The New Orleans Saints are one of the most fascinating teams in the NFL because no one is completely sure what to expect from them. The defense should rank in the top half of the league and the offensive line should be in the Top 10. Those two things usually make a playoff team, but the rest of the offense is up in the air.
Jameis Winston is leading Alvin Kamara and a ragtag group of receivers. How will it look? We should find out a little bit in Week 1 against the Green Bay Packers.
4. The Saints lose by two or more scores
This game will take place in Green Bay and the Packers are favored over the Saints by 3.5 points in Week 1.
The Packers are coming off one of their best seasons with Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback. Now, they are running it back despite a terribly awkward offseason. Rodgers is good enough and wants to win enough to put the Packers on his back once again, starting in Week 1 versuis the Saints.
Slowing down Rodgers and the Packers' offense is a task very few are able to pull off. It's likely Green Bay has a largely successful day on offense, which would then require the Saints to match them score for score.
Winston and the guys on offense might be able to hang in there for a while, but at the end of the day they just don't have the same talent the Packers have. This Green Bay defense also isn't the unreliable group we've seen before with Rodgers as the quarterback. Expect the home team to run away with this one as the game goes on.
3. Alvin Kamara leads the Saints in receiving yards
Alvin Kamara was already one of the best receiving backs in the entire league before Michael Thomas went down and Drew Brees retired. Now, Kamara has the chance to improve his receiving even more.
The Saints' top two wide receivers right now are Marquez Callaway and Deonte Harris. The two have combined to play 35 games and bring in just 758 receiving yards in their careers. They're not exactly going to light anyone up and the Green Bay defense should be able to successfully defend them, giving Kamara more chances in the receiving game.
Green Bay was among the best in the league at defending against running backs in the passing game last season, but all that tends to go out the window when Kamara comes to town. He has caught at least 80 passes in each of his four seasons, averaging over 5.0 receptions per game. In three of his first four years, Kamara brought in at least 700 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
For a guy who plays a position called running back, that's exceptional. Expect Kamara to have a solid game in the air both because he needs to and because he's able to.
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2. Jameis Winston doesn't throw an interception
This prediction can go a couple of ways. Jameis Winston could have the game of his life, carrying the Saints' offense to a win and not turning the ball over at all. That seems unlikely.
The other option is the Saints offense still feeling itself out without Michael Thomas or Drew Brees. This will be the first time in 15 years that Brees isn't the obvious starting quarterback for the Saints, so things are bound to start slowly. Winston is a downgrade from Brees and the offensive weapons are nowhere to be found aside from Kamara.
For this prediction to come true, Winston will have to do a lot of dumping off to his tight ends or running backs. The running game will also have to be effective throughout the game, allowing for Winston to throw less often.
This Saints offensive line should also give Winston a clean pocket for the most part. The last time Winston was a starter, he averaged just under 40 pass attempts on the season. If Winston hits 40 attempts in week 1 then things can't be going according to plan.
1. The Saints will not sack Aaron Rodgers
New Orleans has one of the better offensive lines in the league with Marcus Davenport and Cameron Jordan leading the way, but losing Trey Hendrickson will hurt. The line should be fine in the long run, but facing the elusive Aaron Rodgers and the Packers' offensive line isn't a good matchup for the Saints.
The most likely scenario is Rodgers is sacked once, but him being able to completely avoid the Saints pass rushers all game wouldn't be shocking.
Last season, no starting quarterback was sacked less than Rodgers. He was only taken down 20 times compared to Carson Wentz at 50. That's a huge gap and shows why Rodgers is able to be so successful. Very few can maneuver through the pocket like him.
In 2020, Rodgers had four games with zero sacks taken, Meanwhile, the Saints–as a defense–had just two games without a sack. It's unlikely this happens, but if there's anyone who can do it, it's Rodgers.
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