When breaking down the 2024 New Orleans Saints schedule, the term "easy" is relative.
The Saints are tied with the Falcons for last in "strength of schedule," a statistic that gauges schedule difficult by using the prior year's win/loss record. As Mike Detillier explained Thursday morning to WWL's Tommy Tucker, that figure isn't all it's cracked up to be.
"The schedule is really skewed with this 'easy' stuff, because of the fact you play the worst team in the NFL twice and last year the second worst team in the NFL once," Detillier said. "That’s how that 'easiest schedule' thing got pieced together.”
So how does Detillier have this season panning out? Scroll below for a breakdown and/or Listen to the full interview in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
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WEEK 1 | Panthers at Saints
- Mike's prediction: W, 1-0
- Why: "I like that start and the Saints have won every season opener since 2019. The last loss was 2018, a wild shootout game, Fitzmagic was playing quarterback for the Bucs that day. You know, Carolina won two games a year ago, it’s not gonna change for them quickly."
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WEEK 2 | Saints at Cowboys
- Mike's prediction: L, 1-1
- Why: "This is where the gauntlet starts."
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WEEK 3 | Eagles at Saints
- Mike's prediction: L, 1-2
- Why: "Jalen Hurts has been a guy that’s been a pain in the butt against you every time you’ve played him because his running skills have gave the Saints fits the last couple times they’ve played and he’s become a much-improved passer."
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WEEK 4 | Saints at Falcons
- Mike's prediction: L, 1-3
- Why: "I’m always a big believer that you’ve got to be 4-2 in the division, meaning sweeping the Carolina Panthers and beating the Bucs and the Falcons once. Now, you’re on the road, Kirk Cousins is a lot better quarterback than Desmond Ridder was, so that’s a tough stretch, those three games after the opener, and it gets even worse the following game.”
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WEEK 5 | Saints at Chiefs (MNF)
- Mike's prediction: L, 1-4
- Why: "you’re playing the world champs in their backyard and the best player in the business in Patrick Mahomes, and their defense has been really good. That’s what carried them for a good portion of the early season last year."
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WEEK 6 | Bucs at Saints
- Mike's prediction: W, 2-4
- Why: "Tampa Bay, at home, you’ve got to take care of business there. You’ve got to be able to beat them."
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WEEK 7 | Broncos at Saints (TNF)
- Mike's prediction: W, 3-4
- Why: "I get it, Sean Payton’s return, everything else, but who’s gonna play quarterback for them? OK, Sean is really never handed the baton ever to the rookie quarterback and say OK, kid, you carrying us. So, is Jarrett Stidham or Zach Wilson gonna be the guy here? Or by this time his patience has run thin with both of them and he’s gonna give it to Bo Nix."
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WEEK 8 | Saints at Chargers
- Mike's prediction: L, 3-5
- Why: "I think an improved Chargers team, certainly with Jim Harbaugh, and they’re gonna run the football. They’re gonna test your manhood defensively, because you know what he wants to do, despite the fact that he’s got Justin Herbert. He’s gonna want to run the football, it’s always been part of his DNA."
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WEEK 9 | Saints at Panthers
- Mike's prediction: W, 4-5
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WEEK 10 | Falcons at Saints
- Mike's prediction: W, 5-5
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WEEK 11 | Browns at Saints
- Mike's prediction: L, 5-6
- Why: "Cleveland is a crazy game, because defensively they can play with anyone. That final game, man, they got blitzed by the Houston Texans in the playoffs with CJ Stroud, but they played good defense all year long."
WEEK 12 | bye week
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WEEK 13 | Rams at Saints
- Mike's prediction: L, 5-7
- Why: "With the Rams, they look like the varsity and you were the JV last year. I mean, Matt Stafford’s healthy, that’s a difficult game. … Man, they looked awesome on offense. Now, they don’t have Aaron Donald on defense this year and there is no individual that’s gonna be next-man up for that one, because there’s no man in his zipcode as a player. That’s a loss against the Rams. You just don’t match up well against them."
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WEEK 14 | Saints at Giants
- Mike's prediction: W, 6-7
- Why: "I think you take care of business against the Giants. OK, you’re playing Daniel Jones at quarterback, most likely at this stage. Malik Nabers is there, but he can’t throw it and catch it. So that’s a win against the Giants."
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WEEK 15 | Commanders at Saints
- Mike's prediction: W, 7-7
- Why: "This was maybe the most difficult one for me. ... They won four games last year. You’ve got a new coach, older defense when they went out and got a lot of grizzled veterans that have been there, done that and they bring in Jayden Daniels and Jayden’s the type of quarterback that has given this team fits, but you should take care of business. I think that game will be close, but it’ll be a very pivotal game, so I put a W there, but I know the challenge that that is going to be against the Commanders. That’s not an easy one on that one for me."
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WEEK 16 | Saints at Packers (MNF)
- Mike's prediction: L, 7-8
- Why: "At Green Bay, man, listen, it’s gonna be cold. It’s a Monday night game on the 23rd, but coldness is the least of our worries. The big worry — I couldn’t have said this a year ago — the biggest worry is Jordan Love at quarterback for them and how well he played down the stretch. He really looked good, so that’s an L.”
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WEEK 17 | Raiders at Saints
- Mike's prediction: W, 8-8
- Why: "I think you take care of business against the Raiders, OK, you’re going up against Aidan O’Connell or Uncle Rico, Gardner Minshew. You should beat the Raiders at that spot. So now that gets you to 8-8."
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WEEK 18 | Saints at Bucs
- Mike's prediction: L, 8-9
- Why: "I had them winning against the Bucs earlier. I think they split, that one’s a loss.”
The result would be a disappointing one and, barring a surprisingly weak NFC South standings, would leave the Saints out of the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.
"My thing is it’s all about quarterbacks and you’re playing better ones this year than you did a year ago," Detillier said. "You’ll never have another schedule like that.”