New Orleans Saints 2015 Schedule: Win-Loss Predictions for Every Game
The NFL released its 2015 schedule Tuesday night, and the New Orleans Saints were able to get their first look at this coming season’s complete schedule of games.
New Orleans, like the rest of the NFC South, is slated to play every team from both the NFC East and the AFC South. Of course, the Saints will also be facing each team from their own division twice.
Saints fans will get a chance to see their team play at home in prime time on three separate occasions in 2015. Just 10 days after hosting the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4 on Sunday Night Football, New Orleans will entertain the Atlanta Falcons in a Week 6 matchup on Thursday night. In Week 15, the Saints will host the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football.
With the draft still to come, the Saints’ 2015 roster is far from a completed work at this time. New Orleans has undergone significant changes since free agency began, however, and while the team has parted ways with some key contributors from last season, it has also addressed some of its weak areas with new roster additions.
Following is a game-by-game score prediction of the Saints’ upcoming season. Yes, opening kickoff is still over four months away, but it isn’t too early to take a stab at how things may play out for coach Sean Payton’s squad in 2015. As always, feel free to chime in with your own thoughts in the comments section.
Week 1: Cardinals 24, Saints 21
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After going 2-2 in the preseason, the Saints hit the ground running with an opening day road contest against the Arizona Cardinals.
New Orleans manages to grind out 175 yards on the ground, but the passing game is slow out of the gates in its first game without All-Pro tight end Jimmy Graham. The Saints' revamped defense shows promise, but a punt return by Patrick Peterson for a late fourth-quarter touchdown does the visitors in.
This one goes down to the wire, but the Saints drop a nail-biter on the road in their season opener.
Week 2: Saints 35, Buccaneers 13
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New Orleans dropped an unheard of four straight in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to end the 2014 season, but the home losing streak ends with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' early season trip to the Big Easy.
The Saints unleash a furious pass rush on No. 1 overall draft pick Jameis Winston as Drew Brees lights up the Tampa Bay secondary for four touchdowns. Brandin Cooks leads the way for the New Orleans receiving corps with eight catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while Mark Ingram provides steady ground support.
Week 3: Panthers 21, Saints 20
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New Orleans invades Carolina for this early season divisional clash, and the defending NFC South champion Panthers hold serve in this one.
New Orleans gets steady offensive production from Brees and Co., but two turnovers inside the Carolina red zone prove to be costly for the Saints. The New Orleans defense turns in a respectable effort, although it struggles to properly defend Carolina’s read-option dive play.
The Panthers go on a seven-minute march that ends in a 14-yard Cam Newton touchdown run to end the game, and the Saints stumble out of the gates to a 1-2 start.
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Week 4: Saints 31, Cowboys 14
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New Orleans returns home for a Sunday night clash against Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys, and the deafening crowd at the Superdome proves too much for the visitors to overcome.
Brees tosses for two scores, but it’s the steady, relentless New Orleans ground attack that ultimately seals Dallas’ fate.
Mark Ingram and C.J. Spiller combine for 200 yards of total offense, and the Saints defense has its way with Romo to the tune of four sacks. The home crowd celebrates throughout the fourth quarter, as New Orleans (2-2) avenges last season’s embarrassing Sunday night defeat at the hands of the Cowboys.
Week 5: Eagles 30, Saints 28
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New Orleans brings its much-improved defense to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in this early October showdown between NFC playoff hopefuls.
Brees finds Cooks for two first-half touchdowns, but the Eagles capitalize on an Ingram fumble late in the third quarter to take a six-point advantage into the final period.
New Orleans takes the lead on a 60-yard run by Spiller midway through the fourth, but a controversial pass interference call against the Saints on the game’s final drive sets up the game-winning field goal for the home team.
Week 6: Saints 27, Falcons 17
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After a tough loss on the road, the Saints return home for a short week of preparation before facing the divisional rival Atlanta Falcons in a Thursday night matchup.
New Orleans again leans on a productive running game, as both Ingram and Spiller average six yards per carry on the day. On the defensive side, Keenan Lewis picks off Matt Ryan for a crucial fourth-quarter interception, while Brandon Browner holds Julio Jones in check for much of the contest.
With the win, the Saints even their record at 3-3, and they keep pace with the Falcons and the Panthers for the divisional lead.
Week 7: Colts 27, Saints 21
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After failing on their three previous attempts, the Saints once again come up short in their efforts to claim a road victory.
The Indianapolis Colts prove extremely tough to beat at Lucas Oil Stadium, as Andrew Luck benefits from solid pass protection for the majority of the contest. The fourth-year signal-caller overcomes a late-game interception to Jairus Byrd to lead the Colts on the game-winning touchdown drive.
Brees and the New Orleans offense post impressive numbers, but a costly pick by the future Hall of Famer cements the win for Indianapolis with less than a minute to go.
