Saints Schedule Observations and Takeaways For The New League Year

Notes and observations from the Saints 2024 schedule.

Jan 7, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver A.T. Perry (17) scores a / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL schedule is officially out, and it's time to talk about the Saints and how things stack up for 2024. New Orleans has an interesting lineup ahead of them, which features a late bye, cold-weathered games and a few very intriguing matchups. Here's all of our schedule thoughts for the black and gold.

New Orleans Saints 2024 Schedule

• Week 1 (Sep. 8): vs. Panthers, noon (FOX)
• Week 2 (Sep. 15): at Cowboys, noon (FOX)
• Week 3 (Sep 22): vs. Eagles, noon (FOX)
• Week 4 (Sep 29): at Falcons, noon (FOX)
• Week 5 (Oct. 7): at Chiefs, Monday Night Football (ESPN)
• Week 6 (Oct. 13): vs. Bucs, noon (FOX)
• Week 7 (Oct. 17): vs. Broncos, 7:15 p.m., Thursday Night Football (Amazon)
• Week 8 (Oct 27): at Chargers, 3:05 p.m. (FOX)
• Week 9 (Nov. 3): at Panthers, noon (CBS)
• Week 10 (Nov. 10): vs. Falcons, noon (FOX)
• Week 11 (Nov. 17): vs. Browns, noon (FOX)
• Week 12 (Nov. 24): Bye Week
• Week 13 (Dec. 1): vs. Rams, 3:05 (FOX)
• Week 14 (Dec. 8): at Giants, noon (FOX)
• Week 15 (Dec 15): vs. Commanders, noon (FOX)
• Week 16 (Dec 23): at Packers, 7:15 p.m., Monday Night Football (ESPN)
• Week 17 (Dec. 29): vs. Raiders, noon (FOX)
• Week 18 (Jan. 4 or 5): at Bucs, TBA

Saints Schedule Takeaways

THREE PRIMETIME GAMES: It wasn't surprising to see the Broncos and Saints in primetime, especially on Thursday Night Football. Sean Payton's return to New Orleans will surely bring an interesting response. What is a little surprising is seeing two Monday Night Football games, both being against two pretty strong opponents in the Chiefs and Packers. That Green Bay game will be quite frigid, but the Saints have played in those conditions and have come out on top (see Browns game in 2022).

EARLY SEASON TEST: The two divisional games are obviously a big focal point within the first four weeks, but what we should be looking at is how the Saints will fare against the Cowboys and Eagles in back-to-back weeks. In particular, what will the offense look like? That offensive line will be put to the test, to say the least, as both Dallas and Philly have formidable front sevens. The Saints can't afford to get in too big of a hole early.

THE OLD SHORT WEEK AFTER A DIVISIONAL OPPONENT ROUTINE: New Orleans faces the Broncos on a short week, and both clubs will be coming off a divisional game from the Sunday slate. It's a tradition like no other, and Thursday Night Football hasn't exactly been favorable for the Saints. The last time Denver was in the house (2016) sparked plenty of controversy. There's also the fact they'll play three games in 10 days.

Predicting The New Orleans Saints Record Through The First Four Games Of The Season

HOME STAND OF SORTS: Between Weeks 10-13, New Orleans will have a home stand, playing three straight games in the Superdome following a back-to-back road trip. They'll have a Week 12 bye in between all of that before taking on the Rams. Speaking of the bye week, coming late in the season is a bit of a gift. New Orleans will be able to rest some to tackle their final six games.

DIVISIONAL WORK NEEDS TO BE HANDLED EARLY: The Saints will only have one division game to play in their final eight contests. All of the key NFC South wins will need to come by Week 10. That's not saying New Orleans couldn't win the division down the stretch. However, the season finale against the Bucs could set things up for an interesting end to the year.

REMATCH SPOTLIGHT: The Packers and Rams are two games the Saints obviously needed last year, and losing a lead in Green Bay ended up haunting New Orleans in the long run. They'll get a chance to make things right, and you already know the Rams coming to town will bring back all of the memories that have not been forgotten.