The 2021 NFL season is over, and because of that we now have a better picture of what the 2022 season will look like.
For the first time in a half-decade, the Saints finished outside of first place in the NFC South. While frustrating, it does offer a bit of a luxury: Because of the NFL's schedule formula, that means the Saints won't have to face off with many of this year's conference winners.
The other thing we know: The Saints will have nine home games, compared to eight road games. The opposite was true this season, with the AFC getting the first round of extra home games with the NFL adopting an uneven, 17-game schedule.
So who will the opponents be? Well, first thing's first, there will be a pair of division games (one home, one away) against the NFC South.
- Tampa Bay Bucs (home and away)
- Carolina Panthers (home and away)
- Atlanta Falcons (home and away)
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The Saints, and the rest of the NFC South, will also face off with one division in each conference. This season that will be the NFC West and the AFC North.
Home games:
- vs L.A. Rams
- vs Seattle Seahawks
- vs Baltimore Ravens
- vs Cincinnati Bengals
Road games:
- at Arizona Cardinals
- at Cleveland Browns
- at Pittsburgh Steelers
- at San Francisco 49ers
The NFL also pits each team in three other matchups against teams that finished in the same place in their respective conferences. So that means the Saints have three games against three other teams that finished No. 2. Two of those will be at home, with one on the road.
Home games:
- vs. Las Vegas Raiders
- vs. Minnesota Vikings
Road games:
- at Philadelphia Eagles
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The only questions remaining will be the exact order of the opponents, and whom the Saints will match up with in the preseason. Two of those three preseason matchups will come on the road, and are typically announced around the time of the full NFL week-by-week schedule. That announcement typically comes in early May.