After going 2-3 in their last five games, quarterback Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints are hoping their magical season doesn't end prematurely.

NEW ORLEANS — It could go down as the greatest season in Saints history or one of the most disappointing.

Nope, the Saints couldn't quite stop that sense of impending doom so familiar to their fans from creeping into the backdrop of an otherwise magical 13-3 season.

At least as the top seed in the NFC, the Saints had a week to rest and reflect on why they're stumbling into the playoffs on a three-game losing streak. And why they haven't really looked like themselves since their 38-17 dismantling of the New England Patriots Nov. 30.

New Orleans went 2-3 in its last five games and needed an improbable missed short field goal by then-Washington kicker Shaun Suisham to avoid going 1-4 during that stretch. In their other victory at Atlanta, the Saints had trouble putting away a Falcons squad led by backup quarterback Chris Redman, who completed nearly 68 percent of his passes for 302 yards.

Two weeks later came the lowest point.

With their first chance to clinch the No. 1 playoff seed, the Saints instead earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first 13-win team to lose to a two-win team. They blew a 17-0 lead to Tampa Bay right in front of their own stunned fans in the Louisiana Superdome. If not for Chicago's upset of Minnesota the next night, the Saints might not have finished atop the conference.

It all begs the question why should anyone expect the Saints to conjure their dominant early-season form when they return from their first-round bye?

"The good news is we're going to get ready to see here soon," Saints coach Sean Payton said this week. "I like the locker room. I like the leadership we have, the commitment we have to doing things the right way."

Payton said he believes his players remain confident, then showed his confidence in them by giving them most of this week off. Saints players, with the exception of those who needed to stay for treatment of injuries, were free to leave town after Monday's meetings and were not due back until Saturday.

Certainly, this season will hold a special place in Saints history regardless of how the playoffs turn out.

New Orleans had never won 13 games in a season, including playoff wins.

Quarterback Drew Brees set an NFL record for completion percentage (. 706) while New Orleans scored a franchise-record 510 points, which led the league by 40.

The Saints also had 39 takeaways, second in the NFL to Green Bay's 40.

But as the season wore on, injuries to key players mounted. In the rankings, the defense steadily slipped from as high as the top 10 in yards allowed down to 25th, the worst ranking of any playoff team.

Although no team has won a Super Bowl after losing its last three regular-season games, Payton wasn't worried about that. He rested Brees and numerous other regulars in New Orleans' regular-season finale at Carolina.