The New Orleans Saints will look to get back on track when they take on the New England Patriots in Foxborough on Sunday afternoon.
The Saints got off to a 2-0 start this season, but they have since lost their last two games, most recently getting routed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last weekend.
To make matters worse, quarterback Derek Carr is nursing an AC joint sprain he suffered in Week 3. He played in Week 4, but he was very ineffective.
What will New Orleans do this week?
Here are three bold predictions for the Saints on Sunday.
Derek Carr Will Continue Checking Down
It was abundantly clear that Carr was not 100 percent against the Buccaneers in Week 4.
The veteran went 23-for-37 with just 127 yards on the day, averaging a paltry 3.4 yards per completion. More than half of his completed passes went to running back Alvin Kamara, who hauled in 13 catches. However, Kamara amassed a grand total of just 33 yards in spite of all of his grabs.
This was a clear sign that Carr was not really trusting his arm to throw the deep ball, and given that he is listed as questionable in Week 5 against the Patriots, it seems safe to assume that he still isn’t healthy.
Look for Carr to continue looking for Kamara on checkdowns. Unfortunately, he won’t be able to target tight end Juwan Johnson in short and intermediate routes, as Johnson is sidelined with a calf injury. Perhaps he will look to utilize his wide receivers on those routes, but if Carr looks anything like he did a week ago, don’t expect much from Michael Thomas and the rest of the Saints’ receiving corps.
Alvin Kamara Will Pound the Football
Kamara made his 2023 season debut last week after serving a three-game suspension. He only carried the ball 11 times, but that was likely because he wasn’t exactly in game shape.
Now, Kamara has a week of action under his belt, so he has surely built up some stamina to get some more touches as a rusher against New England.
Again, with Carr not being healthy, New Orleans will probably have to rely on Kamara a heck of a lot to do much of anything offensively against a Pats defense that ranks a solid 10th in the NFL.
While Kamara may not be the same elite all-purpose back he was a few years ago, he remains a dual threat and is still the Saints’ best hope to puncture the Patriots’ defense on Sunday.
Expect New Orleans to hand the ball off to Kamara early and often.
The Saints Will Win Ugly
Given Carr’s status, I don’t feel confident about this at all, but the Patriots have looked so terrible this season that I think the Saints will find a way to pull this out.
It certainly won’t be pretty, but New Orleans does have more talent than New England, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Plus, there is a ton of pressure on Pats quarterback Mac Jones right now, and it remains to be seen how he handles it.
The Saints have scored a grand total of 26 points over their last two games and are averaging just 15.5 points per game on the season, so they haven’t exactly been offensive juggernauts. The thing is, the Patriots are posting just 13.8 points per game thus far, so they have been even worse.
Again, I am banking on New Orleans’ talent to ultimately shine through in this matchup, even if Carr is compromised. Look for the Saints to win a close one to jump over .500.
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