New Orleans Saints: Bold predictions for Week 7 vs. Panthers
New Orleans Saints bold predictions for Week 7 against the rival Panthers.
After an ugly win in Week 5, the New Orleans Saints had a bye week. It couldn’t come at a more perfect time for the team. Amidst some disarray including a fight between teammates and the abysmal win over LA, the Saints needed a break.
Hopefully, a week of rest allowed them to recharge and they can start returning to form. This week is special for a few reasons as the Saints have a lot at stake right now and this Week 7 matchup against the Carolina Panthers could make or break the season for them.
First, it’s going to be Teddy Bridgewater’s return to New Orleans. Bridgewater truly rejuvenated his career with the Saints and it’ll be interesting to see how he plays during his return. It’s clear the offense has been lacking with Michael Thomas’ absence, although it’s now unclear when he’ll return. It’ll also be the team’s chance to get a leg up in the NFC South.
Overall, Week 7 holds a lot of promise for the New Orleans Saints. Hopefully, they’ve grown stronger as a unit and the team is able to avoid situations such as Week 5. Then again, a win’s a win so that’s really all that matters. Nevertheless, it would be nice to see the team come back stronger and ready to take on the rest of their schedule. Before getting to those games, these are 3 bold predictions for Week 7 against the Panthers.
2. New Orleans Saints pick Bridgewater off twice, get multiple sacks
No surprise the first bold prediction has to do with the defense playing against Teddy Bridgewater. Starting things off, I predict the Saints defense will pick off Bridgewater twice and also sack him at least twice. Defensively, the team has been struggling so they need something familiar to help them regroup.
While the Panthers look a lot different, the Saints have still been meeting them twice a year to play. Either way, the Saints defense was still able to finish Week 5 with three total sacks, albeit with zero interceptions.
A week of rest should have helped the Saints’ defense become stronger as a unit. In particular, I look for Cameron Jordan and Demario Davis to continue putting up solid numbers. The two have proven themselves more than capable. Even though the Saints defense hasn’t broken out as we hoped, they still have young guys like Marshon Lattimore, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Williams who can make an impact.
Week 7 is going to be a better week for the Saints defense including two interceptions and two sacks. While it might not seem like much, they need to start somewhere and those goals should be attainable.
1. Taysom Hill makes multiple big-time receptions
As incredibly as Taysom Hill has played, it’s become a bit one-note and teams are starting to pick up on it. Rather than using him as a quarterback, the Saints need to use him elsewhere. In Week 7, I predict the Saints will use Hill as a receiver rather than being a quarterback during trick plays or in other critical moments.
Thus far this season, teams have been tripping up Hill and it’s time for the Saints to shake things up. Using Hill as a receiver only adds more depth to an already loaded offense and will likely catch teams off guard. The Panthers will have to deal with the Saints twice this season and they’re going to come to expect things. Catching them off guard is an excellent plan of attack and using Hill in a different position could be exactly the fresh start he needs.