How do you see this one playing out? The New Orleans Saints will host the Las Vegas Raiders at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, Sept. 27, and it's looking like the most important game in Kellen Moore's tenure as head coach -- so far. For the first time in a while, the Saints are playing with real expectations. Knocking out a trendy Super Bowl contender on their home field, in front of a sellout crowd, will do that. Now it's on Moore and his handpicked quarterback Tyler Shough to deliver.
Our staff picks are in. Here are our takes on this week's final score, with aa couple of bold predictions:
Saints 24, Raiders 20
I know I sound like a homer, but I like the Saints to win this one. They've built a ton of momentum and are taking the field with the highest expectations
yet under Moore. I'm worried about the offensive line (Taliese Fuaga has underperformed after moving back to right tackle, his college position, and Maxx Crosby is a tough matchup) but Shough has played well under pressure so far. Give me New Orleans defending their turf in front of a loud home crowd.
Bold prediction: Bryce Lance catches his first NFL touchdown pass. Lance has done the dirty work as a blocker and decoy, and now he gets rewarded with some shot plays on a fast track. -- John Sigler
Saints 30, Raiders 21
Week 3 brings an extremely interesting matchup that should tell us a lot about two teams at once. The New Orleans Saints have gone 1-1 on the road against the Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens, while the Las Vegas Raiders have gone 2-0 against (seemingly) lesser competition with the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.
Both sides will be fighting to prove their success was not a fluke, and with how the Saints passing attack has looked in the second half of games, they should be able to out-duel the Raiders hit or miss secondary.
Bold prediction: Juwan Johnson kicks things up a notch, leading the team with 80-plus receiving yards. -- Jeremy Trottier
Saints 31, Raiders 16
After two excruciatingly slow starts, the Saints come out firing against a Raiders defense that's surprised so far. New Orleans could still struggle to run the football, but in this one they unleash Tyler Shough and his pass catchers early to set up their run through the middle of the game. The Saints will be tested by Raiders tight ends Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers (if he plays) but do a solid job at taking the wideouts of quarterback Kirk Cousins away from him. An early lead could also nullify running back Ashton Jeanty a little for a Saints defense that has had some issues against the run.
Bold prediction: New Orleans sacks Cousins six times and forces three turnovers from the ancient veteran quarterback. As a result, we will see the first official snaps from rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the first overall choice in this year's draft. -- Bob Rose
Final Score: Saints 17, Raiders 0
Las Vegas is entering New Orleans with a 2-0 record and one of the league's highest-scoring offenses, but its perfect start comes to an ugly end. The Saints pressure Kirk Cousins into several turnovers and prevent Ashton Jeanty from getting anything on the ground. Tyler Shough continues to do Tyler Shough things and the offense dominates its home opener.
Bold prediction: The Saints shut out the Raiders.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Week 3 Staff Picks: Final score, bold predictions for Saints-Raiders
