The 2024 New Orleans Saints schedule is here and it looks daunting early on.
This year's lineup includes three primetime games, one of which will come against Sean Payton's Broncos on Thursday night football. There's also a pair of Monday Night Football showdowns and two 3:05 kickoffs, a slight departure from 2023 when they kicked off at noon 14 times.
One of those MNF matchups will come on the road against the twice-defending-champion Kansas City Chiefs and kicks off a stretch of three games in 10 days. There will also be a pair of potential cold weather games in December as the Saints hit the road in Week 14 to face the Giants and then again to visit the Packers in Week 16.
But how will it all shape up? Here's a game-by-game breakdown and prediction for all 17 games in the upcoming season.
━━
THE GAMES
WEEK 1: Panthers at Saints
- When: Sunday, Sept. 8, noon
- The series: Saints lead 31-28; Saints won 7 of last 10
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 14 ... Saints 28, Panthers 6
Jeff's take: Based on how the 2023 season went for Carolina, I imagine this is a game the Saints and their fans will go into with a ton of confidence. That said, if there's such a thing as a Week 1 trap game, this could be it. Both teams are installing new offenses and neither really knows how the other will look. You'd imagine the Saints, with a veteran quarterback and defense, would be a bit faster on the learning curve. The biggest concern for the Saints in the past was Brian Burns, and he's with the Giants now. I think the Saints get it done here in a rock fight, just like Week 2 of last season.
- Score prediction: Saints 21, Panthers 13
- Record: 1-0
━━
WEEK 2: Saints at Dallas Cowboys
- When: Sunday, Sept. 15, noon
- The series: Cowboys lead 18-15
- Last meeting: 2021, Week 13 ... Cowboys 27, Saints 17
Jeff's take: If the schedule-makers did the Saints a favor in Week 1 for an easy takeoff, that trend ends quickly. While the Cowboys have had their playoff struggles, there's no questioning their ability to dominate early and often in the regular season. We haven't seen the Saints try to limit Dak Prescott's offense in the last few seasons, but it's been reasonably competitive. It'll be interesting to see how things stack up at CB for the Saints, because a CeeDee Lamb matchup is one you'd really love to have Marshon Lattimore take on. The Saints will have to keep pace on the scoreboard to win this game and I expect the new offense to have its fits and starts early in the year. I don't like the Saints' chances in this one, particularly at Jerry World.
- Score prediction: Cowboys 31, Saints 17
- Record: 1-1
Related
━━
WEEK 3: Philadelphia Eagles at Saints
- When: Sunday, Sept. 22, noon
- The series: Eagles lead 19-16; Saints won 6 of last 10
- Last meeting: Week 17, 2022 ... Saints 20, Eagles 10
Jeff's take: This is a tough one to guess about in the preseason. The Eagles have been a thorn in the Saints' side whenever Jalen Hurts is starting at QB and we'll have to put an effective plan to stop him in the "I'll believe it when I see it" folder. That said, the Eagles that finished last season were not in the same universe as the team we saw in 2022 and early in 2023. By the end it sure looked like they'd quit on coach Nick Sirianni, and they've since had two key veterans (DT Fletcher Cox and C Jason Kelce) announce their retirements. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now that things get back on track, but if this team's swoon carries over, I'd really hope this is a game the Saints have it within them to take at home.
- Score prediction: Eagles 27, Saints 21
- Record: 1-2
━━
WEEK 4: Saints at Atlanta Falcons
- When: Sunday, Sept. 29
- The series: tied 55-55; Saints have won 7 of last 10
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 18 ... Saints 48, Falcons 17
Jeff's take: So ... what is the actual consequence of running for a touchdown out of the victory formation? Well, it's going to ensure you get a ticked-off Falcons team (and fanbase) that will be even more fired up than normal to greet a Saints team coming off what I expect to be back-to-back tough losses. If this game was later in the year or even in New Orleans I'd feel a bit differently about it. I don't think Kirk Cousins' maiden voyage with Atlanta will go as smoothly as many others seem to think. But I do think the Saints will have a difficult time matching the intensity level in this game and the mettle of this group will be tested early. There won't be firings. No one will be throwing in the towel after a month of the season, but things will be very tense and seats will be feeling VERY hot. The only saving grace is that the Saints have responded well to these situations in recent years. Let's see if they can do it again.
