The New Orleans Saints might be getting a big break coming out of their bye week. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Friday that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson could miss the next six to eight weeks recovering from a ruptured middle-finger tendon that will likely require surgery. That puts his backup Geno Smith up against the Saints when they visit Seattle for a Monday night game after their Week 6 bye.

Of course right now the Saints are dialed in on their Week 5 matchup with the Washington Football Team. But we can’t help but keep one eye on the future; as many as four starters on offense could return from injuries for that Seahawks game including wide receivers Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith, left tackle Terron Armstead, and center Erik McCay.

Place kicker Wil Lutz, linebacker Kwon Alexander, and defensive end Marcus Davenport are also eligible (as are a couple of backups in cornerback Ken Crawley, tight end Nick Vannett, and linebacker Chase Hansen).

So New Orleans is poised to go on a tear if they play their cards right. They’ll come out of their bye well rested and hopefully healthy, with a possible statement game in front of a national audience. Here’s how the next leg of their schedule lines up after Week 7’s game with the Smith-led, 2-3 Seahawks:

• Week 8 at home vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1)
• Week 9 at home vs. Atlanta Falcons (1-3)
• Week 10 on the road at Tennessee Titans (2-2)
• Week 11 on the road at Philadelphia Eagles (1-3)
• Week 13 at home vs. Buffalo Bills (3-1) on Thanksgiving

But, again: let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Fascinating as the future is shaping up to be (and I’d be remiss to mention Wilson prompted a lot of trade chatter early this offseason, with New Orleans the only team among his preferred destinations to not have a long-term answer at quarterback, while Seattle doesn’t own their first round pick in 2022) let’s train all our attention on Washington, as Sean Payton and the Saints very likely are doing.