METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints' 2025 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Wednesday.
The Saints will be able to ease into the schedule with a young quarterback by starting their first two games at home. But things quickly ramp up from there with trips to Seattle and Buffalo.
The most important bulk of their schedule comes in the back half of the season, mostly after the Week 11 bye.
The Saints don't play a division opponent until hosting the Buccaneers in Week 8 and have five divisional matchups in the final nine weeks. That could give first-year coach Kellen Moore and his team some time to get acclimated before tackling the majority of the NFC South slate.
The Saints are going into this season with low expectations outside the building -- they don't have a prime-time game scheduled for the first time in a quarter century. If they have success this season, they'll do it by flying under the national radar.
Here's what's in store for the Saints:
Saints 2025 regular-season schedule
Week 1: Sept. 7 vs. Arizona Cardinals
Week 2: Sept. 14 vs. San Francisco 49ers
Week 3: Sept. 21 at Seattle Seahawks
Week 4: Sept. 28 at Buffalo Bills
Week 5: Oct. 5 vs. New York Giants
Week 6: Oct. 12 vs. New England Patriots
Week 7: Oct. 19 at Chicago Bears
Week 8: Oct. 26 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 9: Nov. 2 at Los Angeles Rams
Week 10: Nov. 9 at Carolina Panthers
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: Nov. 23 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Week 13: Nov. 30 at Miami Dolphins
Week 14: Dec. 7 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 15: Dec. 14 vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 16: Dec. 21 vs. New York Jets
Week 17: Dec. 28 at Tennessee Titans
Week 18: Jan. 4 at Atlanta Falcons*
*Date for Week 18 is to be determined
Strength of schedule: .419 (second easiest)
Over/Under: 5.5 wins
Biggest takeaway
The Saints don't have a prime-time game, marking the first time since 2000 that they will not play a night game unless the NFL chooses to flex them into prime time later in the season. The Saints were a staple in prime time in the Drew Brees and Sean Payton era, but disappointed in their three 2024 prime-time games, going 0-3 and getting shut out against the Green Bay Packers on Dec. 23 with rookie Spencer Rattler starting in place of an injured Derek Carr. The Saints will need to have a good season if they want to be a prime-time regular again
Circle this date: Nov. 23 vs. Falcons
It won't matter which young quarterback is starting, as none of them have gotten the full Saints-Falcons rivalry experience. Carr played in both Falcons games last season, including the one following Dennis Allen's firing, which was won with interim coach Darren Rizzi at the helm. There's always some odd twist to this rivalry, whether it was Rizzi declaring he clogged the toilet before his debut win against the Falcons or the infamous touchdown on a supposed kneel-down play in 2023. Having young quarterbacks like Tyler Shough and Rattler against second-year Falcons QB Michael Penix Jr. will be fun to watch late in the season.
Key stretch
Weeks 3-5. The Saints desperately need a fast start to get Moore's tenure off on a positive note, but cross-country road games at Seattle and Buffalo won't be easy. Week 3 was where things started to slide last season and Week 4 was where things took a turn for the worst after Derek Carr got hurt, eventually leading to seven straight losses and the firing of Allen. If the Saints can get through that stretch, things will certainly be looking up.
Bold prediction
The Saints will win their season opener ... but lose the next three. The Saints will figure out how to get off on a good note, similar to last year, and extend their NFL-best home-opening win streak to seven games. But the positive momentum won't last long, as a Week 2 game against the 49ers, who are also looking to bounce back from a difficult season, and lengthy road trips will stall their momentum. The first month won't be easy for the Saints with a new head coach, an aging defense and no veteran quarterback to fall back on.
Will Shough be starting Week 1 against his hometown team?
Shough went to Hamilton High School, an hour from Glendale, where the Cardinals play their home games. Now it's possible that he or Rattler, a Phoenix native, could be starting the season against the hometown team of their youth. The two players, along with Jake Haener, will compete for the starting quarterback position. If Shough wins the job, it will be the first time a Saints rookie quarterback played in a season opener since Danny Wuerffel in 1997 and the first time the Saints began a season starting a rookie quarterback since Archie Manning in 1971.