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Last season, the New Orleans Saints had a brutal gauntlet of games to start their 2025 campaign. Over the first nine contests in 2025, the first under new head coach Kellen Moore, the Saints would face six teams that would ultimately make the playoffs last season. Included in that were both Super Bowl LX participants. Perhaps predictably, New Orleans stumbled to a 1-8 start before ending the year on a roll and finishing up with a 6-11 record.
It's always difficult to predict exactly how an NFL season will unfold. There are several occasions where a team will rise to a playoff berth after finishing in last place the prior season. Contrastly, there are also squads that see their year crumble just a season after competing for a Super Bowl spot. With that in mind, there are still some fairly apparent difficult stretches that New Orleans will face. The Saints have just five 2025 playoff teams on their schedule, counting NFC South champion Carolina Panthers twice, but face two other teams that missed the playoffs last year who are expected by most to return to the postseason.
Obviously, getting off to a good start is crucial for New Orleans. The Saints have a tough task to open the year, going on the road against the Lions and Ravens, two postseason favorites. However, this is a six-week stretch that stands a good chance of determining how the Saints 2026 season will end up.
Contained in this stretch are four games against 2025 playoff teams -- the Panthers (twice), along with the Bears and Packers. The Buccaneers are only a year removed from four straight division titles and five consecutive years with a postseason berth. As long as Joe Burrow stays healthy, the Bengals are a legitimate threat against anyone. On paper, this feels like the toughest sustained stretch on the New Orleans schedule.
More than just the projected strength of the opponents during this stretch, there is also both importance and when and where the games take place. Four of these six matchups are on the road. Two of them, consecutive weeks at Chicago and Cincinnati, take place in late November in potentially poor weather. Three of the games are against NFC South opponents, which is obviously critical. Additionally, matchups against the Bears and Packers are potentially vital when it comes to playoff tiebreaker scenarios.
New Orleans needs to get off to a solid start in 2026, the second year for both Kellen Moore and quarterback Tyler Shough. Even if the Saints go into their Week 8 bye with a winning record, this stretch through early November and into mid-December could very well determine a potential playoff position and may even set them up for a possible NFC South championship.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: These 6 weeks will be the toughest stretch of the 2026 Saints schedule
Continue reading...
It's always difficult to predict exactly how an NFL season will unfold. There are several occasions where a team will rise to a playoff berth after finishing in last place the prior season. Contrastly, there are also squads that see their year crumble just a season after competing for a Super Bowl spot. With that in mind, there are still some fairly apparent difficult stretches that New Orleans will face. The Saints have just five 2025 playoff teams on their schedule, counting NFC South champion Carolina Panthers twice, but face two other teams that missed the playoffs last year who are expected by most to return to the postseason.
Obviously, getting off to a good start is crucial for New Orleans. The Saints have a tough task to open the year, going on the road against the Lions and Ravens, two postseason favorites. However, this is a six-week stretch that stands a good chance of determining how the Saints 2026 season will end up.
Saints' toughest stretch: Weeks 10 to 15 (6 games)
- Week 10: Nov. 15: vs. Carolina Panthers
- Week 11: Nov. 22 at Chicago Bears
- Week 12 Nov. 29 at Cincinnati Bengals
- Week 13: Dec. 6 vs. Green Bay Packers
- Week 14: Dec. 13 at Carolina Panthers
- Week 15: Dec. 20 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Contained in this stretch are four games against 2025 playoff teams -- the Panthers (twice), along with the Bears and Packers. The Buccaneers are only a year removed from four straight division titles and five consecutive years with a postseason berth. As long as Joe Burrow stays healthy, the Bengals are a legitimate threat against anyone. On paper, this feels like the toughest sustained stretch on the New Orleans schedule.
More than just the projected strength of the opponents during this stretch, there is also both importance and when and where the games take place. Four of these six matchups are on the road. Two of them, consecutive weeks at Chicago and Cincinnati, take place in late November in potentially poor weather. Three of the games are against NFC South opponents, which is obviously critical. Additionally, matchups against the Bears and Packers are potentially vital when it comes to playoff tiebreaker scenarios.
New Orleans needs to get off to a solid start in 2026, the second year for both Kellen Moore and quarterback Tyler Shough. Even if the Saints go into their Week 8 bye with a winning record, this stretch through early November and into mid-December could very well determine a potential playoff position and may even set them up for a possible NFC South championship.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: These 6 weeks will be the toughest stretch of the 2026 Saints schedule
Continue reading...
