2023 New Orleans Saints schedule analysis

Circle the date: Week 2 at Panthers (Sept. 18)

The lone Monday night game on the Saints' 2023 schedule is an early battle for the NFC South crown. Two-time defending division champ Tampa Bay (+900) has the longest odds of winning the division leading to an opening that either New Orleans or Carolina could fill. The winner will be on the inside track to bigger things.

Toughest stretch: Weeks 7-10 (vs. Jaguars, at Colts, vs. Bears, at Vikings)

This slate is bookended with games against two 2022 division champions. The Jaguars are an ascending team and might be the best team the Saints play this season. That game also comes on a short week as Jacksonville's one Thursday night game. The Vikings have gotten the best of the Saints on multiple occasions and looks like the toughest road foe on the docket. 

As for the Colts and Bears, mobile quarterbacks have been a thorn in the side of the Saints defense over the years. With Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis) and Justin Fields (Chicago), head coach Dennis Allen has two duel-threat QBs to game-plan against in consecutive weeks. 

Easiest stretch: Weeks 1-4 (vs. Titans, at Panthers, at Packers, vs. Buccaneers)

The opening stretch of New Orleans' schedule appears more manageable. Derrick Henry will be a chore to take down in Week 1 — and is a great test for a Saints defense that struggled against the run in 2022 — but Tennessee's passing offense doesn't look threatening. New Orleans also gets Bryce Young in just his second NFL start (as long as Andy Dalton doesn't have anything to say about it) and Jordan Love in his fourth. Not much is expected from the duo of Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask in Tampa Bay, either. New QB Derek Carr has a friendly opening slate to win over Who Dat Nation.

No cold for Saints men

The Saints play their home games in the cozy confines of the Caesars Superdome but found themselves in brutal conditions last December in Week 16 at Cleveland. The game-time temperature was six degrees Fahrenheit, and the wind chill made it even worse.

Schedule-makers saved the Saints from a repeat of that scene this season... as long as a deep freeze doesn't strike Tampa Bay on New Year's Eve. Potential cold-weather games at Carolina, Green Bay and New England were all scheduled within the first five weeks of the season, saving New Orleans from experiencing harsh winter weather two years in a row. The Week 17 game at Tampa is the only outdoor game on the Saints' schedule among their final 12.