New Orleans Saints: Week 3 game against Falcons is a must-win
Heading into Week 3, the New Orleans Saints are in a must-win situation when they go up against the Atlanta Falcons in their first away game.
The regular season isn’t starting off great for the New Orleans Saints. Their first two games looked like easy wins. Sadly, they were anything but, with the Tampa Bay Bucs routing the Saints in Week 1 and the Saints barely beating the Browns, 21-18, in Week 2. Heading into Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, it’s a must-win for the Saints.
This season is eerily similar to last year for the Saints. They were 0-2 to start the 2017 campaign, losing their first two games to the Minnesota Vikings and the New England Patriots. Heading into Week 3 against the Panthers, it began a chain reaction for the Saints. Their defense improved while Alvin Kamara emerged as a star.
Most notably, the Saints went on to become an NFC favorite last year. The team made some mistakes, but was strong as a unit. They played confidently and attacked each team’s weakness. Their struggles understandably came against the Los Angeles Rams and the Atlanta Falcons.
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Fast-forward to the 2018 season and the Saints are in the same territory. This year, they’re not 0-2, which is promising. However, they fell to one of their division rivals and that’s never a good sign, especially when it’s the Bucs. With a 1-1 record, the Saints have to channel the same energy from last year.
Defensively, the Saints need to focus on getting takeaways. Last year, they intercepted Newton multiple times in Week 3 to really give the defense a jolt. Going up against Matt Ryan in Week 3, the Saints defense has a slight upper-hand. The Falcons are without their lead rusher, Devonta Freeman, and the Saints have to stall Tevin Coleman.
With the loss of Freeman, it opens up the Falcons passing game. Once again, it allows the Saints to get more takeaways. So far, Ryan has only thrown two touchdowns to two interceptions on the year. Last week, we saw a glimmer of hope against the Browns, including sophomore safety Marcus Williams’ interception.
Moving to the other side of the ball, the Saints offense has been pretty good. The one area they’re lacking in is their run game. Drew Brees has been airing it out, but they need to get their run game going. The suspension of Mark Ingram is still looming for another week, so Kamara needs to work on being the team’s workhorse.
Week 3 is an incredible opportunity for the Saints. Last year, they underwent a complete metamorphosis. Looking at their record against Atlanta in 2017, it was a split as the Saints won the first contest and the Falcons won the second. If the Saints win the first matchup, there’s still plenty of time until their second one. It’s all going to depend on if the Saints can regroup and make the necessary changes.
Next. 2018 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 3. dark
The Saints are hopefully on the upswing while Atlanta is stumbling. All the Saints need is a little bit more confidence. They need that spark to push them over the edge like last season. A win against the Falcons will change their rank in the division but hopefully, the overall attitude. They can get back to being the contender we’ve been hoping to see.