2012 NFL Schedule: How Saints Player Suspensions Affect NFC South Division Race

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has dropped his legislative hammer once again, this time taking aim on the players involved in the New Orleans Saints' bounty scandal that was exposed earlier this offseason. 

The harshest penalty came down on Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma, who Goodell banned for the entire 2012 season. Defensive end Will Smith was also suspended for four games, while former Saints Anthony Hargrove (Green Bay Packers) lost eight games and Scott Fujita (Cleveland Browns) was banned for three. 

There's no doubting the penalties enforced Wednesday will hurt the Saints' most next season. 

Vilma, a former Pro Bowl linebacker who allegedly put a $10,000 bounty on both Kurt Warner and Brett Favre during the 2010 playoffs, will be completely vacated from the middle linebacker position of the Saints defense—a spot he's manned for the better part of four seasons. 

Smith has 61.5 career sacks, all coming in eight years with the Saints organization. 

The Saints have done plenty this offseason to help put a band-aid on the potential loss of Vilma, including free-agent signings of Curtis Lofton and David Hawthorne. Smith's contributions on the defensive line will be much harder to replace. 

Here's the schedule the Saints will need to navigate through, with suspensions given for both players and coaches:

Week	Opponent	Suspensions
1	Washington Redskins	Vilma, Smith, Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis, Joe Vitt
2	at Carolina Panthers	Vilma, Smith, Payton, Loomis, Vitt
3	Kansas City Chiefs	Vilma, Smith, Payton, Loomis, Vitt
4	at Green Bay Packers	Vilma, Smith, Payton, Loomis, Vitt
5	San Diego Chargers	Vilma, Payton, Loomis, Vitt
6	BYE
7	at Tampa Bay Bucs	Vilma, Payton, Loomis, Vitt
8	at Denver Broncos	Vilma, Payton, Loomis
9	Philadelphia Eagles	Vilma, Payton, Loomis
10	Atlanta Falcons	Vilma, Payton
11	at Oakland Raiders	Vilma, Payton
12	San Francisco 49ers	Vilma, Payton
13	at Atlanta Falcons	Vilma, Payton
14	at New York Giants	Vilma, Payton
15	Tampa Bay Bucs	Vilma, Payton
16	at Dallas Cowboys	Vilma, Payton
17	Carolina Panthers	Vilma, Payton

It's clear that the early season schedule will be most difficult for the Saints to navigate through. With games in Carolina and Green Bay, plus homes contests against up-and-coming teams in the Redskins and Chiefs, the Saints could easily find themselves 2-2 or worse before Smith is able to return at defensive end. 

In a division that figures to be as ultra-competitive as the NFC South, a 2-2 could be all it takes to keep the Saints on the outside looking in to the NFC playoffs. 

Of course, losing Vilma and Payton for the entire season will have the biggest effect. But a stretch once interim head coach Joe Vitt comes back in Week 8 will also have a big impact on the Saints' finish. At Denver and home games against the Eagles and Falcons will be a difficult start for a first-time head coach that is to have no contact with the team beforehand. 

Overall, the Saints have given themselves the challenge of a lifetime for the 2012 season. It will help to have a presence like Drew Brees as the face of the resurgence, but this will be no easy task to repeat as NFC South champions next season. 

Losing Vilma and Smith today only made it that more difficult.