New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers: Bold predictions for Week 15

4. The Saints defense picks off Newton twice

As previously mentioned, the Saints are not only the strongest team in their division, but they’re one of the strongest teams in the league. Despite a slow start to the year, the Saints defense has gotten hot and they’re incredibly scary. Even though they had a decent game against the Bucs, they were a huge factor in keeping things close in their loss to the Cowboys.

The Panthers have dealt with poor time management this season and haven’t been able to finish games. Coupled with Newton dealing with an injury, the Panthers just haven’t been at full capacity like usual. Getting the pressure on Newton and causing him to make those risky throws is going to be vital for a win. Even if they’re not able to stifle the run, making Newton nervous is a must.

Going up against the Panthers, the Saints have a chance at redeeming themselves. If the Bucs can pick off Newton four times, the Saints will definitely pick him off. My first prediction for the Saints is that they’ll pick Newton off at least twice.

In their first meeting last year, the Saints picked him off three times and held him to no touchdowns, so it’s possible. The Saints defense has improved since then, so picking off Newton should be easy for them.