New Orleans Saints 2023 Preview. Based on the projected win totals of their opponents, the Saints have the easiest strength schedule for the 2023 NFL season. Besides being in one of the softest divisions, they are not playing any of the top teams. Their most challenging games should come against the Jaguars in Week 7, Detroit Lions in Week 13, and maybe the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10, depending on whether they fixed their defensive problems.
New Orleans’ 2023 Season Schedule
Preseason games
Sunday, Aug 13 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Sunday, Aug 20, at Los Angeles Chargers
Sunday, Aug 27, vs. Houston Texans
Regular season
Week 1 vs. Tennessee Titans
Week 2 at Carolina Panthers
Week 3 at Green Bay Packers
Week 4 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 5 at New England Patriots
Week 6 at Houston Texans
Week 7 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 8 at Indianapolis Colts
Week 9 vs. Chicago Bears
Week 10 at Minnesota Vikings
Week 11 BYE
Week 12 at Atlanta Falcons
Week 13 vs. Detroit Lions
Week 14 vs. Carolina Panthers
Week 15 vs. New York Giants
Week 16 at Los Angeles Rams
Week 17 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Week 18 vs. Atlanta Falcons
Carr and Allen are the Big Question Marks
With Drew Brees’ retirement after 15 years, the Saints have had quarterback issues for the past two seasons. Derek Carr was dropped by Las Vegas and picked up by New Orleans. He’s an above-average quarterback in the NFL, but his level of play declined last year. Otherwise, Las Vegas would not have let him go.
The Saints did not want a third season with a poor offense. They were desperate for a consistent quarterback, which is why they paid the high price of $150M over four years. But how good will he be with the Saints? Carr posted a passer rating of 86.3 last year. Besides his rookie year, he’s only gone below 90 one other time in his nine years in the NFL.
He only threw for 3,522 yards last season. The four years before that, he threw for at least 4,000. In 2021 he hit a personal best of 4,804 yards. The potential is there for him to have great seasons with the Saints, as long as he’s not on the decline.
Head coach Dennis Allen has his own issues to deal with. Last season was his first with the Saints, and it didn’t go well. They were 7-10 and missed the playoffs for a second straight season.
Allen drafted Carr in 2014 when he was with the Raiders. They have a history and should work well together. A lot is riding on their shoulders.
A Consistent Defense and Some Interesting Offensive Pieces
New Orleans has been able to maintain a good defense for years, something that is elusive for most NFL teams. Last year they were a top-10 defense, but they lost some key players to free agency and added a new defensive coordinator. Joe Woods was the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns for the last three years. They had a top-five defense last season. Hopefully, that will carry over.
The defensive line has the most new players, including first-round draft pick Bryan Bresee and free agents Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. In the secondary, cornerback Marshon Lattimore missed ten games in 2022. They’ll need him back to mentor the new corners, Alontae Taylor and Paulson Adebo, as they continue to improve.
Michael Thomas was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2019, but he has almost disappeared since then. His injuries have kept him to only ten games since then. He’s now 30 but is determined to come back as one of the top receivers on the team. I look forward to seeing how his season unfolds. He’ll compete with receivers Olave, Rashid Shaheed, and rookie A.T. Perry for a position.
Running backs are another issue. Alvin Kamara is suspended for the first three games but hasn’t played well the last couple of seasons. Jamaal Williams was brought in, and Kendre Miller was drafted to boost that area.
Sports Betting Predictions for New Orleans
Derek Carr threw 14 interceptions in 2021 and 2022 when he only played in 15 games. He’s also thrown 12 or more interceptions in five of his nine NFL seasons. Being on a new team with new receivers will make it difficult for him to go below that number this season. Keep your limits in for that prop bet, as Carr could easily surpass 11 picks this year.
NFC South Division Winner Odds
New Orleans Saints +130
Atlanta Falcons +230
Carolina Panthers +400
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +800
NFC Conference Winner Odds
Philadelphia Eagles +260
San Francisco 49ers +400
Dallas Cowboys +650
Detroit Lions +850
New Orleans Saints +1200
Best Prop Bet
Derek Carr, OVER 11.5 interceptions thrown -120
New Orleans Saints 2023 Season Odds
Win Total 9.5
Win Division +120
Make Playoffs -185
Win Super Bowl +3600
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