The latest NFL schedule leak gives the New Orleans Saints a big chance at redemption in the league’s European series.
The 2022 season was an all-around disappointment for the New Orleans Saints. They kicked off the year with an exciting Week 1 comeback victory over the hated-rival Atlanta Falcons, but tumbled in Weeks 2 and 3 to other division rivals, the Panthers and Buccaneers.
Week 4 was a huge chance at a turning point. Headed overseas to London for Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans would turn their record to 2-2 with a win, 1-3 with a loss.
New Orleans fell in spectacular fashion, a field goal falling mere inches of forcing overtime.
The fact of the matter, too, is that the Saints put a lot of money on the line to try to get themselves every advantage over the Vikings. Well before the season began, the Saints viewed the European visit as a chance to get an important victory taking it more seriously than the opponent, but still couldn’t get it done. They’ll have a chance to redeem themselves on the continent in 2023, it appears.
Saints set to head back to Germany
According to the latest NFL schedule leak from a German paper (H/T ProFootballTalk, the Saints are set to face off against the New England Patriots in November in Germany, either on the 12th or 19th. This will be the second-ever season in the country after the NFL debuted in the country last year.
On their European trip last year, the Saints pulled out all the stops to turn the trip into a win. The NFL only foots the bill on travel, hotel accommodations, and storage of equipment for a limited period of time. The lodging, for instance, is paid for for the weekend by the league, but a team hoping to land on Monday will have to cover the bill for its players and personnel.
The Saints came early and shipped necessary gear for practices the week ahead of the event in 2022 in an attempt to get ahead of jet lag. New Orleans had to foot the bill for those supplementary costs to get ahead of schedule. The Vikings came later on the league’s dime and were at an ostensible disadvantage compared to the Saints because of it. Yet, Minnesota still walked away with the victory.
We’ll find out if the Saints find the early travel to be worth it this year or not based on when they arrive. With a new quarterback in tow and the expectations even higher this year than last, one would think they’ll take any advantage they can get, regardless of the cost.
