2006: Homecoming and postseasonThe following day, Benson had also agreed with Louisiana state officials to extend his opt out clause with the Superdome and Louisiana because of the disaster until January 2007. Reports speculate this buys Benson time to see how the situation unfolds without having to make a decision now.In the midst of the Katrina relocation controversy, several groups of investors have approached Benson with offers to buy the team and keep them in Louisiana, the most notable group being one led by FOX Sports analyst and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, who is a Louisiana native. However, Benson has expressed that he has no intentions of selling the team and plans to eventually hand down ownership to his granddaughter, Saints owner/executive Rita Benson LeBlanc. Benson spoke to press following an NFL owners' meeting on November 15, at which he reiterated that the team is not for sale, but also stated that other NFL owners, along with Tagliabue, were working with him to keep the team in New Orleans. On Dec. 5, Tagliabue met with Benson and New Orleans officials to tour the city and assess the viability of playing in New Orleans in 2006. On January 11, 2006, at a press conference in New Orleans, Tagliabue announced that the Saints will likely play all eight home games at the Superdome. Superdome officials said January 12 that the Dome will be ready by September 1, 2006. The NFL announced on February 5, 2006, that the Superdome would reopen on September 24 when the Saints host the Atlanta Falcons. However, Tagliabue said the team's preseason games would likely be played elsewhere in the region. He also said that the Saints and the NFL were committed to New Orleans for the long haul.Sites for the team's 2006 preseason games were announced on March 23. They are Shreveport, Louisiana, for an August 21 game against the Dallas Cowboys, and Jackson, Mississippi, for an August 26 game against the Indianapolis Colts. On April 6 the Saints released their 2006 schedule. All home games are scheduled to be played at the Superdome. The home opener against the Atlanta Falcons was moved from September 24 to September 25 and was shown on ESPN's Monday Night Football. On September 19, Saints owner Tom Benson announced that the team had sold out the Superdome for the entire season with season tickets alone, a first in franchise history .The September 25, 2006 home opener, the first home game in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, was won by the Saints 23-3 against the Atlanta Falcons, who were undefeated in the 2006-2007 season at that time. The attendance for the game was a sellout crowd of 70,003. Meanwhile, the broadcast of the game was ESPN's highest-ever rated program to date, with an 11.8 rating, and viewership by 10,850,000 homes. It was the most-watched program for the night, broadcast or cable, and was the second-highest rated cable program of all time. U2, Green Day, and the Goo Goo Dolls performed before the game.After the first-round bye, the Saints beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-24 in the Superdome in the 2006-07 Divisional Playoffs. No team had ever had such a poor record in the prior year and then went on to a league or conference championship game. Since the Saints' only other playoff win was in the wild card round, this is the farthest the Saints have ever advanced. The victory was only the second playoff win in team history.The season ended on January 21, 2007 when the Saints lost 39-14 to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship Game.