New Orleans Saints 2014 Preseason Schedule Released

The schedule has been released!

Not the regular season schedule, unfortunately. Not yet, at least. That should be out within the next two weeks or less.

But fans can now start making plans for when and how to get their first tastes of 2014 NFL football. August is the appetizer for the greatest banquet of sports television in America. And even if it sometimes seems a bit stale or undercooked, fans just can't help but reach for that bowl.

Fans will use the preseason as an excuse to test out new grills, and blow the dust off of our NFL Game Day party skills. Fantasy Football leagues will be assembled, and fantasy draft battle plans will be drawn and redrawn with each preseason flop and fumble.

Some fans say they aren't interested in the preseason whatsoever, while some claim that the third preseason game is the only one that is worth anything at all. Well, at least Saints fans will all have the opportunity to watch the Week 3 game. Of the eight preseason games which are being nationally televised, the Saints are featured in one of them. On Saturday, August 23, the Saints will be playing the Colts in Indianapolis, and the game will be broadcast on CBS.

For the 2014 preseason, the New Orleans Saints will be playing:

Week 1 @ St. Louis Rams
Week 2 Tennessee Titans
Week 3 @ Indianapolis Colts (on CBS)
Week 4 Baltimore Ravens

With both teams likely sitting their starters for the last game of the preseason, the Week 4 match against the Ravens is unlikely to provide much of a preview for the regular season contest (which will also be in the Superdome); but that won't stop fans of the winning team from connecting those dots until the game that matters is actually played.

Here's the complete 2014 NFL preseason schedule, with nationally televised games marked:

Hall of Fame Game - Aug. 3

NY Giants vs. Buffalo (NBC)

Week 1 - Aug. 7-10

Buffalo at Carolina
Cincinnati at Kansas City
Cleveland at Detroit
Dallas at San Diego
Green Bay at Tennessee
Houston at Arizona
Indianapolis at NY Jets
Miami at Atlanta
New England at Washington
New Orleans at St. Louis
Oakland at Minnesota
Philadelphia at Chicago
Pittsburgh at NY Giants
San Francisco at Baltimore
Seattle at Denver
Tampa Bay at Jacksonville

Week 2 - Aug. 14-18

Jacksonville at Chicago (ESPN, 8/14)
Kansas City at Carolina (FOX, 8/17)
Cleveland at Washington (ESPN, 8/18)
Arizona at Minnesota
Atlanta at Houston
Baltimore at Dallas
Buffalo at Pittsburgh
Denver at San Francisco
Detroit at Oakland
Green Bay at St. Louis
Miami at Tampa Bay
NY Giants at Indianapolis
NY Jets at Cincinnati
Philadelphia at New England
San Diego at Seattle
Tennessee at New Orleans

Week 3 - Aug. 21-24

Oakland at Green Bay (CBS, 8/22)
New Orleans at Indianapolis (CBS, 8/23)
San Diego at San Francisco (FOX, 8/24)
Cincinnati at Arizona (NBC, 8/24)
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia
Jacksonville at Detroit
Tennessee at Atlanta
Chicago at Seattle
Tampa Bay at Buffalo
Dallas at Miami
Carolina at New England
NY Giants at NY Jets
Washington at Baltimore
St. Louis at Cleveland
Houston at Denver
Minnesota at Kansas City

Week 4 - Aug. 28

Arizona at San Diego
Atlanta at Jacksonville
Baltimore at New Orleans
Carolina at Pittsburgh
Chicago at Cleveland
Denver at Dallas
Detroit at Buffalo
Indianapolis at Cincinnati
Kansas City at Green Bay
Minnesota at Tennessee
New England at NY Giants
NY Jets at Philadelphia
San Francisco at Houston
Seattle at Oakland
St. Louis at Miami
Washington at Tampa Bay