New Orleans Saints bold predictions for Week 7 Thursday Night Football vs. Broncos
The New Orleans Saints have cooled off after their hot start to the 2024 NFL season. New Orleans started the season with a bang , winning two games in a row where they put up over 40 points each time. Unfortunately, it has been nothing but downhill from there.
The Saints lost their next two games by only one score. Then they got pounded 26-13 by the Chiefs in a game where Derek Carr left during the fourth quarter. In their first full game without Carr, the Saints were pummeled 51-27 by the Buccaneers.
It's safe to say that Saints fans are hoping that Derek Carr gets healthy ASAP .
Until then, the Saints will have to make it work with rookie Spencer Rattler and second-year QB Jake Haener.
The Saints are dealing with a handful of injuries on the offensive side of the ball. Do they have what it takes to get a win against a frisky Broncos squad with one arm tied behind their back?
Here are three bold Saints predictions ahead of their Thursday Night Football matchup against the Broncos in Week 7 .
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QB Spencer Rattler gets more comfortable, has middling performance against Broncos
Derek Carr is officially doubtful for Week 7, which suggests that Spencer Rattler will be the starter for the Saints on Thursday night.
Rattler is a favorite of the Saints coaching staff and is coming off a solid NFL debut . He put up 243 passing yards and one touchdown in his first NFL start. Rattler also rushed four times for 27 yards, highlighting his athleticism. However, Rattler was by no means perfect. He threw two interceptions and only had a 55% completion percentage.
Rattler looks like he fits the Saints offense like a glove, but he is still a raw QB prospect. Nothing that happens on Thursday is going to impact New Orleans' hopes for Rattler moving forward. The most important function will be giving him more reps and gaining more NFL experience.
The deck is stacked against Rattler against the Broncos, but I believe he will prove that he should keep the starting job for a little while longer.
My prediction: Rattler has a mediocre performance by NFL starting QB standards, which is a pretty optimistic view. I see Rattler having a poor completion percentage once against and failing to throw for more than 250 passing yards. However, I believe he will manage the game well enough and avoid making costly turnovers that tilt the game away from the Saints.
Saints feed Alvin Kamara, shy away from passing game with Olave and Shaheed out
Spencer Rattler will give it his all, but he won't be working with the greatest supporting cast in Week 7.
The Saints will be without both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, by far the team's two best wide receivers. That leaves New Orleans with Mason Tipton, Bub Means, and Cedrick Wilson Jr. as their top wide receivers.
If that's what the Saints have at wide receivers, fans should expect to see a lot of Alvin Kamara and Juwan Johnson on Thursday night.
Alvin Kamara should be the primary beneficiary though. Kamara is a dangerous runner between the tackles and can catch the ball out of the backfield like the NFL's top receiving backs. He is an ideal player to make the most of this situation, as he will still likely be a positional mismatch in the passing game, being covered by a linebacker instead of a defensive back.
Regardless of whether it is running or receiving, expect Kamara to be heavily involved in the game plan.
My prediction: Alvin Kamara will touch the ball more than 25 times on Thursday Night Football. He will also accumulate more than 125 all-purpose yards. Fantasy football managers, start getting excited if you have shares of Kamara.
Saints defense forces multiple turnovers that help them defeat the Broncos in a one-score victory
The Saints are a little banged up on defense, but they still have a ton of playmakers on that side of the ball. They must be licking their chops thinking about going up against rookie QB Bo Nix.
Nix has had a solid start to the 2024 season. He has thrown for 1,082 passing yards and five touchdowns. His completion percentage is 61.1% and he has thrown five interceptions as well. This should not strike fear in the hearts of Saints defenders.
Much the opposite. I believe the Saints are hoping that their defense can help lead them to victory on Thursday Night Football.
My prediction: the Saints force at least two turnovers on defense, which helps swing the game in their favor. If the Saints can accomplish this, and play a conversative brand of football on offense, then I can see them squeaking out a one-score win.
