The New Orleans Saints are off this week, but you aren’t — and there are a ton of games on the Week 11 slate that impact the black and gold. Whether you’re worried about where the team picks in the 2026 NFL draft or are holding out hope for an improbable playoff run after their 2-8 start, here are the teams to root for in every game during the Saints’ bye week. Let’s dig in.

New York Jets at New England Patriots

Thursday Night Football pitted a bad Jets team against an AFC playoff favorite, and the Saints needed an upset for New York. They didn’t get it, with the Jets falling 27-14. While the Saints still own a narrow tiebreaker thanks to their weaker strength of schedule, both teams now share a 2-8 record. They’ll play each other later this year, too, potentially with a top-three pick in next year’s draft on the line.

Washington Commanders at Miami Dolphins

Sunday morning’s early kickoff from Madrid featured two teams with a one-win advantage on New Orleans, but the Commanders are competing with them for a long-shot hope in the playoff picture. A Dolphins win would decrease the importance in their head-to-head matchup with the Saints in a few weeks and weaken Washington’s fading playoff hopes. That’s just what we got when the Dolphins finally kicked a deciding field goal in overtime.

Green Bay Packers at New York Giants

Drew Brees makes his broadcasting debut for FOX, with a noon kickoff shown locally in Louisiana and the rest of the Saints’ home market. And it’s Jameis Winston quarterbacking the Giants this week, not Jaxson Dart. A Giants win helps the Saints whether you want a higher draft pick or a shot at the playoffs, so root for them. New York could muddy the playoff picture by dropping Green Bay to 5-4-1.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Buffalo Bills

Here’s a noon kickoff on CBS, shown locally in Louisiana and widely across the nation. Pull for the Bills. Any losses the Bucs take will help shorten the climb to the top of the NFC South. Both teams go into this game at 6-3 so it should be a fun matchup. Hopefully Tampa Bay goes home with a loss.

One of several noon kickoffs on FOX, this game is a classic NFC South rivalry match that helps the Saints no matter who wins. But you’d rather see the Panthers lose than Atlanta, at least this time. The Falcons improving to 4-6 would keep both teams under .500. That keeps the window open for New Orleans. An added benefit is it keeps the Falcons from potentially tying the Saints in draft positioning, at least right now.

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings

Another game on FOX’s noon slate, this one is easy — root against the Vikings. A Minnesota loss bumps them down in the hunt for a wild-card spot, and they’re still a couple of games ahead of the Saints, so it doesn’t shake up the draft order much.

Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans

One more at noon on FOX, and the Saints need a Titans win. Tennessee is ahead by a game in the race for the first overall draft pick. Beating a Texans team without CJ Stroud would put them into a 2-8 tie with New Orleans, which the Saints would win thanks to their weaker strength of schedule. These are both AFC teams so there isn’t a playoff implication for New Orleans in the NFC.

Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

We’re back on CBS, with this AFC North grudge match leading off. Pull for a Bengals win. Besides giving Joe Burrow more of a chance for the playoffs when he returns from injury, it keeps 3-6 Cincinnati out of the Saints’ hair should New Orleans win a couple more games coming out of the bye week.

Los Angeles Chargers at Jacksonville Jaguars

Next up in the noon window for CBS — another all-AFC game. Both teams have winning records, but the Jaguars are closer to the Saints at 5-4, so root for Jacksonville to win at their home stadium.

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams

The late afternoon slate on FOX is only being shown regionally, but if you’re in the area (or keeping up on RedZone), root for Seattle. They have a narrow lead on the Rams in the NFC West title race. Both teams are 7-2 and factor into the Saints’ strength of schedule. Let’s see Klint Kubiak and Rashid Shaheed get a win over one of New Orleans’ oldest rivals.

San Francisco 49erse at Arizona Cardinals

Also in the later afternoon on FOX, and also shown regionally, this game is a little easier to decide. Pull for the Cardinals to upset the 49ers and improve to 4-6. That gives the Saints some more breathing room in terms of draft order while also making the NFC wild card race tougher to navigate for all involved.

Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos

Most of the country will have this one in the late afternoon on CBS. If you don’t have hard feelings towards Sean Payton, root for his Broncos. If you do, go for the Chiefs. Neither team is on the Saints’ schedule, nor are they picking top-10, and they won’t be a factor in the NFC playoff picture.

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns

CBS lined up this game for an alternate broadcast later in the afternoon, at least regionally, and a Browns win does a lot to help the Saints at the top of the 2026 draft order. Cleveland is 2-7, but they have a weaker strength of schedule than New Orleans, so we want to see them improve to 3-7 rather than join the Saints at 2-8.

Detroit Lions at Philadelphia Eagles

Two of the best teams in the NFC are kicking off on Sunday Night Football, but Saints fans don’t really have a dog in the fight (unless they’re cheering on Dan Campbell). Pick your poison here. Personally, we’re with Detroit. It’s been really cool to see the Lions develop from a punching bag to a powerhouse.

Dallas Cowboys at Las Vegas Raiders

Monday Night Football’s feature pits a 2-7 Raiders team against a 3-5-1 Cowboys team. Root for the Raiders. A third win would keep them out of the top five picks, and a Dallas loss hurts the Cowboys’ dismal playoff ambitions. And it’s always fun to see Jerry Jones lose under a big spotlight.