Saints Preseason Schedule Released

If there is an NFL preseason, the Saints will play at home weeks 1 and 4, and on the road weeks 2 and 3. A nationally televised game on NBC against the Oakland Raiders in the 3rd week of the preseason highlights the 4 game slate.

New Orleans will host the San Francisco 49ers at the Superdome in the first week of the preseason. Then, Sean Payton and crew will take to the road for a matchup with the Houston Texans in week 2. The Saints and Texans have had spirited training camp scrimmages and skirmishes over the last several years.

The NFL and NBC picked the Saints for prime time in Week 3 as New Orleans will play in the black hole at the Oakland Coliseum on August 28th. Week 3 of the preseason is when starters tend to play into the second half, getting a final dress rehearsal before the regular season. The Saint defeated the Raiders in week 3 of the 2009 preseason by the score of 45-7.

The Saint will return home for a final preseason game against the Tennessee Titans. Typically, the final preseason game helps decide the last two or three roster spots. The Saints will play the Titans again during the regular season in Tennessee.

Speaking of the regular season, the 16 game schedule should be released in one to two weeks. Dates and times are undetermined, but the opponents are known. The Saints will host the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and the New York Giants.

In addition to the Titans, the Saints will be on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Obviously, all games are tentative until a new collective bargaining agreement is agreed upon between the players and the NFL owners.