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          New Orleans Saints' schedule 2020: Tom Brady in Week 1, Vikings on Christmas

          • Mike Triplett, ESPN Staff WriterMay 8, 2020, 12:05 AM
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            • Covered Saints for eight years at New Orleans Times-Picayune
            • Previously covered LSU football, San Francisco 49ers
            • Iowa native and University of Iowa graduate
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          The New Orleans Saints' schedule for 2020 was released Thursday.

          The regular season kicks off with the Houston Texans visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 10 (8:20 p.m. ET, NBC). The opening doubleheader for Monday Night Football will feature the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Giants (7:10 p.m. ET, ESPN) and the Tennessee Titans at the Denver Broncos (10:20 p.m. ET) on Monday, Sept. 14.

          Check out the full week-by-week schedule here. Here's what is in store for the Saints:

          Game-by-game prediction

          Saints reporter Mike Triplett is predicting a 12-4 finish:

          Sept. 13: vs. Tampa Bay, Win

          Sept. 21: at Las Vegas, Win

          Sept. 27: vs. Green Bay, Loss

          Oct. 4: at Detroit, Win

          Oct. 12: vs. L.A. Chargers, Win

          Oct. 18: Bye

          Oct. 25: vs. Carolina, Win

          Nov. 1: at Chicago, Win

          Nov. 8: at Tampa Bay, Loss

          Nov. 15: vs. San Francisco, Win

          Nov. 22: vs. Atlanta, Win

          Nov. 29: at Denver, Win

          Dec. 6: at Atlanta, Win

          Dec. 13: at Philadelphia, Loss

          Dec. 20: vs. Kansas City, Loss

          Dec. 25: vs. Minnesota, Win

          Jan. 3: at Carolina, Win

          Strength of schedule: T-24th, .490

          Breakdown

          The NFL didn’t wait long to shine a spotlight on the new Tom Brady-Drew Brees rivalry in the NFC South. The Buccaneers are scheduled to come to the Superdome in Week 1 for the national late-afternoon game on Fox. Then the rematch is scheduled for NBC’s Sunday Night Football in Tampa, Florida, in Week 9. But the Saints’ fate should really be decided during a brutal late-season stretch: three straight road games at Denver, Atlanta and Philadelphia in Weeks 12-14, followed by a home date with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs in Week 15 and a Christmas Day home date with the Vikings just five days later.

          Christmas in New Orleans

          The last time the NFL played a game on Friday was Christmas 2009. This will count as New Orleans’ "Thursday" obligation for the year, and this particular matchup should be a late-season doozy for both teams. This will be their fifth meeting in four years, including the Vikings' two playoff wins over New Orleans in that span -- and it will give the Saints a chance to avenge their January wild-card loss to Minnesota in the Superdome.

          Unfinished business

          There should be plenty of red circles on the Saints’ calendar to mark those games with extra significance. The revenge matches against both the Vikings in Week 16 and 49ers in Week 10 are most obvious. But the Week 12 trip to Denver also packs special meaning. The Broncos are the only team Sean Payton has yet to beat as coach of the Saints, and they are the only team Brees has never beaten on the road (Brees is 0-5 at Denver, dating back to his days in San Diego). Speaking of those Chargers, Brees will get the chance to up his record to 4-0 against his former team in Week 5 on ESPN's Monday Night Football.