Week 8: Saints 28, Giants 20
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The Saints once again find themselves battling to reach .500, as Eli Manning returns home to New Orleans with a formidable collection of receiving options at his disposal.
Cam Jordan registers three sacks against the frustrated Manning, who, thanks to the New Orleans pass rush, fails to hook up with Odell Beckham in the end zone on the game’s final play.
The Saints offense churns out the tough yards with Ingram’s between-the-tackles running, and Sean Payton’s squad evens out its record with an important home victory.
Week 9: Saints 41, Titans 10
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For the first time in the 2015 season, New Orleans is afforded the luxury of a second consecutive home game, and the Saints take full advantage with a blowout win over the Tennessee Titans.
Brees is nearly perfect in this one, as he spreads the ball around to 10 different receivers on his way to a 350-yard, four-touchdown performance.
Jordan, Lewis, Junior Galette and the New Orleans defense do their part as well, and the home team registers a lopsided victory. With the win, the 5-4 Saints move into a three-way tie for the divisional lead with the Falcons and Panthers.
Week 10: Saints 31, Redskins 27
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New Orleans gets another crack at its first road victory of the season, and this week’s opponent is Jay Gruden’s struggling Washington Redskins squad.
Much to the home crowd’s delight, Robert Griffin III manages to beat Byrd and the Saints secondary over the top for the go-ahead touchdown to DeSean Jackson with five minutes to play.
Brees dinks and dunks the Saints back into scoring position, however, and New Orleans goes up for good with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Spiller on a screen.
The winning effort on the road marks the Saints’ third straight victory, and they head into their bye week with a 6-4 mark.
Week 12: Texans 24, Saints 20
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Fresh off a bye week, New Orleans brings its top-ranked offense to NRG Stadium for a clash with the Houston Texans.
As he has a tendency to do, MVP-candidate J.J. Watt comes up huge in this one. In addition to his two sacks, Watt bats down three Brees passes at the line of scrimmage and forces a fumble.
The Saints rally late with Brees’ 32-yard touchdown strike to Marques Colston, but it isn’t enough to overcome their sluggish start, as Houston hands New Orleans its first loss in four games.
Week 13: Saints 35, Panthers 14
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In a crucial NFC South showdown, Brees and the Saints host Newton and the Panthers.
New Orleans establishes the line of scrimmage early in this one. Ingram and Spiller take turns gashing the Carolina front seven, and Brees finds Josh Hill for two first-half scoring passes.
The Saints defense takes control in the third, as Jordan spearheads a fierce pass rush. The boisterous Superdome crowd overwhelms Newton and the Panthers in the final period, while the offense finds the end zone for a fifth time.
New Orleans claims sole ownership of the divisional lead, and it earns its first win over Carolina in three attempts.
Week 14: Buccaneers 24, Saints 21
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The 7-5 Saints invade Tampa Bay with intentions of sweeping the Buccaneers for the second straight season.
New Orleans comes out flat on both sides of the ball, however, and the Buccaneers creep to a 17-7 halftime lead.
Tampa Bay gets exactly what it needs on the opening possession of the second half, as a sack-fumble by Gerald McCoy propels the home team to a shocking 24-7 advantage.
Brees brings the Saints back with two consecutive fourth-quarter touchdown drives, but a key third-down completion from Winston to Mike Evans secures the upset victory for the Buccaneers.
Week 15: Saints 34, Lions 17
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In their only Monday night game of the season, the Saints come up big with a decisive home win over the overmatched Detroit Lions.
Spiller leads the way for the New Orleans offense with two rushing touchdowns and one receiving, while Ingram does the heavy lifting for the Saints running game.
The Saints jump out to a 28-10 halftime advantage, and they shut the door on Detroit early in the third quarter with Kenny Vaccaro's interception of Matthew Stafford.
Week 16: Saints 31, Jaguars 7
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With the season drawing to a close, the Saints squash the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Superdome.
New Orleans dominates in all phases in this one, as the hapless Jaguars struggle to generate any semblance of offense.
The Saints run their record to 9-6 with the win, and they set themselves up for a winner-take-all showdown against the Falcons for the division title in Week 17.
Week 17: Saints 34, Falcons 30
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With the NFC South title at stake, bitter rivals New Orleans and Atlanta square off in this must-see Week 17 matchup.
This one goes back and forth all afternoon as Brees and Ryan duel it out. Both defenses come up with some big plays as well, but offense rules the day in this shootout.
In the end, the visiting Saints come out on top, as Brees finds Spiller on a sideline route for a 28-yard scoring strike with less than a minute remaining. New Orleans' defense holds strong on the ensuing Atlanta possession, and the Saints end the regular season with a 10-6 record and a divisional title to their credit.
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