With a New Orleans Saints Week 5 game scheduled against the New England Patriots, a lot of eyes will be on the Saints to see if they can bounce back after a tough loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ahead of the Saints-Patriots game, we’ll be making our Saints Week 5 predictions.

The NFC South once again appears to be a wild card division, as the Bucs lead the way at 3-1, followed by the Saints and Falcons at 2-2, and the Panthers at 0-4. The Saints could easily be 4-0 at this juncture of the season, but a disappointing loss to the Bucs in Week 4 and a wild 17-point blown lead against Green Bay in Week 3 have the Saints sitting at just .500. While the defense has been solid, the Saints have struggled in the passing game with Derek Carr nursing a shoulder injury. New Orleans threw for just 127 passing yards and no scores last week, despite attempting 39 passes.

We'll see if New Orleans can open it up offensively and get playmakers open in space as Week 5 against a tough Patriots defense lies ahead. Here's our 3 bold Saints predictions for Saints-Patriots:

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3. Saints RB Alvin Kamara will total over 100 yards

Saints RB Alvin Kamara returned last week from suspension and posted one of the strangest stat lines you'll ever see: 11 carries for 51 yards, and 13 receptions for 33 yards. While it's a good sign that Kamara was immediately able to walk into 24 touches in this offseason, the Saints will have to improve the quality of those looks in order to move the ball downfield.

Against a Patriots defense that will be without Matthew Judon and Christian Gonzalez, Kamara should have an easier time racking up yardage. Kamara racked up 118 total yards in a 2021 matchup against Bill Belichick's Patriots, and he should have similar success in this one as New Orleans looks to lean on him with Carr less than 100 percent.

It might not always be pretty, but Kamara will hit the 100-yard mark in his second game back.

 

2. Chris Olave will score a touchdown

Olave was hurt the most by Carr being unable to throw the ball downfield on the sideline, as he had just one catch for four yards last week. The saving grace is that Olave did have six targets, and we've seen in the past what he can do when he gets peppered with looks throughout the game.

Olave has now seen 38 targets without a score, which is among league leaders, and with the Patriots down their best cover corner in Gonzalez, this should be the week he finally breaks the streak and crosses the pylons for a score. He's overdue.

 

1. The Saints will hold the Patriots to two scores or less

This New Orleans defense is one of the league's best units, and the Patriots are reeling after getting demolished by Dallas, 38-3. The Patriots just don't have the juice in the passing game with Mac Jones and a cast of uninspiring receivers, and the Saints have shown the ability to pressure the quarterback plenty. The Patriots might respond with a better effort, but the Saints know they're better than their record indicates at this point, and should play inspired football defensively. Expect this to be a low-scoring battle, with the Saints defense leading the charge once again.

Final score prediction for Saints-Patriots Week 5: Saints 17, Patriots 10.