The NFC South plays non-division games against the NFC North and AFC West in 2020 and that means the Saints will face three teams from those divisions that reached the playoffs a year ago in the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Nevertheless, Drew Brees and company are very fortunate as they’ll enter the 2020 campaign with just the 24th toughest schedule in the league (.490). Now, let’s find out what lies ahead for the New Orleans Saints this coming campaign and their NFL odds.
NFL New Orleans Saints Calendar Odds & Analysis
Despite having their Super Bowl hopes come to a series of abrupt and completely stunning finishes in each of the last three seasons, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints (13-3 SU, 11-5 ATS) will enter the 2020 NFL regular season as one of the top contenders in either conference to hoist the Super Bowl 55 Vince Lombardi Trophy in February.
2020 NFL Odds
Sept. 13: vs. Tampa Bay
While Tom Brady and the revamped Buccaneers are getting all kinds of national media attention after Tampa Bay stunned everyone by signing the future Hall of Famer in free agency, I still think Drew Brees and the Saints are the cream of the crop in the NFC South and they’ll deliver that message at home in Week 1. Win.
Sept. 21: at Las Vegas
Jon Gruden has revamped his roster in Vegas to add some speed and youth on both sides of the ball, but I like the Saints to get it done in a high-scoring affair seeing as how they have the huge edge at quarterback. Win.
Sept. 27: vs. Green Bay
The Packers might have won 13 games in 2019, but I’m expecting Aaron Rodgers and company to take a step backwards in 2020. The trio of Drew Brees, Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara will star in this one as New Orleans takes care of business at home. Win.
Oct. 4: at Detroit
Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia is overmatched. I repeat…Patricia is completely and utterly overmatched and the rebuilding Lions just don’t have enough talent to beat the superior Lions. Win.
Oct. 12: vs. LA Chargers
I expect veteran Tyrod Taylor to be very solid as he opens the season under center for the Chargers in 2020. Unfortunately, ‘solid’ won’t be good enough to beat a Saints team I expect to be one of the top title contenders in the league in 2020. Win.
Oct. 18: Bye
Oct. 25: vs. Carolina
I love the way Carolina is going about heading into their new era under head coach Matt Rhule, but the young Panthers are far too early in their remake to take down a mature Saints team in this Week 7 NFC South showdown. Win.
Nov. 1: at Chicago
I’m expecting Nick Foles to take over at quarterback for Chicago and that will help the bears improve in 2020. Unfortunately, I think the Bears come up just short of getting the upset at home in this NFC matchup. Win.
Nov. 8: at Tampa Bay
After getting off to a perfect 8-0 start, New Orleans falls on the road to Brady and a Buccaneers squad that has this game circled on their calendars. Tampa Bay wins a high-scoring shootout. Loss.
Nov. 15: vs. San Francisco
The Niners eked out a thrilling 48-46 road win over the Saints a year ago. This time around, New Orleans extracts its revenge. Win.
Nov. 22: vs. Atlanta
These longtime division rivals split a year ago with both winning on the road. With the Saints and Falcons splitting their last eight meetings evenly, I like New Orleans at home in Week 11. Win.
Nov. 29: at Denver
Second-year signal-caller Drew Lock flashed a ton of potential late last season, but the only Drew that will matter in this matchup is Drew Brees. The Saints get it done on the road against Von Miller and company. Win.
Dec. 6: at Atlanta
As previously stated, these two rivals have split their last eight meetings. I like ‘Matty Ice’ and the Falcons to get the win as part of a regular season split. Loss.
Dec. 13: at Philadelphia
New Orleans has won two straight and four of five against Philly dating back to 2012 while dispatching the Birds out of the playoffs two seasons ago. Win.
Dec. 20: vs. Kansas City
The Chiefs are going to put up 30 in this Week 15 showdown, but I’m going with Drew Brees to put on a show to help New Orleans get the high-scoring affair in this possible Super Bowl 55 preview. Win.
Dec. 25: vs. Minnesota
Yes, Kirk Cousins is just a bit better than average and no, the Minnesota Vikings don’t have what could be considered an explosive offense. Still, I’m going with the NFC North title hopefuls to get the huge upset, simply because they keep coming up with inexplicable wins against New Orleans. Loss.
Jan. 3: at Carolina
The Carolina Panthers will be going all-out to get the win in their regular season finale, but following their Week 16 loss at home against Minnesota, the Saints are fully focused as they get set for the ensuing playoffs. Win.
Overall Analysis and Prediction
Despite the fact the Saints (+1000) are now, longer favorites to win Super Bowl 55 than either San Francisco (+800) or Tampa Bay (+900), I still believe all roads to the NFC Championship will go through New Orleans. The Saints have suffered a trio of stunning playoff losses the last three seasons, but they’ve come back each year with a renewed effort despite their postseason failures. I see no reason why New Orleans can’t duplicate their 13-3 mark from a year ago and that’s exactly what I have them doing in 2020.
2020 Prediction: 13-3
