We’re about to jump into the back seven games of the New Orleans Saints’ 2023 schedule, and few games look like easy wins given their 5-5 record at the bye week. But while every opponent brings different challenges, it’s worth acknowledging that some teams bring more to the table than others.
With that in mind, here are our rankings for the Saints’ remaining games, ordered from least-worrying to most difficult:
7
Week 15 vs. New York Giants
The Giants plan to start Tommy DeVito the rest of the way, signaling an all-but-public commitment to go into the tank and worsen their 2-8 record. And the Saints ought to take care of business against them when they visit the Caesars Superdome in mid-December. This is a vulnerable team missing some of its best players. New Orleans should put this game away early.
6
Week 14 vs. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have the worst record in the league right now (1-8) and they can’t decide who should be calling plays, with head coach Frank Reich initially giving up those responsibilities to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown before abruptly taking them back. Regardless, Bryce Young hasn’t met expectations at quarterback no matter who is calling plays for him. The Saints kept things too close for comfort in Carolina early this season but they should roll over them in front of a home crowd, even if top Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn has returned from injury by this point in the season.
5
Week 16 at Los Angeles Rams
The Rams showed a lot of fight early this season, but the shine has come off of them in the wake of an injury to Matthew Stafford. He’ll likely be starting by the time the Saints come to town, and that variable is the biggest challenge in this game: traveling cross-country on a short week. There has been no word from the NFL head office just yet about flexing this game from its Thursday night time slot (and we’ll know for sure by Thanksgiving Day’s deadline), so the Saints should expect to play as scheduled. Travel issues have tripped up many teams on these Thursday night games as of late.
4
Week 12 at Atlanta Falcons
Both the Saints and the Falcons are coming out of the bye week, and they’ll face off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium next Sunday — home turf of the proud Atlanta United FC soccer team, which has done a great job packing out the venue. The same can’t be said for Falcons fans, who often abdicate their seats for visiting Saints supporters. The Saints have been better on the road in their last 40 games (10-10) than at home (8-12), and they haven’t lost in Atlanta since the 2017 season. They should take care of business here.
3
Week 18 vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Saints will close out the regular season in a game with the Falcons that could decide which team goes to the playoffs. Both squads are still in contention for the NFC South title (as are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who we’ll get to in a bit) and seeking to rise above the rest as the best team in a very bad division. But we know who the Falcons are: a team with a massively underperforming offense and no future at quarterback with a plucky defense doing its best to copy what the Saints have done well. Imitation is the best form of flattery, but it’s no substitute.
2
Week 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs have already beaten the Saints once this year, and the things that went wrong for New Orleans in that matchup — breakdowns in pass protection and lapses in ball security — could be a problem again late this season. That alone makes this challenging. Tampa Bay hasn’t been the most challenging squad in the NFC South this year (they’re only 4-5, having cut their four-game losing streak short last week) but they can’t be overlooked, and they aren’t a good matchup for the Saints. Derek Carr was baffled by their defense in their last game and panicked under pressure, throwing to Alvin Kamara 14 times but gaining just 10 yards.
1
Week 13 vs. Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a great look at what could have been for the Saints — former assistant coach Dan Campbell has the Lions playing hard with a 7-2 record that’s put them in position to compete for the top NFC playoff seed if the Philadelphia Eagles trip up down the stretch. Just like the Minnesota Vikings were the kind of team the Saints could expect to face in the Wild Card Round, the Lions are the quality of opponent they would have to see if they advance to the Divisional Round. Detroit has an explosive offense and a well-coached defense. The Saints could make a big statement by taking them down late in the season.
