New Orleans Saints' home and away opponents for 2017 (1 Viewer)

[Andrus]

The New Orleans Saints (7-8) will finish in third place in the NFC South no matter what happens against the Atlanta Falcons, thanks to Sunday's win by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7). As a result, the Saints' 2017 home and away opponents have been finalized. The dates of each game will be determined in the spring when the full regular-season schedule is released.

Home opponents (*playoff team): Atlanta Falcons*, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots*, New York Jets, Detroit Lions (possible playoff team), Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins (possible playoff team)

Away opponents (*playoff team): Atlanta Falcons*, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins* (in London), Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers (possible playoff team), Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams

My take: The opponents aren't any more overwhelming than in any typical year, but the locations themselves could make for a grueling travel schedule. The Saints could potentially face cold-weather games in Green Bay and Buffalo, and they will have to travel as far east as London and as far west as Los Angeles. That L.A. trip would obviously become a lot more intriguing if Sean Payton somehow winds up coaching the Rams -- but that remains a big "if" for now...

By Mike Triplett | ESPN Staff Writer

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