Whether the New Orleans Saints win three games in 2025 or five, the experts at NFL.com are predicting the black and gold finish in last place in the NFC South. While the Saints have the second-easiest strength of schedule based on last year’s standings, Ali Bhanpuri and Adam Rank both forecast a rocky season.

“Five road trips over seven games is a lot for any team,” Bhanpuri wrote, highlighting Weeks 7 to 14 as the lowest point on the schedule. While that does include a bye week before a grudge match with the rival Atlanta Falcons, cross-country flights to visit the Los Angeles Rams and Carolina Panthers in consecutive weeks isn’t a recipe for success.

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However, Bhanpuri doesn’t see that Week 12 Falcons game as an automatic win for Atlanta: “Went back and forth on this game until ultimately siding with Atlanta. But I wouldn’t count out a rested Saints team making a statement at home against a hated rival.”

Rank agreed with Bhanpuri’s predictions in picking the Saints over the rebuilding New England Patriots in Week 6, which he thinks could fuel them into a little win streak over the Chicago Bears (at Soldier Field) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in New Orleans). But then it’s seven consecutive losses for the Saints, until they win their last two games just in time to ruin their draft positioning.

Could the Saints really be this bad in 2025? Maybe. Bhanpuri admitted that the team’s proud veteran talent should set some kind of floor for success, but everything depends on how high the quarterback (whether it’s Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler) can elevate a weak supporting cast on offense: “There are enough veteran leaders on hand for New Orleans to win twice as many games as projected, presuming competent quarterback play. But I’d be surprised if this team doesn’t encounter its fair share of growing pains as it ushers in a new era of Saints football.”

More and more season predictions are coming in as we get closer to the regular season, and there’s just not much confidence in what the Saints are building from around the national media landscape. Kellen Moore’s team will have to prove a lot of doubters wrong if they’re going to succeed in 2025.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: NFL.com’s expert predictions don’t buy what the Saints are selling