Here are three New Orleans Saints Week 3 predictions.
Through the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, no team has been hotter than the New Orleans Saints.
They have the most explosive offense in the NFL, have scored more points than any other team, and were able to stun the Dallas Cowboys as millions of fans watched on, announcing to the professional football world that this team is legit and when they show up on the schedule, opposing teams should quake in fear.
Dennis Allen's latest potential victim? The Philadelphia Eagles, who are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 that saw a series of mental errors and mistakes snatch defeat out of an almost certain victory. While the Eagles are one of the best teams in the NFL when they are on, the Saints have proven to be the far more reliable team, and as a result, they have a chance to leave even less doubt about their ceiling with another commanding early season win.
1. Derek Carr throws wild on Vic Fangio's defense
In Week 2, the Eagles had a 99 percent chance of defeating the Atlanta Falcons… until Saquon Barkley dropped a gimmie pass on third-and-three, Nick Sirianni opted for a field goal instead of a first down on fourth-and-three, and Vic Fangio turned in an absolute disaster of a series against Kirk Cousins to effectively lose the game 22-21.
How bad was it? Well, Saints fans, let's just say Kirk Cousins completed four of his five pass attempts, hit massive gains by Darrell Money twice to effectively flip the field, and ultimately hit Drake London for a five-yard touchdown with an out-of-position Darius Slay, looking in shock.
But how did this happen? Well, part of it is because the Eagles' defense simply wasn't all on the same page, as young players like Quinyon Mitchell and fresh faces like Zach Baun were out of position on key drives. But more crucially, it's because Vic Fangio simply refused to send pressure when the Eagles desperately needed to speed up Cousins' processing, especially considering he still wasn't 100 percent due to injury.
Will Fangio learn from his mistakes in Week 2 and send more varied pressure against a Saints team that leads the NFL in points scored? For fans in Philadelphia already getting flashbacks to defensive coordinators of years past, one certainly hopes so, but even if they do, the Saints have a golden opportunity to throw the ball early and often against an Eagles defense that currently ranks 27th in passing yards allowed, with only six other teams allowing more than 484 yards through the air, especially since Carr likely won't be under pressure for much of the game.
2. Saquon Barkley outgains Alvin Kamara on the ground
Through the first two weeks of the NFL season, Alvin Kamara has been on an absolute tear, leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage at 290 while sitting pretty with four rushing touchdowns to go with one more through the air. He's been effective as a rusher, effective as a receiver, and even helped to open up more opportunities for his teammates, as both the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys had particular interest in where he was at all times.
Will Kamara play a big role for the Saints in Week 3? Yes, the Eagles' run defense is almost as bad as their passing offense, and if New Orleans rips off to an early lead, it's safe to assume they will shift to a ground-and-pound strategy to close out the contest as effortlessly as possible. But considering one can attack the Eagles' defense in so many ways, the Saints really don't have to base their entire attack on Kamara alone, with New Orleans likely having a chance to even use him as a decoy to open up shots down the field.
The Eagles, by contrast, are down AJ Brown for the second-straight week and will likely have to rely on Barkley early and often both in the passing game and the rushing game in order to keep things moving at the Superdome.
After recording the worst drop of his career in Week 2, a drop that quite literally cost his team a win in a very winnable game, Barkley has about as much motivation to turn in a huge game in Week 3 as the Eagles are motivated to get him involved in both the run and pass game. So regardless of the score, the down, or the distance, the possibility is there for Barkley to not only outrush Kamara but have more yards from scrimmage than New Orleans' RB1, even if that has almost no impact on the actual final score of the game.
3. The Saints win a close one
So, if the Saints' offense is way better than the Eagles' defense and their rushing offense is better than the Eagles' rushing defense, too, that should mean that New Orleans has a clear competitive advantage and, thus, a solid enough chance to keep their undefeated streak alive, right?
Yes, while this game has the potential to be close, and Eagles fans are penciling in a win after coming so close to securing one the week before, the Saints are rightfully favored in this game and have a better-than-average chance to keep their undefeated streak alive in Week 3. Bad news for a Birds team who will shockingly start the season 1-2, but considering even Nick Sirianni knows how impressive Carr looks running the Saints' offense, it's safe to assume Philadelphia understands just how imposing a foe they drew in Week 3.
