Saints schedule release: Kicking off against Panthers in Superdome

The New Orleans Saints’ 2024 schedule is out. The headliner? Former coach Sean Payton will return to the Superdome in prime time in Week 7 when New Orleans hosts Payton's Denver Broncos on Thursday, Oct. 17.

But before that, the Saints will have to survive a treacherous start to their 2024 schedule. Nick and I break down all the highs and lows below, including our first official record predictions.

We'll be live exclusively on https://t.co/1hOFx6oaCi tonight at 7 pm to discuss the schedule and answer your questions. Join us then.— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) May 15, 2024

SAINTS 2024 SCHEDULE

(all times Central)

WEEK 1: VS PANTHERS. Sunday, Sept. 8, Noon.

WEEK 2: at Cowboys. Sunday, Sept. 15, Noon.

WEEK 3: VS EAGLES. Sunday, Sept. 22, Noon.

WEEK 4: at Falcons. Sunday, Sept. 29, Noon.

WEEK 5: at Chiefs. Monday, Oct. 7, 7:15 pm.

WEEK 6: vs Buccaneers. Sunday, Oct. 13, Noon.

WEEK 7: VS BRONCOS. Thursday, Oct. 17, 7:15 pm.

WEEK 8: at Chargers. Sunday, Oct. 27, 3:05 pm.

WEEK 9: at Panthers. Sunday, Nov. 3, Noon.

WEEK 10: VS FALCONS. Sunday, Nov. 10, Noon.

WEEK 11: VS BROWNS. Sunday, Nov. 17, Noon.

WEEK 12: BYE

WEEK 13: VS RAMS. Sunday, Dec. 1, 3:05 pm.

WEEK 14: at Giants. Sunday, Dec. 8, Noon.

WEEK 15: VS COMMANDERS. Sunday, Dec. 15, Noon.

WEEK 16: at Packers. Monday, Dec. 23, 7:15 pm.

WEEK 17: VS RAIDERS. Sunday, Dec. 29, Noon.

WEEK 18: at Buccaneers. Sunday, Jan. 4 or 5, TBD.

PRESEASON

GAME 1: at Cardinals. TBD.

GAME 2: at 49ers. Sunday, Aug. 18, TBD.

GAME 3: VS TITANS. TBD.

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TRIP: I try not to overreact to schedules since the good teams change so much from year to year. However, there are a few hurdles that stand out to me — including two Monday night games on the road, one of which is in Green Bay in late December.

But the biggest concern is how difficult it could be for the Saints to get off to a good start, which will be essential this year. They need their players to stay bought in and their fans to buy back in. A 2-4 start would sting, and they have some of their toughest matchups in the first six weeks, plus a short-week home game against Tampa Bay.

I like their chances of starting 1-0 at home against the Panthers, at least. … Then again, that might be the biggest “must-win” game of the whole season.

Whoever makes our schedule this yr! You’re rude for packers,giants scheduling in dec? I learned a couple yrs ago from that browns game, cold games are in fact not real football— Cam Jordan (@camjordan94) May 15, 2024

NICK: My first thought was, “Man, this is really going to test Dennis Allen.” The last thing the Saints coach wants is to be 2-4 with Payton coming to town. That’s bad pressure. That’s bad noise. That would lead to a terrible atmosphere.

If the Saints just keep things even through that initial stretch, then maybe it will all line up for them to go on a run in the second half of the season. But there’s no question the team needs to change up the narrative about how they start their seasons.

I don’t know if this team can survive another sluggish start and still find a great finish. At some point, that’s going to wear out the locker room because no matter what the players say, they hear the noise. And there were times last year when the negativity you heard from outside the building seeped into the locker room.

They have to win two of the division games and figure out a way to beat either Dallas, Kansas City or Philadelphia. Denver should be winnable if the Saints are in a healthy spot mentally. You know what, though? I don’t buy the idea that this is the second-easiest schedule in the NFL. This list and how the teams are laid out looks tough.

TRIP: I’m not buying it either. I was shocked when you sprung that on me a few weeks ago. But they still have one huge advantage The NFC South remains a mediocre division that can be conquered by winning 10 games with four or five of them coming in the division. So if the Saints can finally exceed their potential just a little better than they have over the past three years, the rest of their schedule shouldn’t kill them.

And you’re right, if they start 4-3, there’s an opportunity to finish strong.

