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The New Orleans Saints have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL in 2024. In fact, if the measurement is combined win percentage in 2023 of all of its 2024 opponents, then New Orleans is tied with fellow NFC South member Atlanta for the easiest schedule of all 32 teams.
Some of that is merely an indictment of just how awful the NFC South was a year ago when Tampa Bay and New Orleans tied for first with 9-8 records, but the Bucs got the playoff nod by tie-breaker. Both teams were also tied at 4-2 in the division, but Tampa Bay was 7-5 in all NFC games while New Orleans was 6-6. Meanwhile, Atlanta finished finished 7-10 and Carolina was a dreadful 4-13.
In the regular season this year, the Saints will play the NFC East (Cowboys, Eagles, Giants and Commanders) and the AFC West (Kansas City, Las Vegas, LA Chargers and Broncos). The toughest of those games are Dallas, Philadelphia, and Kansas City and two of those are road games as New Orleans travels to the Cowboys and Eagles.
The 2024 New Orleans over/under win total is at a mere 7.5 games, but the Saints are a not-too-distant 3rd on odds to win the division (+350), trailing Atlanta (-115) and Tampa Bay (+290) with Carolina (+1100) distant fourth.
Klint Kubiak was hired in the offseason as offensive coordinator, and Keith Williams comes over from Baltimore as WR coach.
Kubiak, a defensive back in college at Colorado State, began his coaching career immediately upon graduation in 2009 and has been an offense assistant from day one, counter to his playing time. Of course, he is the son of former NFL QB, offensive coordinator and head coach Gary Kubiak. The younger Kubiak was San Francisco's passing game coordinator last year when the 49ers had the top team passing rating. In 2022, he was with the Vikings in the same position and Minnesota finished second in the NFL in passing yards.
We will have to see whether or not that helps Derek Carr elevate his game to playoff worthiness. In ten seasons, Carr has only led his team to the playoffs twice. But how much of that is on Carr, or the largely dysfunctional Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders teams he had the lack of pleasure to play for.
Last season he had a 97.7 passer rating in his first year with the Saints as he threw for 3,878 yards with 25 TD passes against just 8 interceptions on a team that lacks star talent and depth at wide receiver. Chris Olave has had back-to-back 1,000-yard season straight out of Ohio State.
Rashid Shaheed was second on the team with 719 while Alvin Kamara had 466.
Kamara was only able to contribute 694 yards from the running game, but then again, he has never had a 1,000-yard season. That hasn't stopped Kamara from collecting multiple records including 6 rushing TD's in a single game on Christmas Day in 2020 during a 52-33 win over Minnesota. He has a total of 77 TD's (54 rushing, 23 receiving) and a team record 505 receptions as a running back.
New Orleans had the NFL's 4th-best defensive passer rating a year ago, but was average, at best, on run defense. So the draft brought in Alabama DB Kool-Aid McKinstry in the second round, and the Saints signed former Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young (Washington, San Francisco) to a one-year deal, hoping he can recover from past ACL and neck injuries and return to his NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year form of 2020.
9/8 Carolina
9/15 at Dallas
9/22 Philadelphia
9/29 at Atlanta
10/7 (Mon.) at Kansas City
10/13 Tampa Bay
10/17 (Thu.) Denver
10/27 at LA Chargers
11/3 at Carolina
11/10 Atlanta
11/17 Cleveland
11/24 BYE
12/1 LA Rams
12/8 at NY Giants
12/15 Washington
12/23 (Mon.) at Green Bay
12/29 Las Vegas
1/4 or 1/5 at Tampa Bay