NEW ORLEANS — There are several things that stand out about the New Orleans Saints 2022 schedule.
The first is that the team is scheduled for 10 noon games and only 4 of what I call marquee games, that is, games in prime time or in the 3:25 p.m. Sunday time slot.
Just two years ago the Saints had 10 of those marquee spots.
However, the NFL is expanding its ‘flex-ability.” Beginning in week 5, games that draw more attention can be moved into those marquee spots and games that become less attractive can be moved out. So, after week 5, none of the times are written in stone.
The start to the 2022 season is unglamorous, but nonetheless interesting. The Saints start with 3 division games, so a really good or really poor start could mean a lot more than it has in the past.
The Saints start off in Atlanta against the arch rival Falcons, who are not forecast to be a top contender this season. Then they host Tampa and Tom Brady. The Saints have had some good success against Brady during the regular season while he’s been in Tampa but the Bucs will be among the favorites for a Super Bowl berth. Then it’s at Carolina, another team forecast to struggle.
Those are all noon starts. Then the team travels to London for a ‘home’ game against the Vikings.
There won’t be a bye after the London game, meaning the Saints will have to regroup quickly. They’ll play a total of 13 contests before they get a late season, week 14 bye. That means the team will be in tough until that point, but, if they are contending, a late bye could give the team needed rest for the stretch run.
After London, the Saints play seven playoff teams from 2021 in the next nine games.
First, they’ll host Seattle, a team in sort of a changing status with the loss of Russell Wilson.
Then they’ll host the AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals and Joe Burrow.
Week 7 finds the Saints with their only Thursday game of the year, in Arizona. That game cannot be changed.
Then it’s back-to-back home games against the Raiders on Halloween eve and then the first of two Monday night games, this one in the Caesar’s Superdome against the Ravens.
Then it’s a tough four-game stretch. The team travels to Pittsburgh to face the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers before they host the World Champions Rams. Then they travel to face the 49ers followed by a Monday Night game in Tampa. That’s a rough nine-game stretch.
The team will then get a well-needed rest with a bye in week 14, followed by the final four games – a home game against Atlanta, a Christmas Eve road game against Cleveland, a New Year’s Day game against Philadelphia and then the Panthers at home.
The Saints currently have no Sunday night games, but there will be more flexing so if the Saints flex their muscles and perform better than expected by the experts, they’ll likely be flexed to more marquee games.
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