WEEK 5 PREVIEW

   Saints fans are searching for hope coming into Week 5. Last week’s game was a brutal loss. The defense gave up no offensive touchdowns to the Falcons but the Saints couldn’t get the job done. Going into the Monday Night Football matchup against the Chiefs, the Saints injuries have piled up. Things aren’t looking good for our Saints but let’s take a look at what the team needs to do to pull off a big win.

This Week’s Matchup:

   The Saints travel to Kansas City this week to take on the Chiefs. These 2 teams haven’t faced off often. Kansas City leads this series 7-5. Arrowhead Stadium is no easy place to play. Chiefs fans pride themselves on making their stadium a tough place to play. The Saints should be used to the noise as we play in a loud environment ourselves. The Chiefs come into this game fairly healthy and look to grab a crucial win against a beat up Saints team.

YOUR SAINTS:

   It’s no secret, the Saints injury report is a long list! This is especially bad news after the loss we witnessed last week. Saints fans are scrambling to figure out how we can win this game. The offensive line will look very different this week so it’s Klint Kubiak’s job to disguise that weakness. What kind of scheme will we see to get the ball out quick and get down the field? A key player to watch is Chief’s DL Chris Jones. He’ll be working hard in the trenches to make Derek Carr’a night tough. 

   Despite the Saints injuries, I expect the defense to pick up right where they’ve left off each week so far. This defense is statistically in the top 10 out of the whole NFL. The ball absolutely has to find Chris Olave this week. He has created the most separation from his defender out of all Wide Receivers in the league. For some reason Carr hasn’t been looking to feed him the ball. This dates back to late last season as well. After watching some film from last week’s game, I find that Derek Carr predetermines his reads sometimes. Not necessarily a good sign from your QB when his predetermined read isn’t his #1 receiver! Kubiak has to find a way to get others the ball because Alvin Kamara’s workload has been too big to sustain, especially with his current injury situation. Let’s take a look at who’s out for this game.

INJURY REPORT:

   Taysom Hill, Willie Gay, Cesar Ruiz, Shame Lemieux, and Payton Turner are all officially out this week. Players listed as questionable are Alvin Kamara, Demario Davis, Taliese Fuaga, Blake Grupe, Juwan Johnson, Bryan Bresee, Kendre Miller, Chris Olave, and Cedrick Wilson. Things aren’t looking in New Orleans right now.

MY PREDICTION:

   I don’t see much hope for a win this week. With the amount of injuries the team has, we’re very short handed to have proper chemistry and make a big impact. I think the environment will also play a difference in this game. I think the Saints will fall to 2-3 this season as the Chiefs win this game with a score of 34-16.

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