Another week, another loss for the New Orleans Saints. Now, going into the third game of the season, expectations are low, but hopes remain high.

What the Seahawks bring to the table

After an offseason consisting of trading the starting QB, trading away the #1 WR, and losing the #2 WR in free agency, the Seahawks had work to get done. With new additions of quarterback Sam Darnold and WR Cooper Kupp, the prior losses seem to be fixed, and after hiring OC Klint Kubiak, this Seattle offense was complete. This will be a primary run game team with Kubiak at the helm, which helps their subpar offensive line play. Looking at their defense, the Seahawks will be stout against the run and force their opponents to pass the ball. The bad news for this team is that injuries, which you will see later, have really affected this defensive back room.

How about the Saints?

As I mentioned previously, the Seahawks' run defense is going to play well, and New Orleans may go away from the run game fast. The Saints' offensive line has been bad in run blocking, specifically at LG and RG, and there is no reason to believe that changes in this game. With the run game predicted to struggle, that means the offense will rely on quarterback Spencer Rattler, which is both good and bad. It's good because Rattler has played well in this offense, and if he performs like last week, conversations must start about him being the starter for the rest of the season. On the other side, it's bad because putting the full offense in the hands of a developing second-year QB is not what you want to do. This is probably the story of the offense, but on the defensive side, it's a bit all over the place. The Saints' defensive line has done really well with getting sacks, but the pressure rate is horrible. When Chase Young comes back, this number should get better, but he is out for another week. In run defense, the Saints must get stops and hold strong against the zone run offense, but even if they do that, the pass defense will be relied upon, which is not good. The Mac Jones-led 49ers destroyed any pass defense plan the Saints had last week, and it could be a big issue once again this week.

Injury Report

• EDGE Chase Young - OUT
• G Trevor Penning - Questionable
• S Jordan Howden - Questionable
• OT Taliese Fuaga - Questionable
• WR Trey Palmer - Questionable
• WR Devaughn Vele - Questionable
• G Dillon Radunz - OUT

My Prediction

For the first time this season, I'm predicting the Saints lose. I just don't see a matchup the team wins against the Seahawks, and although I can see Spencer Rattler play well again, it just won't be enough. For the final score, I believe it's going to be a weird 15-12 win by the Seahawks.