- Score prediction: Falcons 27, Saints 21
- Record: 1-3
━━
WEEK 5 (MNF): Saints at Kansas City Chiefs
- When: Monday, Oct. 7, 7:20 p.m.
- The series: Chiefs lead 7-5
- Last meeting: 2020, Week 15 ... Chiefs 32, Saints 29
Jeff's take: I have a feeling I'm going to differ on how I assess this game, but hear me out. Yes, the Chiefs have won back-to-back Super Bowls, but they aren't always world-beaters in the regular season. This was an 11-6 team a year ago, and much like the Patriots during their dynasty, I'm always going to feel a lot different about the playoffs than a mid-season game. Also, while the W/L record isn't pretty, Derek Carr has been sneaky good in those matchups. In his last five he's got combined stat lines of 122-182 (67%) for 1,387 yards and 11 TDs against just 4 interceptions. In those five matchups the Raiders defense gave up an average of 37.2 points. Some players just feel comfortable in certain matchups, and this seems like one for Carr. If the Saints defense can do its part I think they can come out with a surprising one, and one they'll need as they kick off a stretch with back-to-back short weeks upcoming. It's been a rough start and a lot of folks will be screaming for heads, but I think this is where things start to turn around.
- Score prediction: Saints 35, Chiefs 27
- Record: 2-3
━━
WEEK 6: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Saints
- When: Sunday, Oct. 13, noon
- The series: Saints lead 40-25
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 17 ... Saints 23, Bucs 13
Jeff's take: If you had asked me to predict this matchup prior to Week 17 of last season I'd probably have a much different answer. After years of dominating this series the Saints lost three straight and looked bad doing it. The game they had all but won still represents the biggest single stomach-churner of the Dennis Allen coaching era, and there have been a few solid contenders. That said, I think the Saints got their mojo back in this series late in the 2023 season and I also see the Bucs as primed for a regression on offense, albeit it one led by a bit of a wild card in Liam Coen. The Saints have recently struggled at home in this matchup, but I think this is where they turn that scenario on its head in a low-scoring game finished off by the defense.
- Score prediction: Saints 17, Bucs 13
- Record: 3-3
━━
WEEK 7: Denver Broncos at Saints (TNF)
- When: Oct. 17, 7:20 p.m.
- The series: Broncos lead 9-3
- Last meeting: 2020, Week 12 ... Saints 31, Broncos 3
Jeff's take: He's baaaaaaaack. It's not the major primetime spot that you'd prefer, but Sean Payton's return will, in fact be shown to a national audience on Thursday Night Football. These type of reunion games are certainly tough to gauge, but when it comes to the emotional motivation end of it, I'm giving the Saints the edge. As a head coach there's only so much you can do to fire up your group to go against a team they never played for. On the flip side, there are several key members of this Saints roster who will have every motivation to the coach that -- let's just call it what it was -- bailed on them with every intention to return as the head coach in a new location. That's what you'd hope could offset what might otherwise be a schedule loss due to the compressed schedule. The Saints get this game at home, and as we saw in Week 16 of last year, that long trip on a short week can be rough. Couple that with the Broncos either starting a rookie in Bo Nix or maybe Jarrett Stidham in this spot as they visit a stadium that will certainly be ready to let Payton hear it, and I like the Saints' odds. Assuming health, you'd also hope that the Saints' offense has hit its stride by this point. I didn't come into this exercise with the goal of winning all three of these games, but I do think this team is due for some good fortune.
- Score prediction: Saints 31, Broncos 21
- Record: 4-3
━━
WEEK 8: Saints at L.A. Chargers
- When: Sunday, Oct. 27, 3:05 p.m.
- The series: Chargers lead 7-6
- Last meeting: 2020, Week 5 ... Saints 30, Chargers 27 OT
Jeff's take: The Dennis Allen era Saints always seem to do their best work after folks have already given up on them. In this case it happened at 1-3, and this is where I think the Saints for the first time under this coaching regime with four straight games. They thrived in the schedule gauntlet and now finally get a favorable turnaround with a 10-day cushion before a trip out west. It's tough to know just how the Chargers will look to start the Jim Harbaugh era, and if he has that group humming this could be a different story, but this will be the Saints' third trip to SoFi in the last two years. They'll have motivation, particularly on defense, to walk into that building and put on a much better showing -- even if it's against a different team. Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler are now on new rosters and the group of Gus Edwards, Josh Palmer, Quenton Johnson and Ladd McConkey doesn't seem to have much in the way of teeth, even with Justin Herbert slinging the ball. I think this roster is one year away from being a top-end contender and the Saints take advantage.
