Watching the New Orleans Saints in 2026 can mean very different things depending on where you are. A fan in Louisiana may find most Sunday afternoon games through the local CBS or FOX affiliate, while a Saints fan living elsewhere could turn on the same network and find a completely different NFL matchup. Traveling creates another situation entirely if a streaming service you normally use restricts access based on your current location.
This guide covers
- how to watch Saints games in 2026
- the complete schedule and TV channels
- out-of-market viewing
- how a VPN may help unblock your normal streaming service while traveling
There is also plenty worth finding the game for this season. Tyler Shough enters Year 2 after helping New Orleans finish his rookie season with real momentum, the Saints have added another young receiving weapon in Jordyn Tyson, and Cameron Jordan has announced that 2026 will be the final season of his remarkable career in New Orleans. The franchise is also celebrating its 60th season while preparing to play in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Paris.
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The Saints Viewing Board
Start with your situation rather than immediately reaching for a VPN.
| If You’re Trying to… | Where to Start |
|---|---|
| Watch the Saints locally | Check that week’s CBS, FOX or national broadcaster |
| Watch the Saints out of market | Check NFL Sunday Ticket eligibility for Sunday afternoon games |
| Watch a national game | Use the network or streaming service listed in the schedule |
| Watch while traveling | Check whether your normal service is being restricted by location |
| Unblock a normal stream while traveling | A VPN may help with a location-based restriction |
| Watch outside the United States | Check the NFL broadcaster available in that country |
This distinction matters because an out-of-market Saints game, a Saints blackout and a geo-blocked streaming service aren’t necessarily the same problem. Knowing why the game is unavailable tells you which viewing option to check.
New Orleans Saints 2026 Schedule and TV Guide
New Orleans opens with two road games before finally returning to the Caesars Superdome in Week 3. The schedule also includes Monday Night Football against Atlanta and a historic Week 7 meeting with Pittsburgh at Stade de France in Paris.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (CT) | TV / Streaming |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sept. 13 | at Detroit Lions | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 2 | Sept. 20 | at Baltimore Ravens | 12:00 PM | CBS |
| 3 | Sept. 27 | vs. Las Vegas Raiders | 3:25 PM | CBS |
| 4 | Oct. 5 | vs. Atlanta Falcons | 7:15 PM | ESPN / WDSU |
| 5 | Oct. 11 | vs. Minnesota Vikings | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 6 | Oct. 18 | at New York Giants | 12:00 PM | TBD |
| 7 | Oct. 25 | vs. Pittsburgh Steelers — Paris | 8:30 AM | NFL Network / WDSU |
| 8 | — | BYE | — | — |
| 9 | Nov. 8 | vs. Cleveland Browns | 12:00 PM | CBS |
| 10 | Nov. 15 | vs. Carolina Panthers | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 11 | Nov. 22 | at Chicago Bears | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 12 | Nov. 29 | at Cincinnati Bengals | 12:00 PM | CBS |
| 13 | Dec. 6 | vs. Green Bay Packers | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 14 | Dec. 13 | at Carolina Panthers | 12:00 PM | CBS |
| 15 | Dec. 20 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 16 | Dec. 27 | vs. Arizona Cardinals | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 17 | Jan. 3 | at Atlanta Falcons | 12:00 PM | FOX |
| 18 | TBD | vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TBD | TBD |
The Saints’ official schedule currently lists the Week 6 Giants broadcaster as unannounced, while Week 18 against Tampa Bay still needs its date, kickoff time and broadcaster finalized. Eligible games later in the season can also be affected by NFL flexible scheduling.
Where the Viewing Experience Changes
Most of the schedule follows the familiar Sunday afternoon CBS/FOX format. Those are the games where out-of-market Saints fans need to pay the most attention to regional coverage because the network listed on the schedule isn’t necessarily the NFL game your local affiliate will show.
Weeks 4 and 7 work differently. Saints-Falcons is a Monday night national broadcast, while Saints-Steelers kicks off at 8:30 a.m. Central from Paris and is scheduled for NFL Network nationally with WDSU carrying it locally. That Paris game is particularly worth planning for in advance because both the broadcaster and kickoff time are different from a normal Saints Sunday.