Like I said, though, the No. 1 thing I look for when a schedule comes out is short-week games that will put the Saints at a disadvantage against their opponents. And that’s always true when you play a Monday night road game. I don’t like the Green Bay game on a Monday night in late December. I also don’t like returning from Kansas City on Tuesday morning before a huge divisional matchup against Tampa Bay in Week 6 — not to mention another short week with the Thursday game in Week 7.

That’s the toughest three-week stretch of the season. And Weeks 2-8 is the toughest stretch overall.

But what about the “get your popcorn ready” perspective? What else fascinates you most or should intrigue the fans most outside of the Payton drama?

What will happen at the linebacker position during training camp?The Dot presented by Matt Bowers Auto Group pic.twitter.com/f8YpDscmX9— NOF (@nofnetwork) May 14, 2024

NICK: There are a few games that fascinate me from a defensive standpoint.

I want to see what Allen’s defense can do against the Chiefs and quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Allen always has his team ready to play, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he has something special cooked up for the best quarterback in the league. His teams used to do special things against Tom Brady. I want to know if he can get it done against Mahomes.

Same thing against the Rams. New Orleans struggled last year on a short week against Los Angeles, and it wasn’t much of a shock. Short weeks usually end up being talent vs. talent, and the Rams simply had more than the Saints last year. This time, the Saints will have the bye week to prepare for coach Sean McVay’s team. Let’s see how the scheme lines up against all that firepower.

Finally, I want to see what New Orleans can do against quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels. Allen’s teams have had issues against mobile quarterbacks. Have they figured it out at all? Will Willie Gay’s ability to stick with QBs help at all? Can Isaiah Foskey get on the field and use his speed to help contain these QBs?

Lots of intrigue.

What stood out to us after seeing the new offensive coaching staff in action?📺: https://t.co/2hePezdqQ9@HardhideWhiskey | @nofnetwork pic.twitter.com/gkuiQw66Pq— NOF (@nofnetwork) May 14, 2024

TRIP: Funny that you mention the mobile quarterbacks. Heading into last year, we wondered about their matchups against Justin Fields and Anthony Richardson, but they never happened because of injuries. So once again, these things can change quite a bit!

But the one thing that won’t change is our eagerness to see what this new Saints offense looks like. Forget the foes. I can’t wait to see Klint Kubiak’s offense unfold and whether the Kubiak/Rick Dennison/John Benton brain trust can revive a run game that has sunk this team for the past few years. I want to see what they can do for Derek Carr and whether Carr, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed can hit the ground running in Year 2.

Unfortunately, that could take a few weeks or months to develop just like last year — another reason why it hurts to have a tough early schedule — hello, Micah Parsons in Week 2, Vic Fangio in Week 3, etc. But that’s No. 1 on the watch list for sure.

So what’s the initial gut feeling on this team before we’ve even seen our first OTA practice next Tuesday? We’ve mentioned our general record predictions before, but let’s put the first official one in writing.

NICK: Something like nine wins is fair. They’re not as bad as the public thinks they are. They can hover around .500 again. The real hurdle is getting through the start of the season and making sure spirits aren’t crushed. I can foresee a scenario where the team gets off to a bad start, the Broncos sneak out a win, and the hole becomes too deep to overcome.

I also don’t like the back end of the schedule and the idea of going to Green Bay and needing a win to make the playoffs. The way these games are arranged feels about as difficult as possible.

But it is what it is. You have to beat these teams no matter what. And the Saints need to figure out how to get it done. So, I think nine wins is fair. It’s a good benchmark. This team still has six games against NFC South opponents. Nine wins isn't setting the bar high, but they'll have to beat one of Dallas, Philadelphia or Kansas City to get there.

TRIP: I feel similarly, but I’m just a notch below at 8-9. That has been my gut feeling for the past few months, and this schedule didn’t make things any easier.

I do expect the Saints to be better than they were last year, especially on offense. Their run game can only improve. It can’t possibly be worse, even with all of the question marks across the line. I fear their defense is getting older and we saw them start to drop off as last season went on. But they added at least one key upgrade to every level of that defense this year without losing much.

The biggest problem is they’ve become paper thin. In terms of depth across the roster, but also in terms of patience, buy-in and margin for error, etc. If they've learned from past issues and plugged a few of the leaks, this could easily be the team that finally gets to 10 wins and an NFC South title. But this could also be the team that finally drops below seven wins for the first time in 19 years if they suffer the wrong injuries and morale plummets.

To me, 8-9 is right in the middle of the best-case/worst-case range of outcomes.