The New Orleans Saints won't have the luxury of easing into their 2026 schedule, with two of the most difficult matchups slated for Weeks 1 and 2.
Those are road dates with the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, a stretch that, as former Saints LB and Super Bowl champ Scott Shanle explained on WWL Radio this week, will force the Saints to prove their mettle right out of the gate.
“I think the people sitting in those NFL offices got a little wind of the Tyler Shough end of the year and the hype starting building around the black and gold, and they said OK, let’s see if you guys are for real so we know right off the bat," Shanle said. "I mean, going to Detroit and going to Baltimore, those are an NFC and an AFC favorite the last couple years. ... I think they have a chance to make a statement early on. You go, whether you split 1-1 or you’re competitive in those games and you push Detroit and Baltimore, I think that sets you up to raise the bar for yourself throughout the season.”
Hear the full interview with former Saints LB and Super Bowl champ Scott Shanle in the player above. Can't see the embed? Click here.
The schedule lightens up quickly once the schedule turns to Week 3, with the Saints facing the Raiders for the start of three straight home games. They'll get a Monday Night Football matchup with the Falcons before hosting the Vikings, then they'll travel to face the New York Giants before a showdown with the Steelers in Paris. An extended winning streak isn't out of the question, and Shanle said that will work wonders for the confidence of this young Saints group.
“It’s a cliche about how the momentum and the confidence snowball, but it’s true," Shanle continued. "I think winning in this league is hard, and when you get a win, and you get a second win and you start stacking wins, I think going into work on your days off and watching film, taking care of your body, getting extra reps in in the weight room, I think all those things on their own snowball. Guys are watching more film, guys are studying, because you can’t replicate or replace the feeling of winning. ... I think this team really has a chance to compete in the NFC South and they just need to continue that momentum from last year, because they really got hot late in the year. A lot of people talk about the easy schedule they played, it’s not easy to win in the NFL, I don’t care who you’re playing. So just continue that momentum, because it just snowballs itself and then you rattle off 5-6-7 wins in a row.”
MORE FROM SHANLE
On Domecoming anniversary game vs Falcons
“First of all, I can’t believe it’s been 20 years since that night, because I saw that game on the schedule, and it just kind of gave me goosebumps, because that game is by far the loudest game I ever played in. There’s not even a close second. The Minnesota Vikings NFC Championship game was extremely loud, very loud, but the Atlanta Falcons game is the only game I’ve ever stood on the field, looked at [Scott] Fujita and looked at my teammates and could not understand one thing they were saying and I felt like I was vibrating. Like, the old electronic football game where the players are vibrating on the field, it was so reverberating down there that you just felt like you were in a dream. It was amazing, it was an amazing night and to get to that win over Atlanta in the Domecoming, definitely a big-time memory.”
How disruptive is an international trip within a season?
“Sometimes you sound spoiled if you hear a player say it, but it really is a disruption. Guys don’t like it. … Listen, we played the Chargers in London, we play at Carolina, we get on a plane, we go over there, we’re staying in a hotel all week, your time is all messed up. But when you get to that moment and you get to play in Wembley Stadium and you look back and you say hey, that was a great trip, I would’ve never went to London without it. So these guys are going to make memories, but it is a disruption in the middle of a season because players and coaches are creatures of habit. They like to get into their routine, so it does disrupt the middle of the season a little bit, but again, you have a chance to be on a world stage, playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, an iconic franchise, and it’s another game you get to make a statement.”
Who do you see as the biggest threat in the NFC South?
“I don’t know if a team scares me. I’m a little shocked at how much hype is built around the Carolina Panthers. I feel like all the primetime games that the Carolina Panthers had should’ve been reserved for the black and gold. I feel like we have the better quarterback and we were having more momentum towards the end of last year. I know they did what they needed to do, but I don’t think Carolina, I think Carolina maybe scares me in the division the least. I think Tampa Bay has had a lot of recent success. They’re a tough team. I think they draft well. I think they know what they want in their guys, and then Atlanta is always kind of just that team that everybody likes, the shiny pieces, the talented players, and then they just never put it together, but they can be dangerous just because of their offensive weapons, and they just have to put it together at quarterback and defense. I still like the Saints as the best in the NFC South, and hopefully those other teams are figthing for 2nd, 3rd and 4th.”
