Tag: opponents

Saints struggles against quality teams has spilled into 2024

The Saints are one of five teams who have played at least four games against teams who currently have a winning record, but haven’t defeated any:

The New Orleans Saints haven’t beat a team this year that currently has a winning record. They’re one of five teams in the NFL who have played at least four games against teams with winning records but haven’t won any of those matchups. The Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Tennessee Titans and Carolina Panthers join the Saints in the 0-4 bunch.

Carolina is one of two teams the Saints have beaten. The other is the Dallas Cowboys. At the time Dallas and New Orleans played, the Cowboys did have a winning record. It was Week 2, and both teams were 1-0. That’s the closest the Saints have gotten to beating a quality team.

As time has gone on, the Cowboys’ status as a quality team looks more questionable. The Saints’ inability to beat a good team sounds just like last season, and the year before that. It has been a recurring theme of the last few years. The Saints are 3-10 against opponents who had winning records since Dennis Allen was hired as their head coach in 2022. New Orleans feasts on bad teams and is feasted on by quality teams.

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Dennis Allen’s Saints have an atrocious record against good teams

Dennis Allen’s Saints have an atrocious record against good teams. He’s guided them to a 2-8 record against opponents who had a winning record:

There’s a narrative surrounding the New Orleans Saints that they can’t beat good teams, and Monday night’s  loss to the Kansas City Chiefs only seems to support it. Head coach Dennis Allen said himself that the Chiefs outplayed and outcoached his squad. It’s tough to argue with that.

But it’s just the latest loss in what’s a become a pattern for Allen. Since he was hired as head coach in 2022, the Saints have fallen into a 2-8 record against opponents with winning records. Their wins came against the Dallas Cowboys earlier this season and the Gardner Minshew-led Philadelphia  Eagles two years ago.

It’s a concerning trend. Allen and his staff are routinely getting outfoxed by playoff teams and opponents who have seen a thing or two. Just like last season’s demoralizing loss to Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams, the Andy Reid-led Chiefs picked up on their tendencies and picked them apart.

If you’re curious, since 2022 the Saints are 12-10 against opponents who had losing records, and 4-3 versus those who took the field at .500. If you want to be charitable and write off 2022 since Allen didn’t have Derek Carr yet, the Saints are 8-4 against teams with losing records, 2-3 against those at .500, and 1-4 against those with winning records. But that split is gnarly, meaning they’re 8-4 against losing teams and 3-7 against those who were at or above .500.

And clearly that isn’t good enough. There’s no reason to think Allen is going to figure out how to beat better opponents after losing 49 of his first 75 games. He and his staff have real limitations in terms of their vision for the team and how they can win and coach their players, and it’s directly reflected in his record. He is what it says he is. The sooner general manager Mickey Loomis comes to grips with that fact, the better off they’ll be.

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Dennis Allen got back to .500 as head coach of the Saints

Dennis Allen got back to .500 as head coach of the New Orleans Saints. One more victory and he’ll have his best-ever win streak:

Dennis Allen’s team improved to 2-0 on Sunday, which means his record as head coach of the New Orleans Saints climbed up to 18-18. He’s back to .500 after a rough start to his tenure left him at 7-10 in his first year on the job. One more victory and Allen will be 3-0 this season, with the longest win streak of his coaching career.

If you want to be technical (and who doesn’t?), Allen is already there. His Saints beat the brakes off the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in  the final two weeks of the 2023 regular season, so you could argue he’s actually won four in a row. And for the sake of argument we’ll fight back against that.

Winning three games in three weeks would be much more impressive than stretching that streak across two different seasons, especially when you consider that it’s another playoff team lining up across from the Saints next Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles just had a laugh at their division rivals’ expense, and you can bet they don’t want to get clowned on SportsCenter like the Dallas Cowboys are right now. They’ll give the Saints their best shot.

Knowing that, it would have to be even more satisfying for Allen to see his team pluck those Eagles out of the sky. A 3-0 start would be the best of his career. He’s been over .500 before with the Saints (they started 2-0 last season, too, and got ahead by a single win on three different occasions). But he’s never been three games ahead. If he can keep this positive momentum going, it would do a lot to push back against the narratives that have trailed him since his ugly 8-28 run with the Raiders all those years ago.

