Getting off to a good start is a standard for good teams in the NFL. Only 11.5% of teams that start 0-2 make the playoffs. Only six teams in NFL history have made the playoffs after starting 0-3, and only two of them have done it within the last 25 years. Only one team has made the playoffs after starting 0-4, and that was this past season’s Houston Texans. The Texans were also the other franchise to make the playoffs after an 0-3 start back in 2018.
The numbers do not lie in this instance. If the New Orleans Saints want to be considered a playoff team, they will have to get off to a good start. With the way the schedule lines up for the first four games, the test will be more about the defense than the offense.
The Saints finished the 2025 season ranked 9th overall in total defense, allowing 299 yards per game, while finishing around the middle of the league in scoring defense. The Saints truly showed improvement by cutting their rushing yards allowed from over 140 yards per game in 2024 to 120 yards per game in 2025.
That improvement in run defense will be put to the test immediately to start the season, and with the need to get off to a fast start, the defense will have to show up. Three of the Saints’ first four opponents finished in the top 10 in rushing offense last season.
The Lions averaged 4.6 yards per carry and feature one of the most explosive running backs in the league in Jahmyr Gibbs. After leaving Detroit, the Saints will have to take it up another notch when they travel to Baltimore to face what was the second-best rushing offense in the league last season. The Ravens, led by Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry, averaged over 5.3 yards per carry and more than 156 rushing yards per game.
The matchup with the Ravens will be especially interesting because Baltimore has a new coaching staff, and the Saints will face them in only the second game of the season. Sometimes it’s not just about who you play, but when you play them, and this may be a good time to catch the Ravens.
The Falcons also featured a top-10 rushing attack last season. Although they now have a new coaching staff in place, they still have what many consider to be the best running back in football in Bijan Robinson. Atlanta averaged 5.1 yards per carry last season, and unless Arthur Smith is returning to call plays, you should expect much of the same.
Finishing off the early portion of the schedule are the Las Vegas Raiders. Of the Saints’ first four opponents, the Raiders were the weakest rushing team last season, and much of that had to do with coaching issues and their inability to consistently move the football. However, they feature a running back with tremendous potential and game-breaking ability in Ashton Jeanty.
One of Jeanty’s best games came in Week 16 against the Texans, when he exploded for 188 total yards and two touchdowns, including a 60-yard receiving touchdown and a 51-yard rushing touchdown. He finished the season with 975 rushing yards and over 1,300 total yards from scrimmage.
After three straight physical rushing matchups, and with the possibility of a rookie quarterback starting, expect the Raiders to lean heavily on their young star running back early and often.
The Saints will have to be stout up front, and Brandon Staley will need to build on the defensive foundation he laid last season and prove that 2025 was part of a true building process rather than a fluke. The added depth along the interior defensive line should be a major boost for this team, and the defense should reap the benefits of that investment early.
If the Saints can accomplish that, it will help the team continue taking the steps it hopes to take, build off the momentum from its late-season run in 2025, and possibly position itself for a fast start in 2026.
