The New Orleans Saints will face four AFC opponents in their 2013 preseason schedule, including one contest at Houston that will be televised nationally on Sunday afternoon, August 25 by FOX Sports.
The Saints game at Houston marks the fourth consecutive season the team will appear on a nationally televised broadcast. In 2012, the Saints defeated the Arizona Cardinals in the Hall of Fame game 17-10 and also upended the Houston Texans 34-27.
In their preseason opener, the Saints will host the Kansas City Chiefs at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. On September 23, 2012, the Chiefs defeated the Saints 27-24 in overtime at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This will be the first time the Saints have hosted the Chiefs in the preseason since 1997. New Orleans owns a 5-4 lead in the preseason series. The contest will also mark the Chiefs debut of Kansas City head coach Andy Reid.
In the second week of the preseason, the Saints will host the Oakland Raiders at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This will be the first time that the Saints have hosted the Raiders in the preseason, with the Saints holding a 3-2 edge in contests played in London, England and Oakland. The Saints defeated the Raiders, 38-17, last season on November 18 at O.co Coliseum.
New Orleans travels to face the Texans at Reliant Stadium on Sunday, August 25 in a contest nationally televised on FOX (WVUE FOX-8 locally). Kickoff is 3:00 p.m. CT. The Saints and Texans have played each other every preseason since 2008, with the clubs splitting both their regular season (2-2) and preseason (3-3) meetings. In the 2012 nationally televised, prime-time meeting, the Saints scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter for the 34-27 win.
New Orleans will visit Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. for the first time since capturing Super Bowl XLIV to face the Dolphins for their final preseason game. The Saints and Dolphins have played 20 times in the preseason with the Dolphins holding a 13-7 edge. The two clubs will also meet in the regular season at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
New Orleans went 2-3 in the 2012 preseason, having won at least two contests in every preseason since 2007.
The three games that are not nationally televised will be regionally televised on CST, with all four games on WVUE FOX-8. All games can be heard on the New Orleans Saints Radio Network (WWL 870 AM and 105.3 FM locally).
The dates and times of the Kansas City, Oakland and Miami games will be announced at a later date.