The challenge is clear. So are the stakes. And so is the opponent. It’s a new week. Let’s see if Allen’s team can get the job done.

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Here is our downloadable New Orleans Saints 2024 schedule

Here is our downloadable New Orleans Saints 2024 schedule for your desktop or mobile device:

Here is our downloadable New Orleans Saints 2024 schedule for your desktop or mobile device wallpaper, including dates and times for all 17 games on this year’s slate.

The Saints will play three prime time games against the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, and Green Bay Packers while working to rise above their rivals in the NFC South. While they are tied for the easiest strength of schedule in the league, the Saints themselves aren’t exactly an opponent teams fear of Sundays. They have a lot of doubters to prove wrong in 2024.

Here is our downloadable schedule highlighting star talents like Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Cameron Jordan, and Derek Carr:

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Saints will play two teams coming off of bye weeks in 2024

The New Orleans Saints will play two teams coming off of bye weeks in 2024:

NFL teams always want more time to prepare for their next game, but the inverse is also true — it’s frustrating whenever an opposing team is getting more time to rest and plan for them. Fortunately for the New Orleans Saints, they’ll be playing just two teams coming off of bye week breaks in 2024. And both of those matchups are scheduled for kickoff at the Caesars Superdome.

The Cleveland Browns will be off in Week 10 before traveling to New Orleans in Week 11; last year, Cleveland limped into the playoffs with an 11-6 record after injuries sidelined starting quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Nick Chubb, only to get shellacked by the Houston Texans in the wild card round. The Browns have built a playoffs-ready roster with plenty of talent on both sides of the ball.

As for the Washington Commanders? They’re visiting the Saints in Week 15 after resting during their Week 14 bye. Few teams have experienced as much turnover as Washington this offseason. They only won four games last season before cleaning house in the front office and on their coaching staff. They’re a bit of a wild card themselves with all these new pieces, including head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, but the Saints can’t take them lightly.

What about the Saints themselves? Their bye week this year is in Week 12, and they’ll come out of it hosting the same Los Angeles Rams team that embarrassed them last December. Head coach Dennis Alllen and his staff must come up with a better game plan than we saw last year, and they’ll have plenty of time to do so before this rematch in New Orleans.

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LOOK: The New Orleans Saints 2024 schedule is officially here

The New Orleans Saints 2024 schedule is officially here, with three prime time games and a lot of noon kickoffs:

Finally. The NFL announced its schedule of games for all 32 teams on Wednesday evening, including the New Orleans Saints — whose regular season slate includes three prime time games and a lot of noon kickoffs, as well as a well-placed bye week.

If the Saints are going to make some noise in 2024, it’ll be their own doing. They won’t get many high-profile national broadcasts to help draw outside attention. It’s past time for head coach Dennis Allen to prove he can get this squad to the playoffs after coming up short in each of his first two seasons on the job.

Here is the Saints’ complete 2024 schedule:

Week Date Opponent Time (CT)
1 Sept. 8 vs. Carolina Panthers Noon (FOX) Tickets
2 Sept. 15 at Dallas Cowboys Noon (FOX) Tickets
3 Sept. 22 vs. Philadelphia Eagles Noon (FOX) Tickets
4 Sept. 29 at Atlanta Falcons Noon (FOX) Tickets
5 Oct. 7 at Kansas City Chiefs 7:15 p.m. (ESPN) Tickets
6 Oct. 13 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Noon (FOX) Tickets
7 Oct. 17 vs. Denver Broncos 7:15 p.m. (Amazon Prime Video) Tickets
8 Oct. 27 at Los Angeles Chargers 3:05 p.m. (FOX) Tickets
9 Nov. 3 at Carolina Panthers Noon (CBS) Tickets
10 Nov. 10 vs. Atlanta Falcons Noon (FOX) Tickets
11 Nov. 17 vs. Cleveland Browns Noon (FOX) Tickets
12 Bye week
13 Dec. 1 vs. Los Angeles Rams 3:05 p.m. (FOX) Tickets
14 Dec. 8 at New York Giants Noon (FOX) Tickets
15 Dec. 15 vs. Washington Commanders Noon (FOX) Tickets
16 Dec. 23 at Green Bay Packers 7:15 p.m. (ESPN) Tickets
17 Dec. 29 vs. Las Vegas Raiders Noon (FOX) Tickets
18 Jan. 5 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers TBD Tickets

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Saints tied for the easiest strength of schedule again in 2024

Dennis Allen and Derek Carr couldn’t take advantage of the NFL’s easiest schedule last year, but they’re getting another shot in 2024:

Dennis Allen and Derek Carr couldn’t take advantage of the NFL’s easiest schedule last year, but they’re getting another shot in 2024. The New Orleans Saints are tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the easiest strength of schedule this season (.453), which is the same position they found themselves in a year ago.

