New Orleans reveals schedule; early take on what could be

The New Orleans Saints revealed their full 2020 schedule and, for a moment in time, sports fans around the state had the opportunity to take their minds off of the current situation.
If and when the NFL is able to get back to preparing for the upcoming season is still not known. Commissioner Roger Goodell has said that the league will be “prepared to make adjustments as necessary, as we have during this offseason.”
To be truthful, no one really knows what the NFL will look like in 2020. The possibilities are endless.
Does the NFL play without fans? Does the NFL play in front of reduced numbers of fans? Does the NFL play a truncated season?
All of those questions will be addressed and answered over the next few weeks and possibly months.
For now, let’s pretend that the season will get underway as scheduled. I’m mostly a pragmatic person, but one can look through rose-colored glasses every now and then.
With that in mind, here is the Saints’ schedule along with a premature prediction on how New Orleans will fair.
Right off the bat, Saints’ fans get the benefit of seeing two masters of their craft when New Orleans hosts Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Brady is 4-1 against New Orleans, but 1-1 at the Superdome. The Bucs are trying to get the program back to what it was in the early 2000’s, but it will take some time to get everyone on the same page.
New Orleans heads to Las Vegas to take on Jon Gruden and the Raiders. Las Vegas added some firepower to their offense through free agency and the draft, however they gave up 26 points per game last season.
The Green Bay Packers come to town in week three, towing along what could be a team in disarray. Despite making the NFC Championship game last season, the Packers did nothing to improve their offense.
Week four has the Saints traveling to Detroit to take on the Lions. Head coach Matt Patricia is trying to get Detroit headed in the right direction, but the Lions are still in a building mode.
A home game against the “Men in Powder Blue” is on tap for week five, as New Orleans hosts the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bolts will more than likely start a rookie quarterback, Justin Hebert. Los Angeles has a solid organization, but regressed this past season, going 5-12.
New Orleans gets a bye in week six and then stays at home to host the Carolina Panthers in week seven. Carolina made some big changes in the offseason, including their head coach, offensive co-ordinator and their quarterback.
Mitch Trubisky and the Chicago Bears host New Orleans in week eight. The Bears are by no means the “Monsters of the Midway” they once were and the Saints are 2-0 against a Trubisky led team.
A trip to Tampa Bay in week nine is followed by a home game against the San Francisco 49’ers in week 10. No doubt revenge will be on the minds of the Saints’ players and fans after last year’s heartbreaking loss.
New Orleans hosts the “Dirty Birds” in week eleven, before going on a three-game road trip, something the organization has done only 16 times in franchise history. That trip includes stops in Denver, Atlanta and Philadelphia.
A let down during that three game stretch is not out of the possibility as the Saints have won all three games in a three-game road trip only once in team history.
New Orleans comes back home in week fifteen, only to face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are still loaded and ready to go, so it will be a tough task for New Orleans, even if they are in the ‘Dome.
Week 16 falls on Christmas Day and New Orleans will repeat history when they host the Minnesota Vikings. It will be the first time since 2009 the NFL plays a game on a Friday.
The final week of the regular season sees the Saints travel to Carolina for the second time in 2020.
So, with that said, my fearless prediction for the Saints in 2020: 12-4.
New Orleans will start the season 7-0 and then fall to the Tampa Bay in week nine. The Saints, more than likely will trip up during their three-game road trip, just because of the difficulty of winning three games on the road, making them 11-2 heading into week fifteen.
I do not think New Orleans has the fire power to stay with the Chiefs in week fifteen and given the history with the Vikings over the past few seasons, I firmly believe the Saints will fall to Minnesota.
New Orleans will beat Carolina in the regular season finale and head into the playoffs as the number two seed. The Saints will have to play a first-round game under the new NFL playoff expansion rules, which brings two more teams into the mix.
New Orleans will make it to the NFC Championship, but will falter due to having to play one more playoff game than the No. 1 seed and having to play on the road.
As a die-hard Saints fan, it pains me to think that Brees and the organization may not get their second world title. But, once again, when it comes to predicting the outcome of a New Orleans season, I am realistic.
Of course, this may be way to early to think about. For all we know, even if the season is all cleared to begin, the murder hornets may just bring down enough chaos to halt the NFL until 2021.