The New Orleans Saints will open up their 2014 preseason schedule on Friday night, when they travel to St. Louis, Missouri to take on the St. Louis Rams.

You can catch all the play-by-play action on ESPN 1420, with kick-off set for 7 o’clock.

The game will mark the first time in 46 years that the two franchises will have met during the preseason.

The Rams actually were born as the Cleveland Rams in 1936, before moving to Los Angeles, California, where they were known as the Los Angeles Rams from 1946-1994. Prior to the 1995 season, the Rams moved to St. Louis, where they’ve been located ever since.

Since the Saints played their first game back in 1967, the two franchises have played some memorable games, having competed in the NFC West together from 1970-2001.

The Rams dominated that division in the 70′s, winning six-consecutive division titles, from 1974-1979.

Last season, the Rams defeated the Saints, 27-16, in St. Louis, and currently lead the all-time regular season series, 40-32.

This week, we’ll take a look at some of the more memorable match-ups between the two franchises:

On Monday, we reminded people that the first preseason game the Saints ever played was against the Rams, back in 1967, and we looked at the humble beginnings of the Saints.

On Tuesday, we went back to the very first game the Saints ever played, back in 1967, against the Rams.

Today, we go back to the 1971 season, when the Saints and the Rams opened the season against each other on Sunday, September 19 at Tulane Stadium.

Saints fans had high hopes, after drafting quarterback Archie Manning out of Ole Miss with the second pick of the 1971 NFL Draft.

In almost storybook fashion, Manning guided the Saints to a 24-20 upset win. Manning threw for 218 yards, including a touchdown, and also scored the game-winning touchdown on a late rushing score.

The Saints stumbled to a 4-8-2 finish that year, but that win, and Archie Fever, certainly was fun!

 

 

The win in 1971 over the Rams, with Manning leading the way, is certainly remembered more fondly by Saints' fans than what happened on Sunday, November 26, 1989 at the Louisiana Superdome, when the Saints blew a 17-3 fourth quarter lead, as the Rams came back to win in overtime, 20-17.

In that game receiver Flipper Anderson of the Rams caught 15 passes for an NFL record 336 receiving yards.

That loss hurt the Saints, as they finished 9-7 that year, and missed the playoffs.

 

 

 

 

More From 103.3 The GOAT