First Look: Saints vs. Seahawks
The Saints (3-2) take on the Seahawks (2-4) for Monday Night Football in Week 7, as New Orleans is fresh off their bye. This will be the 15th regular season between the two, with Seattle leading the all-time series 8-6 and has defeated New Orleans in two postseason meetings (2010 and 2013 seasons). Believe it or not, the Saints have won four out of the past five regular season matchups.
The Saints look to be a bit healthier going into their week of preparation, and we'll get our first glimpse of availability on Thursday in practice, although the team was back to work on Tuesday. Seattle is a team staring at the rest of the NFC West from the bottom rung, which is a bit uncharacteristic. With no Russell Wilson at the helm, the game may have lost some of its appeal, but is one that both teams need.
What to Watch For
What team shows up. It's hardly a secret, but we've seen a little of everything from the Saints in this young season. This is a team that maybe hasn't found their true identity yet, but more importantly we are all anticipating a strong New Orleans squad when they do get to full strength. This won't be the week where everything comes together, but some key players are expected to be back for this one. We also want to ensure Taysom Hill (concussion) and Deonte Harris (hamstring) are both good to go.
Getting Alvin Kamara going could be a great way to take the Seahawks fans out of it.
Sep 22, 2019; Seattle, WA, USA; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) celebrates after scoring a touchdown on a reception against the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Handling the 12th Man. The road game against Washington was nothing in terms of what the Saints experienced in Week 2 of the regular season against the Panthers and even the following week against the Patriots. While that seems like it was forever ago, you can't mention this matchup without talking about the potential impact and challenges that a Seahawks home game presents, especially in prime time. Getting the run game going early and perfecting the silent count will be huge for Jameis Winston and company.
Solving for the Seahawks ground attack. Pete Carroll is going to want to get the ground game going to help out Geno Smith. The Seahawks gave up 5 sacks to the Steelers defense last week. Alex Collins is coming off a 20-carry, 101-yard performance, finding the end zone once. Overall, Seattle had 144 rushing yards against Pittsburgh. Running the ball is a bit tough against the Saints, as they're ranked 2nd in the NFL behind the Bucs while surrendering 79.0 yards/game.
The offensive game plan. It's a weird space to be in for the Saints, as only the Jets have less offensive yards than them. At 1,476 yards of offense, the 31st-ranked attack leaves a lot the imagination. Naturally, some of those numbers are skewed because they had a bye week. However, if you ask Sean Payton, none of that stat stuff matters much so long as they're winning football games. A heavy dose of Alvin Kamara should help New Orleans in a big way. This feels like a game where they could get a second running back in the mix to help change things up.
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