We’ve had time to go over the New Orleans Saints‘ 2026 schedule, and some things stand out. From travel time to rest days and specific opponent lineups, there are some real quirks to take note of. Some of those things work in the Saints’ favor. Some present new challenges to overcome. Here are six important things you need to know about this year’s slate of games.
1. The bye week arrives at a great time for the Saints
The Saints will play just three of their first seven games at home in New Orleans before getting a breather during the bye week, which means they’ll come off a week of rest with ten games to go — and half of them being played at home in the Caesars Superdome. The Week 8 bye falls immediately after their Week 7 game with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris, which the Saints requested. Four of those five road games will be played in back-to-back weeks, so it isn’t like the Saints will be spending an extended time away from home. And each of those away games will take place in the Central or Eastern Time Zones. They just need to make it through the gauntlet in the opening weeks.
2. Few teams will spend as much time in travel as the Saints
With that said, the Saints will travel more air miles than all but ten other teams. They’re estimated to have 21,892 miles ahead of them in the regular season which is more than two of their NFC South rivals put together (20,925 miles between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers). While much of that can be chalked up to the Paris game, the Saints will also have long flights taking them to Detroit, Baltimore, New York, Chicago, and Cincinnati. The training staff had better prepare an effective rest and recovery plan to deal with so much time in the air. Read more here.
3. Saints’ opponents will be among the NFL’s best-rested
Opposing teams will have time to rest up between games against the Saints than all but four other teams, per Sharp Football. New Orleans will have three games against opponents with seven or more days of rest while receiving just one extended break themselves. They will also be playing with fewer rest days than their opponents in four games; that’ll be the case for just two opposing teams on their schedule. The Saints will have to manage their time at practice effectively and ensure guys are recovering on track during the season to make up for the disparity.
4. New Orleans is favored in just 5 of their 17 games
The Saints aren’t favored to win a single road game all season (including the “home” game in Paris), and they’re underdogs in half of their home games in New Orleans, too. Most of those matchups have a betting margin of 3.5 or lower, suggesting we’re in for a ton of tight games. The only game the Saints are favored to win by more than a touchdown is a late-season tilt with the directionless Arizona Cardinals. There just aren’t many believers outside the Who Dat Nation right now. Read more here.
5. Four of the last five games will come against NFC South rivals
We’ll find out what the Saints are made of, and whether they’re truly ready to retake the division, come December. They’ll play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice (Weeks 15 and 18) while visiting both the Carolina Panthers (Week 14) and Atlanta Falcons (Week 17). These games are going to have massive implications on the NFC South title race and the playoff picture. If the Saints are in the lead, you can bet each of those teams are going to be hoping on spoiling their season.
6. Roger Goodell got the Saints their one prime-time game
Goodell has long been cast as a villain among Saints fans dating back to the Bountygate scandal, but he threw them a bone by insisting they play the Falcons in prime time to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of their return to the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. For their part, the Falcons didn’t want to be featured in recognition of a humiliating loss, but they didn’t get their way. If Goodell didn’t push for this, would the Saints have gone another year without a single prime-time game? Read more here.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL Schedule Release: 6 things to know about Saints’ 2026 season