The New Orleans Saints Week 17 matchup vs. the Carolina Panthers is a must-win game. The Saints are coming off one of the uglier losses in franchise history. They lost 20-3 to the Miami Dolphins. It wasn't the final score that made it an ugly game. It was how incredibly unproductive the offense looked. They finished the game with 159 total yards of offense. They only earned eight first downs and were 0-12 on 3rd down.

Of course, that wasn't completely unexpected. Quarterbacks Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian were both placed on COVID-19 protocols. So, the Saints had to turn to Ian Book at quarterback. Book was making his first career start against a Dolphins defense that has been playing lights out for almost two months. Thankfully for New Orleans, they received some good news Wednesday.

For more insight on the Saints' Week 17 matchup against the Panthers, listen below:

Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian and nine other players were activated from the COVID-19 reserve list. That should be a big help to the Saints offense. This week, the Saints host the Carolina Panthers in a must-win game.

Here are my four bold predictions for the New Orleans Saints Week 17 matchup against the Carolina Panthers.

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Saints Week 17 Predictions vs Panthers

4. Taysom Hill provides the needed steady hand at quarterback

After last week's disaster with Ian Book, the Saints should be relieved to have Taysom Hill back from the COVID-19 reserve list. Hill certainly is not your prototypical drop back quarterback, but he at least is competent and has experience.

The Panthers secondary is quietly one of the better groups in the entire NFL. They only allow 182 passing yards per game. Only the Buffalo Bills are better against the pass. So I do not expect Hill to do much damage through the air. It's not like he has the weapons on the outside anyway.

However, the Panthers are susceptible to the ground game. Last week, the Buccaneers rushed for 159 yards and a couple scores on the ground. A balanced attack from Hill and the Saints offense should provide him opportunities to do damage against the Panthers.

3. Alvin Kamara bounces back, puts up video game numbers 

Last week, All Pro running back Alvin Kamara was held in check by the Dolphins defense. They didn't have to worry about the pass with Ian Book at quarterback, so they were able to play eight in the box all night long. With Taysom Hill back at quarterback, that won't be the case.

The Panthers are particularly vulnerable against the run, as I mentioned before. They are prone to giving up big plays on the ground. In Week 16, Buccaneers third string tailback Ke'Shawn Vaughn broke one off for a 55-yard touchdown.

Leonard Fournette is on injured reserve. The de facto starting running back was Ronald Jones II. He also got into the end zone vs the Panthers.

The Saints obviously lack playmakers at receiver. So, I fully expect Kamara to get 10 or more targets and turn those into big plays as well. I would not be surprised if Kamara ends up with over 80 yards rushing, 80 yards receiving and a couple touchdowns Sunday.

2. Saints defense completely dominates

Lost in the shuffle of the ugly loss to the Dolphins was how well New Orleans played defensively. Quietly, they are also among the best defenses in the league this season.

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The Saints rank 6th in the NFL in rush defense, allowing a shade under 96 yards per game on the ground. The Carolina Panthers offense is almost entirely based on the ground game. Cam Newton is no longer the starting quarterback. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule announced Wednesday that Sam Darnold will get the start Sunday.

That probably helps Carolina's offense a bit. But it's not like he was lighting the league on fire before he was hurt.

1. Saints win, sets up potential playoff play-in vs Falcons

I would be very surprised if the Saints do not beat the Panthers Sunday. It is a bad matchup for Carolina on both sides of the ball. Their offense is predicated on running the ball effectively. The Saints defense is one of the best at taking that away. New Orleans' offense always is built on the ground. That is the weakness of the Panthers defense.

The Saints will climb back to .500 with a win at 8-8. That will set up a showdown with the division rival Atlanta Falcons.

Currently, the last two playoff spots are held by the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Both of whom are one game ahead of New Orleans. The Eagles own the tiebreaker on the Saints, so it is unlikely New Orleans could pass them. But the 49ers, if they lose to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 18, and New Orleans wins their last two, they will squeak into the 7th spot.