, who entered the game at 3-4.

The Saints got on the scoreboard first, scoring the only points of the first quarter, courtesy of a 51-yard field goal by Morten Andersen, before the Raiders answered in the second quarter, scoring on an 85-yard touchdown pass from Jay Schroeder to Mervyn Fernandez, giving them a 6-3 advantage as the two teams went into their respective locker rooms at halftime.

The second half was all New Orleans however, as they outscored Los Angeles, 17-0.

The first two scores came in the third quarter, by way of a 73-yard touchdown run by Craig Heyward, and then a 7-yard touchdown run by Dalton Hilliard, giving the Saints a 17-6 lead after three frames.

The Saints added some insurance in the fourth quarter after Andersen converted on his second field goal of the afternoon, this one from 25 yards away, giving them a 20-6 lead, and the eventual 14-point victory.

Los Angeles actually outgained New Orleans, in terms of total yards, 367-317, but the Saints forced 3 turnovers, while not turning the football over once.

Heyward, Hilliard, and Rueben Mayes combined for 193 yards and two touchdowns, with Heyward leading the way, rushing for 109 yards and one touchdown on 11 carries.

The Saints lost 5 of their last 8 games however, and finished the 1988 season at 10-6, missing the playoffs, while the Raiders finished 7-9.