Primetime Showdown: Are the Saints Ready to Stun the Chiefs?

The Saints need to rebound after losing their last two, but that's a very tall task with their next opponent in primetime.

Sep 29, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) catches a pass against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

The Saints (2-2) help close out Week 5 NFL action when they travel up to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs (4-0), as we're back to a solo Monday Night Football game this week. We'll get our first look at where New Orleans is at when they practice on Thursday afternoon, and they're a team that desperately needs to find a win after losing their last two. That is much easier said than done, but not impossible. Here's some of the big storylines to follow for the Saints this week.

Saints Storylines to Follow In Week 4

Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Chris Olave (12) catches a pass for two point conversion ahead of Los Angeles Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon (44) during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Saints Not So Prime In Primetime

The Saints used to be nearly unbeatable in primetime once upon a time, but that was a completely different regime. Under Dennis Allen, New Orleans is just 1-5 in the national spotlight. The lone win came last year in Week 2 on Monday Night Football against the Panthers, while the losses include the Cardinals, Ravens, Bucs, Jaguars and Rams. This will be Allen's fifth road primetime game. Currently, the Saints are a 5.5-point underdog.

Battered and Bruised

We're not expecting good news on the injury front for the Saints. They're dealing with a lot, to say the least. Taysom Hill (ribs), Tyrann Mathieu (groin) and Willie Gay Jr. (hand) all exited Sunday's game against the Falcons early, which will put their availability in question. New Orleans was already down Cesar Ruiz (knee), Demario Davis (hamstring) and A.T. Perry (hamstring). Add on Chris Olave's hamstring injury from last Friday's practice and Alvin Kamara's ribs/hip injury, and it's just struggle bus right now. We'll also see if Kendre Miller can get back this week after his extended absence.

The Chris Jones Plan

The offensive line held up pretty well being down Ruiz and Erik McCoy (groin surgery), but now they have to worry about Chris Jones. All he did was win AFC Defensive Player of the Week against the Chargers from his last outing. New Orleans will at least want to try to run the football, but doing it inside and then having to worry about pass protection against Jones will be a big challenge. He's a player that can singlehandedly cause nightmares, and the Saints know that. The question is, can they at least slow him down enough to have some success?

Solving For the Chiefs

Derek Carr is just 3-14 against the Chiefs in his career (1-8 on the road), with his only road win coming in 2020 when the Raiders won 40-32. He also had wins in 2014 and 2017, but those were at home. He comes into focus here, It's a tough task going into their building and coming out with a win, but they were just 4-4 last season. It can be done. New Orleans is 3-2 against Kansas City on the road, losing their last trip in 2016 but coming out on top in 2008. Everyone is familiar with their environment, and the Saints have to come up with a heck of a game plan to counter.

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