Three Questions That Will Define the 2026 Saints
There are dozens of roster questions we could ask entering a new season, but for New Orleans, three stand above the rest.
1. Was Tyler Shough’s Finish the Beginning of Something?
Shough didn’t begin his rookie season as the Saints’ starter. His first NFL start came in Week 9 against the Rams, and what followed changed the outlook of the position entering 2026. Over nine starts, Shough completed 204 of 295 passes for 2,256 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. He added 174 rushing yards and three more touchdowns, while New Orleans went 5-4 in those starts and won four of its final five games.
That doesn’t mean nine starts have answered every quarterback question. It does mean the Saints enter 2026 in a much more interesting position than they would have if Shough had simply survived his rookie season. Now comes the harder part: doing it when defenses have an offseason of film and when the expectations are no longer those of a rookie taking over midway through the year.
If Shough develops into a reliable long-term starter, New Orleans has solved the most expensive and difficult problem in roster building. If the late-2025 momentum doesn’t carry over, the quarterback question quickly returns.
2. Can New Orleans Give Shough Enough Help?
The Saints already have Chris Olave, and they used their 2026 first-round selection on Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson. Shough has spoken positively about what Tyson can bring to the offense, giving New Orleans another young piece to develop alongside its second-year quarterback.
That’s what makes this season important beyond Shough individually. New Orleans has an opportunity to find out whether a young quarterback and young receiver can grow together rather than constantly rebuilding the offense one position at a time. The best outcome isn’t merely Tyson producing a good rookie stat line; it’s New Orleans reaching the end of the season feeling that the passing game has a foundation it can continue building around.
3. How Much Progress Is Enough?
The Saints don’t have to pretend they’re a finished contender for 2026 to matter. Shough’s late-season success created some optimism, but this is still a team trying to establish what its next competitive core looks like.
A successful year should therefore produce answers. Is Shough the quarterback? Does Tyson look like a long-term weapon? Which younger defenders belong in the next version of this roster? Can New Orleans make meaningful progress within the NFC South? Those questions make the Saints more interesting than their previous record alone suggests.
Why Isn’t the Saints Game on My Local FOX or CBS Station?
Suppose the Saints schedule says FOX at noon. You turn on FOX, but instead of New Orleans, your local station is showing another NFL matchup. That doesn’t automatically mean the Saints game is blacked out.
CBS and FOX distribute many Sunday afternoon NFL broadcasts regionally. The matchup shown in New Orleans may therefore be different from the one carried by the same network in another part of the country. This is particularly relevant to Saints fans who have moved away from Louisiana but still expect to see New Orleans whenever the schedule lists FOX or CBS.
If the Saints aren’t assigned to your local market, check whether the game is eligible for NFL Sunday Ticket, which is the primary U.S. option for eligible out-of-market Sunday afternoon games. A true location restriction on a streaming service is a different problem, which is why identifying what’s happening before trying to unblock a Saints game matters.
One Season, Two Generations of Saints Football
The most interesting part of the 2026 Saints may be the contrast between where the franchise has been and where it hopes to go. Tyler Shough is entering his second NFL season, while Jordyn Tyson is beginning his professional career. Together, they represent what New Orleans hopes can become part of its future.
At the other end stands Cameron Jordan. Jordan re-signed with New Orleans and announced that 2026 will be his final NFL season. His entire professional career has been spent with the Saints, making this season something more than another year for one of the franchise’s defining defensive players.
That transition fits a much larger anniversary season. New Orleans is celebrating its 60th season as a franchise, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Saints’ return to the Superdome. Drew Brees will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Mark Ingram II and Terron Armstead are entering the Saints Hall of Fame, and the team will participate in the NFL’s first regular-season game in Paris.
For a franchise with such a distinct recent history, that’s a lot happening in one year. It makes 2026 feel less like a clean break between eras than a season where several eras overlap: Brees is being honored, Jordan is saying goodbye, and Shough and Tyson are trying to establish what’s next.
Can You Unblock Saints Games With a VPN?
A VPN may help unblock a Saints stream when location is actually what’s preventing you from watching. For example, suppose you’re traveling and already subscribe to the streaming service carrying New Orleans. If that service becomes unavailable because of your temporary location, connecting to an appropriate VPN server changes the IP location associated with your connection and may help restore access to the service you normally use.
