Does no primetime mean a good time for the Saints?

Breaking down a recent history of games.

From 2001-2024, the New Orleans Saints have always played at least one game on Thursday, Sunday, or Monday Night Football. The upcoming NFL regular season will break that streak and mark the first time the Saints do not play in prime time since the year 2000.

While New Orleans may not have any kickoff times slated for the evening hours, there are several games on the 2025 schedule that garner enough attention for an afternoon time slot. The Saints are currently scheduled to play six games that will start ateither 3:05 or 3:25 p.m. CST with the season finale’s kickoff in Atlanta still to be determined. Of those six, the Saints will split being the home and away team evenly.

As the Saints work through the rough patches of their inevitable rebuild, perhaps staying out of the spotlight will do better for the organization than many think. If you take a look at recent years, New Orleans actually has a better record in afternoon games than they do in any primetime night game.

Over the course of the last five years that New Orleans has had a game begin in the three o’clock hour (going back to 2019 because none were played in 2023), the Saints have a record of 9-6 including an impressive 5-2 in 2020. Albeit, they have not earned a victory in the afternoon since 2021 after going a combined 0-5 the previous three regular seasons.

Night games do not get any better for the Saints. The last five years of primetime games have equated to a dismal record of 5-13. Again, in the previous three league years, New Orleans is just 1-8 when it comes to primetime matchups.

As a current fan, are you okay with not having the glitz and glamour of a primetime game on the schedule if you got one or two extra wins in exchange? Or would you rather see the Saints highlighted in a nationally televised broadcast? Let us know how you feel in the comments below!