Saints schedule preview: Which games on 2023 slate will get featured?

Leave it to the NFL to turn something as mundane as the release of its schedule as another event to dominate the sports landscape for one day.

On Thursday night, the league will release the 272-game schedule, including the Saints’ 17-game slate.

Which games will get the featured treatment this year? For a number of reasons, the number of Saints’ spotlighted games will be fewer.

*The Saints have missed the playoffs the last two years.

*The NFC South, for the first time since 2005, will not have a quarterback named Brady or Brees taking up residence, and it was the weakest division in football last year.

*The balance of power in the NFL has shifted to the AFC.

*And the built-in opportunities to get late afternoon games that could be featured are minimal this year because 16 of the 17 games will be played in the Eastern and Central time zones.

All that said, let’s go through the Saints schedule and rank the 14 opponents from most likely to least likely to get the spotlight in 2023.

1. at Los Angeles Rams

If this game isn’t in primetime, it has to be a late-afternoon kick simply because of location. There’s also more than a little bit of history between the two franchises.

2. vs New York Giants

The Giants were a playoff team a year ago and if the league is looking to spotlight a good quarterback on the road against a good defense, Daniel Jones might be the guy. Three of the last four in this series have been noon kickoffs, so perhaps it’s time to place this game in a preferred slot.

3. vs Jacksonville Jaguars

Everything about the Giants applies to the Jaguars as well. The only difference is the TV market and the team following. Still, this could be a candidate for a Thursday night game.

4. at Indianapolis Colts

Besides being a rematch of Super Bowl XLIV, four of the last five regular-season games in this series have been played in primetime. Could that trend continue?

5. vs Detroit Lions

A team on the rise comes to the Dome. And this is probably a good time to mention that ESPN usually likes to get here at least once per year for Monday Night Football.

6. at Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings won the NFC North last year, and of course, there’s a history – some really good, a lot of forgetful – between these two.

7. at Green Bay Packers

The Packers are still one of the biggest attractions in the league, but how will they get treated as they transition from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love? (Those on Airline Drive will be looking to see where this lands on the schedule, to hopefully avoid a very cold weather game.)

8. at New England Patriots

When this was Brady against Brees, it was almost always in the spotlight. Now, the chances are reduced significantly. (Ditto from above about the cold weather.)

9. vs Chicago Bears

This is only the Bears’ third regular-season visit to the Dome in the last 20 years. Many of the Saints’ visits to Chicago recently were either doubleheader or primetime games, but unless this lands on Thursday, it doesn’t seem like it will budge from noon Sunday.

10. vs Tennessee Titans

Even when the Saints and Titans have both been good, this matchup has rarely landed in a high-profile spot on the schedule. Can’t see that changing this time around.

11. vs/at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There is always a chance a division matchup could end up on Thursday night, but it seems highly unlikely.

12. vs/at Carolina Panthers

See above.

13. vs/at Atlanta Falcons

See above.

14. at Houston Texans

Only the Texans could move further down the line than the three teams in the NFC South.