The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers know each other very well; the division-rivals face either twice a year in their long-running NFC South rivalry, which the Saints lead 29-26. How big of a factor will that familiarity be on Sunday? Our Saints Wire staff writers each made our final score predictions for Week 3’s kickoff, along with a bold prediction for the game:
Final score: 17-16 Saints
Bold prediction: The New Orleans Saints only have one sack on the season thus far. After playing a contain game against Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Marcus Mariota and going up against one of the league’s quickest passers in Tom Brady, a pocket passer who holds on to the ball longer like Carolina’s Baker Mayfield is a perfect opponent to bounce back against. One of the biggest factors that has limited the Saints’ pass rush over the last two weeks has been their lack of blitz calls. This isn’t out of the ordinary, blitzing mobile signal callers and Brady is usually a recipe for disaster. This week though, New Orleans will be facing a Panthers front that has struggled with blitz identification and a quarterback who tends to get frantic under pressure. That should allow them to get home. Mayfield has been sacked six times this season already, the Saints will double his season count on Sunday notching six sacks of their own. — Ross Jackson
Final score: 17-10 Saints
Bold prediction: It may not feel bold to say that New Orleans will win this weekend in Charlotte, but doing so while generating four turnovers raises the stakes. The Saints took the ball away twice against the Atlanta Falcons and once against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Look for them to surpass their season total in their Week 3 matchup against the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers have given the ball away on offense and on special teams already this season. Mayfield has thrown an interception and lost a fumble while the Panthers have also lost a fumble in the return game. The Saints have put a focus on generating takeaways by creating contact fumbles this season, and so far have made good on that focus. Meanwhile, they have one of the best secondaries in the NFL with cornerback Paulson Adebo looking like he’s on the mend. Four takeaways against a hapless Panthers offense by a hungry defense looking to help the team redeem itself this weekend will be key to their win. — Maddy Hudak
Final score: 23-13 Saints
Bold prediction: Andy Dalton has to come into the game at some point for the Saints. Winston probably shouldn’t be on the field at ALL given his injuries, and should definitely be on a short leash. He should’ve left the game last week and might look very bad again this week. There are a multitude of reasons that Dalton will need to come in, and I think he takes at least one snap. — Dylan Sanders
Final score: 20-17 Saints
Bold prediction: These games are always physical, closely-contested affairs, and I don’t expect that to change. Both teams have done a great job of stacking talented athletes on defense and that should go a long way towards stymying any kind of scoring output from the respective defenses. The Saints know the Panthers well, and the reverse is true, too. I like the experience and veteran leadership in New Orleans to win the day, but it’ll be closer than it should be given the struggles we’ve seen out of the Saints offense so far. My bold prediction is that Michael Thomas wins this game by scoring two critical touchdown catches in the fourth quarter. — John Sigler
