Despite what you may have heard, the Saints can leave those passports in the drawer for 2023 -- they'll be staying stateside.
The NFL announced its five-game international slate early Wednesday morning, and New Orleans is not on it. This comes despite reports stemming from a German newspaper earlier this month that the Saints would be the opponent of the Patriots in one of the two Frankfurt games.
That is, in fact, not true. But there are some interesting tweaks for this year's schedule, including the first-ever team to play back-to-back weeks overseas.
Here's the full schedule:
- Week 4: Falcons vs. Jaguars in London (Wembley)
- Week 5: Jaguars vs Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Week 6: Ravens vs Titans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
- Week 9: Dolphins vs Chiefs in Frankfurt
- Week 10: Colts vs Patriots in Frankfurt
The Week 5 game will mark the 11th time the Jaguars have played in London since the international series started in 2007.
The NFL also revealed their matchups for New Year's Eve, Christmas Day and its first-ever Black Friday game:
- Black Friday: Dolphins at Jets (2 p.m. Central)
- NYE: Bengals at Chiefs (3:25 p.m. Central)
- Christmas Day: Eagles at Giants (3:30 p.m. Central)
That leaves the Thanksgiving slate as the only non-traditional slots left that the Saints could land in. While disappointing for anyone hoping for an excuse to visit Deutschland, it could be viewed as a positive in an already grueling season.
Related
In 2022 the Bucs and Seahawks played in the first-ever Germany game (Munich), with the Bucs pulling out a close, 21-16 victory. That high was short-lived, though, with the Bucs losing 3 of their next 4 games, the lone win being the stunning comeback against/collapse by the Saints in Week 13. The Seahawks lost four of their next five games and nearly missed the playoffs after a 6-3 start. The Saints' trip to London in 2022 came in the middle of a stretch in which they lost 5 of 6 games, though they did defeat the Seahawks in their return home in Week 5.
Whether you want to blame jetlag or not for some of those woes, it won't be a valid excuse for the Saints in 2023.
The rest of the schedule, though, remains in question. The NFL is scheduled to release its full slate of games on Thursday.
Related
