When the Saints won the Super Bowl for the first time this February, New Orleans seemed to shake off Katrina. Seven months later, in the wake of another disaster, the city could use a new dose of Saints magic. On the first night of the 2010-2011 football season, it got just that: the Saints won, beating the Minnesota Vikings 14 to 9.

Opening day was an unofficial holiday in New Orleans. Some businesses and schools closed early. A Mardi Gras-like parade processed from Elysian Fields to the French Quarter, where a free concert by the Dave Matthews Band was held in Jackson Square. Shouts of "Who Dat?" erupted all over town. The prospect of another Super Bowl win has changed the focus of the city from the BP oil spill to football.