Sporting News' NFL predictions for the 2020 season have been made with the understanding that the pro football landscape almost surely will be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in some way through the fall and winter.
So predictions regarding how all teams including the Saints will finish in the 2020 NFL standings and beyond are more of a crap shoot than usual. We have no choice but to operate with the roster and schedule knowledge we have of all 32 teams heading into what will be a strange season.
Based on NFL senior writer Vinnie Iyer's game picks for the entire 2020 season, SN is projecting a slight slip in New Orleans after the Saints went 13-3 in each of the last two seasons. But this is still a playoff team, and a strong one at that.
Below are Iyer's predictions for the Saints in 2020, plus how Vegas oddsmakers view their chances to win the Super Bowl.
MORE NFL PREDICTIONS:
SN's complete 2020 standings projections & playoff picks
Saints record prediction for 2020
- Record: 11-5
- Division: No. 2 in NFC South
- Playoffs: No. 5 seed in NFC
Iyer's take: The Saints won’t be suddenly dropping off too much behind Tom Brady and the shiny, new-look Bucs. This two-game regression will make them a strong wild-card team, but it is a reasonable consideration carrying similar offensive and defensive vibes from the past three division-winning seasons.
Drew Brees will do his best to make his potential last season spectacular.
Haislop's take: This could be the last hoorah for the Brees-Sean Payton era in New Orleans, and if it is, at least the Saints are equipped well to make one last run at a second Super Bowl.
Nobody can question the talent in New Orleans. The question is whether the Saints can get some bounces to go their way in the playoffs after three consecutive heartbreakers in the postseason. They also have to deal with Tom Brady in the division, which makes a fourth consecutive NFC South title less likely for New Orleans.
Saints odds for 2020 win total, Super Bowl
- Win total: Over/under 10 1/2 wins
- Super Bowl odds: +1000 (Third best)
According to the odds at Sports Insider, the Saints indeed can expect a drop of a game or two in the win column this season. Which isn't a big deal for a team entering the season ranked No. 3 on the Super Bowl odds board, tied with the defending NFC-champion 49ers.
New Orleans is the favorite to win the NFC South at +100, but not my much, as Tampa Bay is lurking at +115. There's a big gap from the Bucs to the Falcons (+900) and the Panthers (+1600) in the division odds.
MORE: Week 1 NFL picks against the spread
Saints schedule 2020
Assuming the 2020 NFL schedule remains intact without any pandemic-related adjustments, the Saints will play the ninth easiest schedule in the NFL based on opponents' 2019 winning percentage.
Of course, that doesn't account for changes in the offseason, especially the aforementioned Brady move. The good news is New Orleans doesn't have many daunting, non-division road games on the schedule beyond the mid-December trip to Philadelphia.
Below is the Saints' complete schedule for the 2020 season.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Kickoff time | TV |
| 1 | Sept. 13 | Buccaneers | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 2 | Sept. 21 | Raiders | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| 3 | Sept. 27 | Packers | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 4 | Oct. 4 | @Lions | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 5 | Oct. 12 | Chargers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| 6 | - | BYE | - | FOX |
| 7 | Oct. 25 | Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 8 | Nov. 1 | @Bears | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 9 | Nov. 8 | @Buccaneers | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 10 | Nov. 15 | 49ers | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 11 | Nov. 22 | Falcons | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 12 | Nov. 29 | @Broncos | 4:05 p.m. | FOX |
| 13 | Dec. 6 | @Falcons | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 14 | Dec. 13 | @Eagles | 4:25 p.m. | FOX |
| 15 | Dec. 20 | Chiefs | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| 16 | Dec. 25 | Vikings | 4:30 p.m. | FOX |
| 17 | Jan. 3 | @Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |