3 things we learned from the New Orleans Saints' 2024 schedule release

When Sean Payton will return to New Orleans

The Denver Broncos, led by Payton, will visit New Orleans in Week 7. 

It'll be a time of the season where the Saints may be highly-motivated to get a win if they struggled with a tough early slate in their schedule. Add in the emotion of playing against Payton, and they should not lack determination to bring home a victory as the much more talented roster. 

Week 18 may decide the NFC South

The Saints will battle the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to complete the regular season slate. Both are expected to be contenders for the division title. 

It's easy to project either, or both, of the squads to win between eight and ten games, and the difference in their divisional matchups could make all of the difference. It was a tight race between TB and NO in 2023. Don't be surprised if that's the case again this year. 

Slow start is not the end of the world

The start to the season is not easy for New Orleans. They play the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs in the first five weeks of the year. All three of those teams could be in the postseason, and the Chiefs are the reigning Super Bowl champions. 

Even if the Saints begin 2-3 or 1-4, they cannot mail it in. They have winnable games directly after that stretch, and their final month of the season is very palatable in terms of opponents. It is a long season, and the Saints may need to work some things out on offense early in the season with their new scheme. 

Let's see if the Saints can right the ship and return to the playoffs this year.