Saints' 2018 schedule shaping up as NFL's second-toughest (1 Viewer)

[Andrus]

By Joel A. Erickson

The New Orleans Saints won the NFC South in 2017 despite facing the NFL's eighth-hardest schedule, a slate of opponents that looked relatively easy at first but got much harder with the emergence of teams like the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams.

New Orleans might have to overcome an even tougher slate to return to the playoffs next year.

According to ESPN, the Saints are tied with the Detroit Lions for the second-toughest schedule in 2018, based on the 2017 records of the teams on New Orleans' slate of games.

Teams that are scheduled to take on the Saints in 2018 finished 137-119 in 2017, one game behind the slate facing the Green Bay Packers, who will have to handle the league's toughest based on 2017 games.

The reasons for the strength of the New Orleans schedule are simple.

For starters, the Saints play in an NFC South that landed three teams in the playoffs in 2017...

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