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5 Bold Predictions For Saints vs. Panthers

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By @Tidow1212

5 Bold Predictions For Saints vs. Panthers

Mark Ingram
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The New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers will kick off Week 9 on Thursday night football. This is an incredibly important game for both squads, as each have reason to believe they can win the highly mediocre NFC South. Can the Saints finally curb their oftentimes maddening road woes against a division foe? Will Cam Newton's offense rebound after its poor showing in Week 8? Take a look at five bold predictions for this game.

5.TE Greg Olsen Held Under 30 Yards Receiving, Zero TDs

Greg Olsen
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5.TE Greg Olsen Has Under 30 Yards Receiving, Zero TDs

Greg Olsen
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It appears that the rest of the NFL has realized that the Panthers desperately need Olsen firing on all cylinders for their offense to do so, as the Seattle Seahawks focused coverage his way in Week 8 and held him to one catch for 16 yards. Saints DC Rob Ryan undoubtedly picked up on this while game planning this week, and I'd expect Olsen to struggle once again.

4. WR Brandin Cooks Exposes Panthers' Weak Secondary

Brandin Cooks
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4. WR Brandin Cooks Exposes Panthers' Weak Secondary

Brandin Cooks
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This Panthers team looks nothing like the team that made the playoffs by displaying such a stout defense in 2013. Carolina has given up points in droves, and it cannot stop the array of offensive weapons the Saints display. Expect rookie WR Brandin Cooks to expose the Panthers' secondary as the game moves along and Mark Ingram establishes the run. He'll finish the game with nearly 100 yards and a TD.

3. QB Cam Newton Rushes For 100 Yards

Cam Newton
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3. QB Cam Newton Rushes For 100 Yards

Cam Newton
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The Saints' secondary projects to take many of the Panthers' passing options away during this contest, and Cam Newton will be forced to scramble more often than he wants to. Not only will he gain yardage scrambling, but I actually expect a fair amount of called running plays for Newton as Carolina struggles to find a rhythm on offense.

2. Drew Brees Throws For 300 Yards And Three TDs

Drew Brees
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2. Drew Brees Throws For 300 Yards And Three TDs

Drew Brees
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The Saints have been an extremely poor road team over the last few seasons -- we all know this to be true. However, the team looked to really have benefited from the return of RB Mark Ingram in Week 8, and Ingram will be a huge help to QB Drew Brees in this contest as well. The Panthers' defense is not playing well enough this season to stop an offense as dynamic as the Saints' on one front -- let alone two.

1. RB Mark Ingram Goes For 125 Yards, Two TDs

Mark Ingram
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1. RB Mark Ingram Goes For 125 Yards, Two TDs

Mark Ingram
Getty Images

Ingram had missed a month of the 2014 season and didn't have a strong Week 7 in his first week back, but his fortunes changed dramatically against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. Ingram rushed for 172 yards and a TD over 24 carries as he made the Packers' defense look silly, incompetent and painfully amateurish at best. Expect more of the same against Carolina.

Timothy Downs is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. You can ‘like him’ on Facebook add him on Google or follow him on Twitter @Tidow1212.

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