The New Orleans Saints schedule released on Wednesday night. Prior to Wednesday, we already had the who and when. We were just waiting on the when. That has also been answered. Now that we have the schedule in front of us, what are the biggest takeaways from the 18-week lineup
Expectations are low
The Saints having a whopping zero primetime games. The only other teams without a night game are the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns. That’s an exclusive club with company you don’t want to be associated with. The Titans and Browns were the two worst teams in the league in 2024.
That’s who the Saints are lumped in with. In the words of Ice Cube, “here’s what they think about you.” This is a clear message from the league. The Saints aren’t a draw. The Saints aren’t expected to turn it around in 2025, and the NFL not seeing them worthy of a primetime game is indicative of that.
Divisional games in the second half of the year
The Saints don’t play their first game against an NFC South opponent until the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town in Week 8. As the season goes on, the Saints completely flips. After not playing a divisional opponent until their eighth game, the Saints have five divisional showdowns in the last eight games.
The division hasn’t been good, but it has been close. With no team clearly separating themselves from the pack, the race for the division title is poised to be close again. These late matchups shape who has the edge and possibly determine tie breakers.
Avoiding cold weather games
The Saints don't have to play many games in bad weather. The division features fairly calm climates and the Atlanta Falcons play in a dome, like the Saints. As a dome team, looking for times you may have to brave the conditions.
New Orleans has road games versus the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears. These all had the potential to be games where the temperature was below freezing. All of those games happen before November. The Saints take trips to Charlotte, Miami and Nashville in November or later. That's a win for the Saints.