2024 Strength of Schedule (based on 2023 regular-season records): pic.twitter.com/T50tUocm1X
— Ivan Urena (@Ivan_Urena1) January 9, 2024
This might sound familiar: the New Orleans Saints are going to enjoy the NFL’s easiest strength of schedule once again in 2024, after having played the weakest slate of opponents in 2023. They’re tied with the division-rival Atlanta Falcons with a 2024 strength of schedule at .453 (131-158). We’ve previewed their full list of opponents here.
But how much does this matter? Saints head coach Dennis Allen couldn’t guide his team to a division title or even a playoff berth despite facing so many bad teams and backup quarterbacks this season. The quality of opponents might not be a big deal when the team is poorly coached and underperforming.
Still, the Saints did finish the 2023 campaign with a winning record (by a single game, admittedly, at 9-8), and internally they’re looking at that as reason for optimism. And frankly they aren’t entirely wrong to do so. Derek Carr finally hit his stride in the final six weeks of the season and led the league’s best scoring offense down the stretch. If the Saints can carry that momentum into 2024 and start strong, maybe it can buoy them to greater success while addressing their weaknesses in the offseason.
Playing in such a vulnerable division helps. All four NFC South teams rank inside the five easiest schedules of 2024. And they’re all mired in mutual mediocrity. Both the Falcons and Carolina Panthers will be introducing new head coaches this year, and it’s still uncertain whether the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a sure thing at quarterback in Baker Mayfield.
But this projection of an easy schedule might not be what it appears. On top of that, the Saints are going to match up with eight teams who made the playoffs in 2023. They went 1-5 against this year’s playoff teams. And a new head coach can turn a bad organization around in a hurry (just look at what DeMeco Ryans and C.J. Stroud have accomplished with the Houston Texans). New Orleans will kick off with teams led by first-year head coaches in at least seven games in 2024.