That doesn’t mean a VPN unlocks every Saints game. If your local FOX or CBS affiliate is carrying another matchup because New Orleans is out of market, check NFL Sunday Ticket for eligible games. Likewise, if the Saints are playing on ESPN or NFL Network, you’ll still need access to that broadcaster.
Using ExpressVPN for Saints Games While Traveling
We recommend ExpressVPN for sports streaming while traveling. Install the app before your trip, check which broadcaster carries the Saints game, and make sure you’re signed into the appropriate streaming service. If that service becomes location-restricted while you’re away, connect to an appropriate ExpressVPN server and reopen the stream.
The goal isn’t to replace your subscription. It’s to have a tool available when your temporary location is the reason a service you normally use isn’t accessible.
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Watching Saints Games Outside Louisiana
One of the most important distinctions for Saints fans is whether you’re living outside the team’s television market or simply traveling away from home.
If you grew up in Louisiana but now live in Tennessee, Texas, California or another part of the country, your current local CBS and FOX affiliates determine which regional Sunday games you receive. Even if you’ve been a Saints fan your entire life, your television market doesn’t change based on which team you support. That’s why NFL Sunday Ticket is important for eligible out-of-market Sunday afternoon games: it’s designed for situations where the Saints aren’t the matchup selected for your local CBS or FOX station.
Travel is different. If you’re only away temporarily and the service you normally use becomes inaccessible because of your current location, that’s where a VPN can potentially help. In other words, moving away from Louisiana and traveling away from Louisiana can create similar viewing frustrations, but they don’t necessarily require the same solution.
The Saints’ Paris game illustrates another variation. That Week 7 matchup is scheduled nationally on NFL Network rather than following the normal regional Sunday afternoon setup, so fans should use the broadcaster listed for that particular game.
Three Checkpoints for the Saints’ 2026 Season
Rather than deciding today exactly what New Orleans will be in January, there are three points in the schedule where we should know considerably more.
Checkpoint One: After the First Five Games
New Orleans begins at Detroit and Baltimore before finally returning home against Las Vegas. Then comes Monday Night Football against Atlanta and another home game against Minnesota. By the end of Week 5, we should have our first meaningful look at Shough as the established starter rather than the rookie who took over midway through a season. We should also begin to see how Tyson fits into the offense and whether the momentum from late 2025 survived the offseason. The record matters, but the quality of the offense may tell us even more.
Checkpoint Two: Paris and the Bye
Week 7 is unlike anything else on the schedule. New Orleans will face Pittsburgh at Stade de France on October 25, marking the first NFL regular-season game played in Paris. The Saints then immediately enter their Week 8 bye. That creates a natural evaluation point. Seven games are enough to begin separating offseason expectations from reality, and the bye gives the coaching staff an opportunity to adjust before the second half.
Checkpoint Three: The NFC South Finish
The final portion of the schedule could determine how much New Orleans has actually progressed. Beginning in Week 14, the Saints travel to Carolina, visit Tampa Bay, host Arizona, travel to Atlanta and finish at home against Tampa Bay. Three of the final four games are against NFC South opponents. If New Orleans reaches December with something meaningful to play for, it won’t have to rely entirely on other teams to determine its divisional fate. The Saints will have opportunities against Carolina, Tampa Bay and Atlanta to show where they actually stand.
Can’t Find the Saints Game? Start Here
If you arrive on this page on Sunday because the Saints aren’t showing up where you expected, check the situation before changing anything.
- Another NFL game is on CBS or FOX: New Orleans may be out of market in your location. Check Sunday Ticket eligibility.
- The schedule lists ESPN, NFL Network or another broadcaster: Use the service carrying that specific game.
- Your normal streaming service stopped working after you traveled: You may be dealing with a location restriction, and this is where a VPN may help unblock the service you normally use.
- You’re outside the United States: Check the NFL broadcaster and viewing options available in the country where you’re located.
What looks like a Saints blackout can actually be regional coverage, a different broadcaster or a geo-restriction. Once you know which one you’re dealing with, finding the right way to watch becomes much easier. For New Orleans, that’s especially worth figuring out in 2026. The Saints are celebrating 60 seasons of football while simultaneously trying to find the players who will define what comes next.
