Thoughts and Reactions to the Saints Schedule

The full Saints schedule is out and confirms what was reported earlier. Here's a closer look at it with some thoughts.

John Hendrix | May 12, 2022

We've known about the full regular season Saints schedule since early this morning, but it's now officially out. The NFL dropped the full one on Thursday evening, and we give some thoughts on how things shape up for New Orleans going through their 18-week season. We'll get some game-by-game predictions at a later date, but on paper, things look favorable for the Saints from a schedule perspective.

We learned that the team's preseason opponents include the Texans and Packers on the road, and the Chargers at home. Exact dates and times will be announced later.

2022 Saints Regular Season Schedule

Week 1 (Sep. 11): at Falcons, 12 p.m. CT, FOX
The Saints are on the road for the first time since the 2017 season. Technically, they were displaced last year and opted to play in Jacksonville for their season opener. This matchup is as good as it gets by starting the year off against your biggest division rival. New Orleans has a huge opportunity right out of the gate.
Week 2 (Sep. 18): vs. Buccaneers, 12 p.m. CT, FOX
Tom Brady and company comes to town for the team's first home game of the year. It's a great chance for Jameis Winston to get some revenge for last year. Will New Orleans keep up their stellar regular season dominance against Tampa?
Week 3 (Sep. 25): at Panthers, 12 p.m. CT, FOX
2017 saw the Saints playing the Panthers on the road in Week 3 before traveling to London for their game against the Dolphins. This year is a similar path, as they'll talk on Carolina to close out their third straight NFC South game.
Week 4 (Oct. 2): vs. Vikings (London), 8:30 a.m. CT, NFLN
We're going to find out a good bit about this Saints team after their first few games, and you'll hear a lot of people talk about the importance of taking the schedule by quarters. This will be a great opportunity for New Orleans to start off strong.
Week 5 (Oct. 9): vs. Seahawks, 12 p.m. CT, FOX
New Orleans won't have an early bye week this season, which is somewhat unfamiliar territory. Instead, they'll return home from London to take on the Seahawks in their second game at the Superdome. They don't have the punch they did last season, so we'll see what happens here. However, you have to favor New Orleans in this one already.
Week 6 (Oct. 16): vs. Bengals, 12 p.m. CT, CBS
The NFL really missed out on a primetime game here. It still could get flexed, but the amount of storylines that stem from this one go a good bit. Beloved LSU Tigers Joe Burrow and Ja'Marr Chase come home, while ex-Saints Trey Hendrickson, Vonn Bell, and Eli Apple go back to the Dome. We'll see if something changes here, but it also could be a protected game.
Week 7 (Oct. 20): at Cardinals, 7:15 p.m. CT (TNF), Prime Video
A quick turnaround after Cincinatti at home sees New Orleans go on the road to play the Cardinals. This should be a game where DeAndre Hopkins is fresh off his suspension, assuming nothing else happens. They were last in Arizona in 2016, which was the first road win Sean Payton had against them.
Week 8 (Oct. 30): vs. Raiders, 12 p.m. CT, CBS
Having the Raiders in town close to Halloween sure seems fitting. These two met in 2020 during the COVID-19 season to open up Allegiant Stadium, which saw Las Vegas get a big win. The league's interdivisional scheduling was what put this one in play, as it came down to the final regular season game with the Chargers to decide it.
Week 9 (Nov. 7): vs. Ravens, 7:15 p.m CT (MNF), ESPN
The AFC North is who the Saints play for the first time since the 2018 season, and that was the year they had a clean sweep of that division. Part of that included Drew Brees finally beating all 32 teams, as Baltimore was the one who remained. Lamar Jackson and company come to town, and it's worth pointing out that New Orleans has never defeated Baltimore at home.
Week 10 (Nov. 13): at Steelers, 12 p.m. CT, FOX
Will it be Mitch Trubisky or Kenny Pickett leading the charge for the Steelers? That's really what will be interesting here. These two have had some interesting matchups, and we'll never forget Sheldon Rankins for what he did the last time they met in New Orleans. Heinz Field should be an electric atmosphere, and that's one of the road games I'm looking forward to most.
Week 11 (Nov. 20): vs. Rams, 12 p.m CT, FOX
The Rams haven't been in the Superdome since the NFC Championship game from the 2018 season, need we say more?
Week 12 (Nov. 27): at 49ers, 3:25 p.m. CT, FOX
The only confirmed late kick the Saints have on their schedule is out west. It's sure to change, but it does make sense here. Like it was the case with the Cardinals, they haven't been out there since 2016, and that was when Mark Ingram ran wild on their defense.
Week 13 (Dec. 5): at Buccaneers, 7:15 p.m. CT (MNF), ESPN
Here's to hoping we finally get the Jameis Winston coming back to Tampa to face his former team scenario. This is the third straight year they put this road game in the primetime setting. Last year saw New Orleans shock the world with Dennis Allen leading the charge and Taysom Hill at QB in a 9-0 shutout.
Week 14 (Dec. 11): Bye
The late bye does give the team a chance to get healthy for one final push. It's normally been early in the season, so it's not like you can get mad at it. The silver lining from the early bye in the past, especially last season, was that the team was dealing with a good bit of injuries.
Week 15 (Dec. 18): vs. Falcons, TBD
It'll be the second-to-last divisional game for the Saints, which could carry a bit of weight going into the final three weeks of the season. The NFL is leaving the door open for when this game will be, so we'll undoubtedly pay attention to how it unfolds. Let's not forget that Atlanta came in last year and upset the Saints at home in a game New Orleans should have won.
Week 16 (Dec. 24): at Browns, 12 p.m. CT (Saturday), CBS
Hopefully the 'cold weather' narrative doesn't make its way into this conversation, but it's obviously going to be a storyline worth monitoring. Last year in Cleveland, there wasn't anything close to snow. Regardless, this will be an interesting one with Deshaun Watson presumably facing off against a team that nearly landed him.
Week 17 (Jan. 1): at Eagles, 12 p.m. CT, FOX
This will be the third straight year New Orleans plays Philly on the road. It's honestly a coincidence, as 2018 was the last scheduled season for them to play the NFC East. The past two road games have not been favorable for the Saints here, as they've started really sluggishly. 2023 could have a fun start to it.
Week 18 (Jan. 8): vs. Panthers, TBD
Closing the season against an NFC South opponent not named the Buccaneers is a yearly tradition. Hopefully the Saints are in much better position than last season having to win out and hope for help if they want to get back into the postseason.

2022 Saints Regular Season Schedule

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