The New Orleans Saints’ 2026 schedule has been officially released. With the release, sports books have begun releasing their odds, with the black and gold entering 2026 as underdogs in 12 of their 17 matchups. Despite entering as underdogs in the majority of their games, sportsbooks are listing the Saints’ win total at 7.5 for the season.
The Saints were granted one of the easiest strength-of-schedule for the upcoming season. While an estimated easier schedule in 2026, there are still tough stretches.
The Saints open the season in back-to-back games on the road against tough opponents in the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens.
Through weeks 10-14, sandwiched between two NFC South matchups with the Carolina Panthers, the Saints will visit the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals in back-to-back games before hosting the Green Bay Packers.
Despite the lack of confidence in the Saints outside the building, there’s plenty of optimism for fans of the black and gold. After a breakout stretch at the end of the season for quarterback Tyler Shough, Kellen Moore and the Saints’ front offense completely revamped the offense, signing big-name free agents in Travis Etienne and David Edwards while investing the eighth overall pick on receiver help, drafting Jordy Tyson.
The Saints, at a minimum, will be an exciting team to watch in 2026, but they are favorites in just five games this season, and a win total set at 7.5 is on the safer side. Playing against the weak NFC South twice a year, facing teams such as the Las Vegas Raiders, the Cleveland Browns, and the Arizona Cardinals should warrant a bigger win expectation. Still, back-to-back seasons failing to reach .500 have oddsmakers skeptical.
When doing our most recent win totals at Canal Street Chronicles, I was a bit more skeptical than my peers but remained with an optimistic prediction, placing the Saints 9-8. While there are significant stretches and matchups the Saints will be heavy underdogs for, a second year for Shough and Moore could be the big turnaround most fans of the black and gold are expecting.
The NFL lives by “any given Sunday,” and who enters as the favorite and underdog doesn’t always equate to the final score. This could be true for both the Saints as the favorites and the underdogs. In 2026, they’ll steal games they appear to be completely outclassed in, and they’ll lose to teams who are tanking. Despite this, the hard reality that New Orleans opens the season as favorites in just five games this season still shows the media is not yet as high on Shough as the fanbase and front office are.
