Here’s some good news. The New Orleans Saints finished in third-place within the NFC South last year, but a silver lining to the 7-10 record that landed them there in 2022 is an easier schedule in 2023. We’re all about positive thinking.
New Orleans’ opponents for the 2023 season went a combined 122-164-3 last year, which is a winning percentage of just .427 for the second-easiest schedule in the league. Only the Atlanta Falcons (.417) have an easier road ahead of them. Of the 14 teams to qualify for the playoffs, only four of them are on the 2023 schedule:
- 13-4 Minnesota Vikings (away)
- 9-8 Jacksonville Jaguars (home)
- 9-7-1 New York Giants (home)
- 8-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (twice)
Not bad, right? Of course there’s going to be a ton of turnover and changes around the league between now and September. We have a busy free agency period, the landmark 2023 NFL draft, and plenty of trades to navigate between now and then — to say nothing of the injuries, holdouts, suspensions, and other factors that will determine what each of these teams looks like in the fall.
Who will be playing quarterback in New York and Tampa Bay next year? Will the Vikings be able to keep Justin Jefferson happy despite a mediocre quarterback situation of their own? For that matter, who are the Saints going to trot out under center themselves?
New Orleans has a lot of work to do this offseason beyond finding a quarterback they have faith in. The Saints have 20-plus outgoing free agents to consider re-signing, some bloated contracts to whittle down, and plenty of funny money to move around in their usual restructures. They may be looking at the 2023 schedule and feeling good about their chances, but so are many other teams looking at their games with New Orleans.