The team that had no home five years ago after Hurricane Katrina ravaged its city and the Superdome overcame a slew of mistakes in the biggest game the Big Easy has ever seen.
But the biggest error was made by Favre. The 40-year-old quarterback threw away Minnesota's chance for its first Super Bowl trip in 33 years with an interception deep in Saints territory in the final seconds of regulation.
New Orleans won the coin toss, Drew Brees guided it to the Minnesota 22 and Hartley, suspended at the start of the season for using a banned stimulant, split the uprights 4:45 into OT.
"Just helping my team get to Miami," Hartley said. "Just doing my part."
Forget the paper bag masks and a long history of losing. Moments after Hartley's kick, they were toasting their hometown winners on Bourbon Street.
And in the Superdome, once a squalid refuge after Katrina, they boogied in the aisles as confetti covered the field.
The Saints (15-3) will meet the Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts (16-2) in the Super Bowl in two weeks in Miami.
It's the first time the top seeds in each conference made the big game since the 1993 season.
