BATON ROUGE — The rematch is on.
The New Orleans Saints will be back in Minnesota on Sunday, Oct. 28, for a prime time game at 7:20 p.m. on NBC against the Vikings, who somehow beat New Orleans, 29-24, on the last play of the game in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs last Jan. 14 in Minneapolis in a heart breaker still felt throughout the Crescent City.
That will be just one of six nationally televised Saints game next season. New Orleans, which finished 11-6 overall with a 1-1 mark in the postseason in the 2017-18 season, opens the 2018-19 campaign with two home games for the first time since 2004 as the Saints will host Tampa Bay on Sept. 9 at noon on FOX and Cleveland on Sept. 16 at noon on Fox.
The other five national games will be Oct. 8 at home on Monday Night Football against Washington at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN, Thanksgiving night at 7:20 on Nov. 22 at home against Atlanta on NBC, at Dallas on Thursday night at 7:20 on FOX and the NFL Network, Monday Night Football again at Carolina on Dec. 17 at 7:15 on ESPN, and on Dec. 23 at home against Pittsburgh at 3:25 p.m. on CBS.
Ten of the Saints' 16 opponents in 2018 were .500 or better in the 2017 season, and they will play six playoff teams — Atlanta, Carolina, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Super Bowl champion Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.
The Saints host Philadelphia at noon on Nov. 18 on FOX in the Superdome. New Orleans will be playing on back-to-back Thursdays for the first time in franchise history and will be hosting a Thanksgiving game for the first time.
New Orleans' open date will be on Oct. 14.
The Saints preseason schedule opens on Aug. 9 at Jacksonville and is followed by a home game against Arizona on Aug. 17, a road game at the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 25 and a home game against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 30.
The complete regular season schedule follows:
- Sept. 9 vs. Tampa Bay - Noon on FOX
- Sept. 16 vs. Cleveland - Noon on FOX
- Sept. 23 @ Atlanta - Noon on FOX
- Sept. 30 @ NY Giants - 3:25 on CBS
- Oct. 8 vs. Washington - 7:15 on ESPN
- Oct. 14 BYE
- Oct. 21 @ Baltimore - 3:05 on FOX
- Oct. 28 @ Minnesota - 7:20 on NBC
- Nov. 4 vs. LA Rams - 3:25 on FOX
- Nov. 11 @ Cincinnati - Noon on FOX
- Nov. 18 vs. Philadelphia - Noon on FOX
- Nov. 22/Thanksgiving Day vs. Falcons - 7:20 on NBC
- Nov. 29 @ Dallas - 7:20 on FOX
- Dec. 9 @ Tampa Bay - Noon on FOX
- Dec. 16 @ Carolina -- 7:15 on ESPN
- Dec. 23 vs. Pittsburgh -- 3:25 on FOX
- Dec. 30 vs. Carolina -- Noon on FOX