Sorry Saints fans, but it’s going to take patience to get through the 2024 NFL season

Most New Orleans Saints fans have their eyes on a possible playoff berth going into the 2024 season. There are high hopes for the new offense with the changes to the staff and the momentum built at the year's end. In addition to this, Sharp Football Analysis puts together the teams with the easiest schedules according to Vegas win projections. In that metric, the Saints have the fifth-easiest schedule. Additionally, New Orleans is tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the easiest schedule in the league based on last season’s win totals.

This gives fans a lot of hope going into 2024. Unfortunately, the season may not start amazingly. However, that should be expected and shouldn’t be a cause for concern.

Saints could have a rough start to the 2024 season

It’s important to preface this by saying what it means that New Orleans season may not start great. Here’s a look at the Saints’ first seven games:

• Week 1: Vs. Panthers
• Week 2: At Cowboys
• Week 3: Vs. Eagles
• Week 4. Vs. Falcons
• Week 5. At Chiefs
• Week 6: Vs. Buccaneers
• Week 7: Vs. Broncos

This is not an easy schedule at all. The Saints face all three teams in their division, as well as teams who are looking to compete for the Super Bowl. It is not unlikely that the Saints finish this stretch under .500. If they go 1-6 or even 2-5 it could be cause for concern but the team can cross the bridge of panic if they come to it (which hopefully they won’t).

Multiple factors are contributing to what could be a rocky start to the season. The first is the strength of their early schedule. Facing teams such as the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Eagles is no easy task. Even if they play their best it still might be difficult to come out with a win. The second is that the team is installing a whole new offense. There are bright hopes for it but it will take time to set up. It wouldn’t be rational to believe that the offense will be perfect on the first snap of Week 1. It will take time. We can expect it to get cleaner and more effective as the year goes on.

The start of the season may cause chaos among the fanbase. However, this should be expected due to the strength of the schedule and the installation of a new offense. The start of the season may be rocky but it is extremely feasible that the Saints turn it around and have a great year. So, as hard as it may be, fans will need a little bit of patience.

READ MORE