Last Updated on setembro 22, 2026 2:44 am by Henrique
Visão geral da equipe
The New Orleans Saints were the one NFC South team that did not finish 8-9 last season. Instead, they went 6-11 and finished last in the division. What changed everything was the second half. Tyler Shough took over as the starter for the final nine games. He lifted scoring from 13.9 points per game to 19.8, and passing yards from 198 per game to 265. So Kellen Moore enters his second season with real reason for optimism.
The front office built around that. Travis Etienne Jr. arrived to pair with Alvin Kamara, who returned at a reduced price after a long standoff. The Saints also took Jordyn Tyson at No. 8 overall to give Shough a legitimate top target. Meanwhile, Chris Olave is back after spending the off-season on blood thinners. For the first time in years, the Saints have surrounded a young quarterback with functional weapons.
Análise da linha ofensiva
The interior was the priority this off-season, and David Edwards arrived from Buffalo specifically to stabilize it. Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning return alongside him, while Dillon Radunz provides versatility across multiple spots. Kelvin Banks Jr. holds down left tackle. The unit has continuity, but not much of a track record. New Orleans finished second-worst in the league in yards per rush last season. It was also the worst team in football in red zone and goal-to-go situations. Those are line failures as much as scheme failures. Adding two running backs will not fix short yardage if the front cannot generate movement. Unfortunately, the early returns confirm the concern. The Saints averaged three yards per carry through two games and allowed eight sacks. Banks also left the Baltimore game with an ankle injury, which puts more pressure on a thin group.
Análise da Linha Defensiva
Bryan Bresee went down in training camp with what the Saints feared was a torn ACL. That stripped the interior of its most productive young player. Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton took first-team reps in his place, although Broughton missed most of last season himself. On the edge, Chase Young and Cameron Jordan give the front some veteran stability. Jordan, however, did not make his season debut until Week 2. This front was better than its reputation in 2025, finishing fifth in sack rate and third in third-down success rate. So far the results are mixed. Detroit ran for 165 yards in the opener, yet the front held Baltimore to three second-half points a week later. Holding up without Bresee is still the question that decides whether New Orleans stays in the race.
Temporada da NFL de 2026
Semana 1
Saints x Detroit Lions | Domingo, 13 de setembro | 13h (horário do leste dos EUA) | Ford Field, Detroit, MI
New Orleans opens as one of the biggest underdogs on the Week 1 board. The Lions opened at -7, with the Saints at +260 on the moneyline and the total at 48.5. That spread has held through the summer. Detroit is coming off a 9-8 season that dropped it to fourth in the NFC North. That was a steep fall from 15-2 the year before. Still, Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown headline one of the more dangerous offenses in the conference.
This is a difficult first assignment for a quarterback making his first Week 1 start. Detroit has bounce-back written all over it, and Ford Field is a poor venue for a young passer. The Saints will need Tyson to make an immediate impact. They will also need the defense to hold a high total down. After all, 48.5 points suggests a game New Orleans cannot win in a grind.
Resumo da 1ª semana
Nova Orleans lost 31-30 in overtime at Detroit. However, the scoreline hides how close this came to being the upset of the week. The Santos trailed 21-0 midway through the third quarter and had not scored a point. Then Tyler Shough put the offense on his back. He finished 35 of 56 for 410 yards and three touchdowns, with two interceptions. His nine-yard strike to Juwan Johnson tied the game at 24-24 with 1:07 left in regulation. When Detroit scored first in overtime, Shough answered with an eight-yard touchdown to Noah Fant. Kellen Moore then went for two and the win rather than the tie. The pass fell incomplete.
The ground game never showed up, which was always the risk with Alvin Camara sidelined. New Orleans ran 25 times for 91 yards at 3.6 per carry. Kendre Miller accounted for the only rushing touchdown. That imbalance forced Shough into 56 attempts, and Detroit made him pay. The Lions sacked him five times, hit him nine times and intercepted him twice. Three turnovers on the road against a playoff team usually end the story. Yet the Santos very nearly won anyway.
The defense is the part that should worry New Orleans. Many saw the front as the strength of the roster after it finished fifth in sack rate a year ago. Without Bryan Bresee, however, it managed one sack and no takeaways. It also allowed 165 rushing yards. On the other side, New Orleans generated 469 yards and 29 first downs, so the offense is real. Whether the front can hold up is the question heading into Baltimore.
