The Black and Gold have struggled this season and are now 1-3. They’ll be back in New Orleans for Sunday’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks. Here are five things to look out for in this Week 5 matchup:
1) TURNOVERS AND PENALTIES:
The Saints lead the league in turnovers with 11, five interceptions, and six fumbles lost. They also lead in penalties as they’ve been flagged 34 times for 319, which is an average of 79 yards per game. If New Orleans wants to get one step closer to being .500, the team will have to be more disciplined and avoid being penalized as much as possible.
2) HEALTH OF SAINTS PLAYERS:
Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas have been ruled out while Alvin Kamara plans to play. New Orleans has been dealing with the injury bug going back to 2021 and could use some help from the star players that will play on Sunday.
3) DK METCALF VS MARSHON LATTIMORE:
Lattimore is a very good overall cornerback. He struggles against the shifty, elite route runners like Stefon Diggs or what we saw last week in Justin Jefferson. The type of receivers he does excel versus are those big body receivers such as Julio Jones, Mike Evans, and his next assignment of DK Metcalf. At 6’4″, Metcalf is their most talented receiver and is second on the Seahawks in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He was also able to have a long touchdown against the Saints corner in last year’s matchup.
4) THE FRONT 7 OF THE SAINTS:
The front four of New Orleans was able to get pressure and record sacks last Sunday while Demario Davis and Pete Werner have looked like a dynamic duo at linebacker. Werner has stepped up in his second year as he leads the NFL in solo tackles with 32 while being seventh in total tackles.
5) GENO SMITH LOOKS BRAND NEW:
Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith has had a career resurging start to 2022 with a 77.3 completion percentage for 1037 yards and six touchdown passes compared to two interceptions in four games. The Black and Gold defense is one of the best overall and is one of the main reasons the team has stayed in each game this season.
Kick-off will be Sunday, October 9th at 12:00 p.m.