- Score prediction: Saints 31, Chargers 14
- Record: 5-3
Related
━━
WEEK 9: Saints at Panthers
- When: Sunday, Nov. 3, noon
- The series: Saints lead 31-28; Saints won 7 of last 10
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 14 ... Saints 28, Panthers 6
Jeff's take: The Saints are hot and seem primed for a trap game. A lot will depend on how that Dave Canales offense has developed with Bryce Young under center. All I can go on right now is what I know about Bryce, and while the team has done its best to get him some weapons, I'll have to see this team look capable of winning big games before it.
- Score prediction: Saints 24, Panthers 14
- Record: Saints 6-3
━━
WEEK 10: Falcons at Saints
- When: Sunday, Nov. 10, noon
- The series: tied 55-55; Saints have won 7 of last 10
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 18 ... Saints 48, Falcons 17
Jeff's take: Falcons catch the Saints on a five-game win streak, but good fortune never seems to shine on this regime for very long. Saints lay a dud at home and get swept by the Falcons, leaving us with a 5-game winning streak bookended by losses to Atlanta and setting up yet another ugly potential tiebreaker scenario at the end of the year.
- Score prediction: Falcons 22, Saints 21
- Record: 6-4
━━
WEEK 11: Cleveland Browns at Saints
- When: Sunday, Nov. 17, noon
- The series: Browns lead series 13-6
- Last meeting: 2022, Week 16 ... Saints 17, Browns 10
Jeff's take: This feels like a game that will ultimately be swung by which team, if either, is still enjoying reasonably good health. This is the time of year a season ago where Derek Carr really struggled and things went off the tracks against Atlanta and Minnesota. This game is at least at home and I truly don't believe Deshaun Watson is the answer for the Browns, but he gets it done today. The Saints are in a very similar situation to a year ago with a chance to go into the bye with a winning record and confidence. They bellyflopped then, and I think they do the same thing here.
- Score prediction: Browns 28, Saints 24
- Record: 6-5
━━
WEEK 12: bye
Jeff's take: It wouldn't be a Saints season without a rollercoaster of emotions at some point, and that's exactly what we have here. A rough start, but they turned things around through the meat of the schedule. Things get tougher down the stretch, though, and that includes a pair of cold weather games.
━━
WEEK 13: L.A. Rams at Saints
- When: Sunday, Dec. 8, noon
- The series: Rams lead 44-35
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 16 ... Rams 30, Saints 22
Jeff's take: This time last year I was told I was crazy for predicting the Saints would lose to the Rams in that Week 16 showdown. A year later I think most people will be overcorrecting. These two teams are a lot closer than that game indicated and there's no Aaron Donald to contend with anymore. The Rams took advantage of a short week and the Saints did not. That was the difference. This time around I think you'll see a much more competitive game, but one that I still see the Saints having a hard time pulling out. The question with Matt Stafford at this stage always seems to be health, but if he gets here looking the way he did the second half of last season, I think the Rams take it.
- Score prediction: Rams 31, Saints 28
- Record: 6-6
━━
WEEK 14: Saints at New York Giants
- When: Sunday, Dec. 8, noon
- The series: Giants lead 17-15
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 14 .. Saints 24, Giants 6
Jeff's take: Dennis Allen and Brian Daboll feel like they're heading into the 2024 season with similar temperature seats. The two differences are that Daboll's 9-7-1 season was good enough for the playoffs, and the 6-11 season riddled with QB injuries was in 2022. The Giants still don't seem to have an answer at the most important position. They added Malik Nabers but lost Saquon Barkley. It's possible that Daniel Jones has taken his job back by this point and he's given the Saints problems in the past. A defensive line that features Kayvon Thibodeaux, Brian Burns and Dexter Lawrence is also pretty intimidating. I think this will be a low-scoring rock fight in the cold, but I just don't see the Giants being able to move the ball.
- Score prediction: Saints 17, Giants 9
- Record: 7-6
━━
WEEK 15: Washington Commanders at Saints
- When: Sunday, Dec. 15, noon
- The series: Commanders lead 17-11; Saints have won 6 of last 10
- Last meeting: 2021, Week 5 ... Saints 33, Commanders 22
Jeff's take: I'm a big Jayden Daniels fan and I think the Commanders are headed in the right direction. That said, they're at least a year away, maybe two from being a team that should be able to walk into the stadium of a team battling for the postseason and win a big game. Similarly to a year ago, Saints take advantage of some soft matchups during a pivotal stretch.
