It’s safe to say that many fans aren’t expecting big things out of Sunday’s New Orleans Saints game. The Saints (2-2) are a team with a competent defense shackled to a miserable offense on a collision course with the New England Patriots (1-3) — a squad who fits the same description.
There hasn’t been much movement in the betting line this week. The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook favor the Patriots by a single point at home, setting the over/under at 39 points. Our staff writers shared their final score predictions for Week 5’s matchup, and we’re all forecasting a low-scoring affair:
Patriots 17, Saints 10
Both of these teams have been defensive powerhouses all season, and despite some injuries to both sides (most notably Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez, and Paulson Adebo) these units are stacked up for a battle of defensive prowess. With neither offense having really shaken off their rust to this point, odds are that they won’t against these defenses in Week 5. Even with the injuries sustained, I believe New England comes out on top here due to the coaching differential in this matchup. Bill Belichick has had a rough season no doubt, but he still knows how to make adjustments and get the job done. — Jeremy Trottier
Patriots 20, Saints 9
There was a time that the New England Patriots were looked at as something of the Alabama of the NFL. “How the mighty have fallen” is a common theme for both teams here, but it’s hard to picture a scenario in which the Patriots lose to this New Orleans Saints team. As has been said every week, there’s a lot to like about the Saints defensively and they’ve got a unit respected not only across the division, but across the entire NFL there. Both teams come into this one with a lot to fix, an offense that moves at a snails pace that Pete Carmichael can’t seem to get a handle on looks to be the Saints demise. The pure effects of not being able to play complementary football were plain to see in last week’s loss to the Bucs. The Patriots win it, 20-9. — Crissy Froyd
Saints 16, Patriots 13
With the offensive struggles both teams have had, scoring two touchdowns could be enough to win this game. Blake Grupe has already attempted 10 field goals this year. This is a sign of the Saints inability to turn drives into touchdowns. Expect that to continue for another week, but Grupe’s efficiency will take the Saints to victory. New Orleans’ offense will drive down the field more on a hampered New England defense, and one field goal will be the difference between these teams. — Darrion Gray
Saints 17, Patriots 10
This is going to be an extremely boring game that I think the Saints use to get back into the win column, but still can’t figure it out on offense. I do think the offense is fixable, but Bill Belichick is never really the coach you have a ‘get right’ game against. It’s just that as bad as the Saints offense has looked, the Patriots have somehow looked less impressive. — Dylan Sanders