Semana 2
Saints at Baltimore Ravens | Sunday, September 20 | 1:00 PM ET | M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
Nova Orleans opens as a heavy road underdog at +325 on the moneyline. The Baltimore Ravens sit at -425, with the spread at 8.5 points and the total at 47.5. That is tied for the widest number on the Week 2 board. Baltimore arrives at 1-0 after a 41-23 win in Indianapolis. As a result, the market has moved hard in its direction after one week.
The number looks generous to Baltimore, given what the Santos just did. New Orleans put up 469 yards and 30 points in Detroit and lost on a failed two-point conversion. That is not the profile of a team that should be getting 8.5 points anywhere. The case for Baltimore is the matchup rather than the spread. A Saints defense that generated one sack and no turnovers now faces Lamar Jackson e Derrick Henry. It also gave up 165 yards on the ground last week. Meanwhile, asking Tyler Shough to throw 56 times again in a hostile stadium is a recipe for trouble. Tamara’s status is the detail to watch this week. Without him, the offense has no way to keep Jackson off the field.
Week 2 Recap
Nova Orleans went into Baltimore as a heavy underdog and came out with a 24-17 win. For the second straight week, the Santos started slowly. They trailed 17-9 entering the fourth quarter. This time, however, they finished. Tyler Shough encontrado Chris Olave for a 21-yard touchdown with 9:42 remaining. Travis Etienne Jr. then ran in the two-point conversion to tie it. The go-ahead drive converted two third downs and two fourth downs. Shough finished it himself on a fourth-and-goal sneak with 1:28 left, and the call held up on review.
The difference from Week 1 was ball security. Shough completed 27 of 34 for 252 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions, a 107.4 rating. In fact, Nova Orleans did not give the ball away once. Olave led the way with eight catches for 86 yards. Meanwhile, Juwan Johnson made the 26-yard catch on third down that set up the winning score. Daniel Carlson also hit field goals from 23, 47 and 51 yards. Alvin Camara made his season debut, but he managed just 15 yards on nine carries. Overall, the run game averaged 2.4 yards per attempt.
The defense was the bigger story. After allowing 165 rushing yards in Detroit, the Santos held Lamar Jackson e o Corvos to three second-half points. Chase Young had 1.5 sacks, and the unit blocked a Baltimore field goal. Finally, Juliano Blackmon sealed it with an interception on the final drive. The cost, however, showed up on the injury report. Left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. left with an ankle injury, while cornerback Martin Emerson Jr. hurt his shoulder.
Semana 3
Raiders at New Orleans Saints | Sunday, September 27 | 4:25 PM ET | Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Nova Orleans opens as a 3.5-point favorite in its first home game of the season. FanDuel priced the Santos at -168 against the Invasores de Las Vegas at +140, with the total at 43.5. That is a real vote of confidence after one win. After all, the Raiders arrive at 2-0 for the first time since 2021, having beaten Miami and the Chargers.
The subplots write themselves. Las Vegas head coach Klint Kubiak ran the Santos offense in 2024. Carlson, meanwhile, spent years as the Raiders’ kicker before arriving in New Orleans. The Raiders may also get Brock Bowers back, which would test a defense that just held Baltimore to 17 points. The bigger question, however, is protection. If Banks misses time, Shough plays behind a patched line and a run game averaging 2.4 yards per carry. Still, if New Orleans protects the ball like it did in Baltimore, it has the better roster here.
Chances de ganhar a divisão e o Super Bowl
Probabilidades de vencer a NFC Sul: +250
Chances de ganhar o Super Bowl: +8000
Previsões
Registro geral: A previsão é que os Saints terminem a temporada com um recorde em torno de 8-9, com um total de vitórias estimado em 7,5 e uma ligeira tendência para o "mais de".
Chances de playoff: Um azarão promissor em uma divisão bastante aberta, embora o mercado o precifique de forma desfavorável.
Chances do Super Bowl: Uma aposta arriscada, em pé de igualdade com o resto da NFC Sul.
New Orleans is the most improved roster in this division on paper. The defense already ranked sixth in yards per play allowed last year. Shough also gave the offense a pulse over the final nine games of 2025. Meanwhile, the receiving corps went from a liability to a strength in one off-season. The concerns are specific rather than general. Bresee’s injury weakens a front that carried the team. The short-yardage offense also still looks shaky, although Shough’s fourth-down sneak won the game in Baltimore. Through two weeks, the Saints have lost by one point and won by seven. Expect them to stay competitive every week and hover around .500. Ultimately, the ceiling depends on how Shough handles a full season.
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