The New Orleans Saints Week 5 matchup vs. the Seattle Seahawks will pit two teams going in the opposite directions against one another. The Saints are coming off their third straight loss, losing to the Minnesota Vikings in London, 28-25. Prior to that, they put forth an awful performance against the lowly Carolina Panthers. New Orleans lost that game 22-14 and were lucky to even get that close. Meanwhile, the Seahawks nearly dropped a 50-burger on the Detroit Lions in a 48-45 shootout. Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense has been far better than anyone expected this year.

There are going to be a lot of people that look at that and expect a similar outcome this week. I am not one of those people. The Saints defense has far too much pride to allow what Seattle did last week. Not to mention, their defense has significantly more talent than the Lions.

Beyond that, it's been reported that Saints All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara is going to be back this week.

That could easily be a game-changer for the Saints Week 5 matchup vs. the Seahawks. So, let's get into it and give you my 4 bold predictions.

4. Cameron Jordan and Saints defense shuts Seahawks down

As amazing as Geno Smith and the Seahawks offense looked last week, they will look equally bad in this game. The Lions rush defense is flat out offensive. You could drive a truck through some of the lanes that Rashaad Penny was sprinting through.

Penny ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Both of which came on long runs in the second half, helping put the game away. He ripped off a 36-yard TD and then followed it up with a 41-yard TD run. That's not happening against the Saints defense.

Last week, New Orleans rush defense got back on track. They held Dalvin Cook to just 76 yards on 20 carries. I would expect similar efficiency from Penny in this one. That is going to put a lot of pressure on Geno Smith to deliver in the passing game. I'll believe that against a good defense when I see it. Smith struggled vs. the Broncos and 49ers before playing well against the Falcons and Lions. The clock is going to strike midnight and Smith will turn back into a pumpkin this week.

3. The Chris Olave show continues Sunday

There were a record-setting number of wide receivers drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Although many others like Garrett Wilson, Drake London and Treylon Burks got plenty of publicity, it's been Chris Olave who has made the biggest impact this season.

The former Buckeye speedster has almost twice as many receiving yards as anyone else on his team. He has caught 21 of 35 targets for 335 yards and a touchdown. But he hasn't just been productive, he has particularly been one of the best deep threats in the league. He leads all NFL receivers in air yards, both completions and incompletions.

It's not even close. Olave has 673 air yards on the season. The next closest is Tyreek Hill with 453. Many thought that it was solely because Jameis Winston loves to air it out. But Winston missed last week. Andy Dalton got the start and the wideout led the team with 67 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks secondary is beatable. Whether it is Winston or Dalton at quarterback, you can expect Olave to lead the team receiving again Sunday.

2. Saints RB Alvin Kamara shines in his return

Alvin Kamara has been one of the biggest disappointments this year. Just ask his fantasy owners. But things are lining up nicely for him to have a breakout game this week.

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JC Latham (Alabama), Chris Braswell (Alabama not Jaguars), Cornelieus Johnson (Michigan) in action behind a New Orleans Saints logo with a 2024 NFL Draft background.

Dylan Bruton ·

He has only played in two games this year. Week 1 he ran for just 39 yards on nine carries in a 27-26 win over the Falcons. However, the Saints were trailing by double digits for practically that entire game. That took the ball out of his hands. The same thing happened in Week 3 against the Panthers.

I do not believe they will be chasing points this week. In fact, I think New Orleans will be ahead for much of this contest. That will allow Kamara to get into a groove. He has always been that type of a running back that needs to work. His 4.2 yards per carry illustrate that he can still produce. This is the week we see it.

An argument can be made that Seattle has the worst defense in the NFL. They force a punt just six percent of the time but allow a first down or touchdown 80 percent of drives.

1. Saints get back in win column, beat the Seahawks

Seattle is 2-2 and coming off a thrilling road victory. The Saints have lost three straight and might not have their quarterback again. Yet, New Orleans is a heavy favorite according to FanDuel. There is a reason for that. They are a much better football team than we have seen thus far and Seattle is not nearly as good as they have looked.