- Score prediction: Saints 41, Commanders 21
- Record: 8-6
━━
WEEK 16 (MNF): Saints at Green Bay Packers
- When: Monday, Dec. 23, 7:15 p.m.
- The series: Packers lead 18-10
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 3 ... Packers 18, Saints 17
Jeff's take: Let me start by saying I think the whole "Saints struggle outdoors trope" to be overplayed. That said, playing on Christmas eve eve in Green Bay, Wisconsin is tough on anybody. These two teams showed a year ago that they're pretty evenly matched and Jordan Love has only gotten better. If he continues on that trajectory and gets to play in his elements, I'm not giving the Saints much of a chance here.
- Score prediction: Packers 21, Saints 12
- Record: 8-7
━━
WEEK 17: Las Vegas Raiders at Saints
- When: Sunday, Dec. 29, noon
- The series: tied 7-7-1; Raiders have won 6 of last 10
- Last meeting: 2022, Week 9 ... Saints 24, Raiders 0
Jeff's take: This game might be more interesting earlier in the year, but the Raiders don't have a quarterback. I'd wager a guess they're going to be in position to draft one next year. No disrespect to Antonio Pierce and his guys, but I'll be stunned if Vegas is still playing for anything at this point in the year. The Saints, meanwhile, will again find themselves in the thick of a playoff push and desperately need to win out to give themselves a chance. This time around they can get to 10 wins with a strong finish and that will typically be enough to clinch a spot. Derek Carr gets his catharsis and the Saints stack another win here.
- Score prediction: Saints 28, Raiders 3
- Record: 9-7
━━
WEEK 18: Saints at Bucs
- When: Jan. 4 or 5, time TBA
- The series: Saints lead 40-25
- Last meeting: 2023, Week 17 ... Saints 23, Bucs 13
Jeff's take: Much like last year the Saints and Bucs meet late in the season over in Tampa and with a lot on the line. Is it weird that I feel better about this game because it's at Raymond James? The Saints have flat-out dominated that building over the last several years, and it hasn't seemed to matter who plays QB. They've won games with Drew Brees, Taysom Hill, Derek Carr ... heck, they even should've won a game with Andy Dalton if not for Tom Brady doing Tom Brady things. I can't think of another road stadium I'd rather be in for what will likely be a must-win game to either win the division or clinch a wild card spot. As I said before, I think the Bucs regress in Year 2 with Baker, but anything can happen in one game. Still, I think the Saints get it done.
- Score prediction: Saints 24, Bucs 21
- Record: 10-7
━━
I can hear it already: You also predicted 10-7 last year, aren't you tired of being wrong? Well, I never get tired of being wrong, so don't you worry about that. I'd also respond with the fact that the Saints were about as close to 10 wins as you can be without getting there, considering they lost a game to the Packers that they led 17-0 in the 4th quarter. I'm OK with that kind of wrong, considering there's no way to predict injuries.
I'd also say that I think 8-9/9-8/10-7 is exactly what this team is. There's really not a ton separating those three records. A bounce of a ball here, a twisted ankle there, a snowstorm anywhere and you could end up anywhere in that range. This Saints team isn't great, but they are veteran-laden and should be consistent. They'll beat bad teams and knock off the occasional mid- to upper-tier team, particularly if they stay healthy. They've got more playmakers than they get credit for and, again, they're tied for the weakest strength of schedule in the NFL.
Related
The takeaway shouldn't be that I'm putting them on the 10-win line again, but that I see it as very close to their ceiling. If everything goes right and they sneak out another game -- for example one of the Falcons matchups -- maybe you could see 11. It's probably more likely that everything goes off the tracks and they win something like 6 or 7 games, but when you have a veteran group things tend to stay pointed in the right direction.
We'll see, either way. This schedule is its toughest at the top and, much like my predictions above, a 1-3 start to the season could prove difficult to overcome. I have them turning things around with a big win over the Chiefs and the first extended winning streak of the Dennis Allen era, but if that doesn't happen? All bets are off. If things drop in the range of 2-6 or worse, the staff as it looks right now probably shouldn't make it through the year.
For now, though, we'll stay on the optimistic side. Beat the Panthers in Week 1 and figure it out from there.