And as we saw, it didn’t matter. Allen’s defense was beaten by backup quarterbacks like Joshua Dobbs and Desmond Ridder. Carr wilted in prime time matchups with the few playoff teams on their schedule, coming up short against the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, and Los Angeles Rams.

Here’s where the Saints ranked in strength of schedule each year after Drew Brees retired, and where their final record landed:

  • 2021: 22nd (9-8)
  • 2022: 14th (7-10)
  • 2023: 1st (9-8)
  • 2024: 1st (to be determined)

But teams change from year to year. Games that look like cake walks can turn out to be challenging. Squads that look like Super Bowl contenders on paper may end up just being paper tigers. That’s true of the Saints, too. Right now they aren’t regarded too highly. It’s on Allen and Carr to turn things around, rebuild their reputation at the national level, and regain the confidence they’ve lost with the fanbase. Or else teams will be looking at them as easy wins in 2024, too.

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Green Bay Packers 2024 schedule: Full list of home and away opponents

Here are the opponents who will be on the Packers’ 2024 schedule, which will be released in full by the NFL on Wednesday.

The NFL will release the full 2024 regular season schedule on Wednesday, May 15.

The Green Bay Packers know their first opponent and location: vs. the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil on Friday night in Week 1.

The NFL’s opener will be between the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night in Week 1.

Overall, Matt LaFleur’s team will play nine games at home (NFC’s year to have nine home games) and eight on the road, although the Week 1 trip to Brazil counts as a “home” game for the Eagles — negating a road trip to play in Philadelphia.

The Packers get their annual six games against the NFC North, plus four games against the NFC West and four games against the AFC South. The other three games were determined by finish during the 2023 season.

Here are the Packers’ 2024 opponents:

Home (9)

Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings
Arizona Cardinals
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
San Francisco 49ers

Away (8)

Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars
Los Angeles Rams
Philadelphia Eagles (in Brazil)
Seattle Seahawks
Tennessee Titans

The full schedule will be released by 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday. NFL Network and NFL.com will carry coverage.

Packers Wire will track all the reported games throughout the week.

Broncos will face these opponents in 2024 NFL season

Before the schedule is announced in May, here is a look at the Broncos’ opponents for the 2024 NFL season.

Welcome to the NFL offseason.

We do not have the Denver Broncos’ 2024 schedule yet (that will arrive in May), but we do know all of the team’s opponents.

Intriguing matchups on the team’s schedule will include tough road matchups against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, plus coach Sean Payton’s return to Louisiana to face his old team, the New Orleans Saints.

After going 8-9 in his first season with the Broncos in 2023, Payton will aim to get Denver back into the playoff hunt in 2024. The Broncos have not returned to the postseason since they won Super Bowl 50 in 2015.

Here’s a look at the team’s list of 2024 opponents.

Home Away
Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Chargers Los Angeles Chargers
Cleveland Browns Baltimore Ravens
Pittsburgh Steelers New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Carolina Panthers Cincinnati Bengals
Indianapolis Colts New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks

 

Ranking all 32 teams (including the Saints) by their 2024 strength of schedule

Ranking all 32 teams (including the New Orleans Saints) by their 2024 strength of schedule, from toughest to easiest:

The New Orleans Saints had an easy schedule on paper in 2023 but weren’t able to do much with it. They’ll have another shot at it this season as they have the easiest schedule in the league.

A big reason for that ranking is the fact that the NFC South was as weak as it was last season, which includes the Panthers having the worst record in the league. In addition to the NFC South, the Saints also face the NFC and AFC West.

Here is every team ranked by their strength of schedule in 2024, based on their opponents’ combined records during the 2023 season according to pro football researcher Ivan Urena, from toughest to easiest: