Saints receive no prime-time games for the first time since 2000
Saints receive no prime-time games for the first time since 2000
For the first time since the year 2000, the New Orleans Saints will not play a single game in prime time this season. They've had at least one game kick off after 7 p.m. CT every year from 2001 to 2024, but after bottoming out with their worst record in decades last season (and while stuck in a 1-8 rut in prime time), the bright lights won't be shining on New Orleans in 2025. It'll be the first time in some Saints fans' lifetimes that their team won't be featured on a Sunday, Monday, or Thursday night.
It's a really tough break, but it's not unusual. Last year, the Carolina Panthers were the lone team who didn't receive any prime-time games, and the NFL was right to sideline them during a 5-12 season. In 2023, four different teams were shut out of prime time: the Houston Texas (who shocked everyone and went 10-7), Atlanta Falcons (who finished at 7-10), Arizona Cardinals (4-13), and Indianapolis Colts (9-8). The Detroit Lions did not receive a prime-time feature in 2022, either, but they went 9-8 that year. Every team got at least one prime-time game in 2021.
So it's on the Saints to prove they deserve more attention. Like we said, they've only won once in their last nine prime-time games. Their 5-12 record last season was their worst finish since the 2005 Hurricane Katrina-impacted season. The last time the Saints didn't draw a single prime-time matchup, Mickey Loomis was in his first year working in their front office and a couple of offseasons away from being promoted to general manager. Mike Ditka had just been fired after posting a 3-13 record in his third year as head coach. It was a rough time for the franchise.
But the Saints hired a spry 45-year old Jim Haslett to replace Ditka, and he stunned the football world by turning things around. New Orleans won 10 games in his first year on the job, finished in first place in their division, and won the first playoff game in franchise history. We shouldn't put those kind of expectations on Kellen Moore, but we also shouldn't act like he can't pull it off, either. Stranger things have happened in the NFL. Maybe a little less time in the spotlight and a change in leadership is just what the Saints need to get back to their winning ways.
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