The New Orleans Saints will have to turn it around quickly as they prepare for a Thursday night matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. New Orleans is coming off a 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans in week six and won’t have much time to think about what went wrong. The last time the Saints and the Jaguars met was back in 2019 when the Saints took down the Jaguars in Jacksonville, 13-9. I

If New Orleans wants to stay in the NFC South race, it is crucial to get back on track as the Saints are currently trailing the division leader, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Jaguars and the Saints will get together in the Caesar’s Superdome to kick off week seven action in the NFL.

Saints Prepare for a Short Turnaround:

Derek Carr hands the ball off to Alvin Kamar

Saints QB Derek Carr (4) and RB Alvin Kamara (41) – Ken Murray/Getty Images

There is a con about playing on Thursday and that is you don’t get as much time to prepare for your upcoming game compared to having a full week when playing on Sunday. The Saints have been up and down all season as they have been a few plays away from having a better record than what they have currently. New Orleans heads into week seven with a 3-3 overall record and still remain in the NFC South race, for now.

The Saints began a three-week stretch of facing off against AFC South opponents and that series will conclude next week when New Orleans travels north to take on the Colts. New Orleans’ defense got off to a slow start against the Texans as rookie quarterback CJ Stroud had his way in the first half. The defensive unit was able to come back after the half and only allowed Houston to score three points in the second half. Their performance allowed the Saints to stay in the game, even though they were trailing most of the way. It would at least give an opportunity for the offense to capitalize.

The offense wasn’t able to, even with quarterback Derek Carr throwing for over 350 yards and 50 pass attempts against the Texans’ defense. A week ago, the Saints’ offense was able to have success against the Patriots’ defense but were unable to be consistent against the Texans. There were plenty of missed opportunities, especially kicker Blake Grupe missing two field goals that left six points on the board. Those proved to be key, especially in a close game. The Saints were unable to convert on key fourth down attempts and they finished the game 0/3 in the red zone.

The inconsistency of the offense continues, and it won’t get any easier as they have to face off against a tough Jaguars defense that has talent on all three levels of their unit.

Know Your Foe: Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr. (1) runs past Indianapolis Colts

Jaguars RB Travis Etienne (1) – John Rauox/AP Photo

The Jaguars are coming off back-to-back wins after a slow start to the season. Jacksonville was able to take down Buffalo in London and they were able to handle the Colts in week seven, especially with quarterback Anthony Richardson being unavailable. There are some question marks for the Jaguars heading into Thursday night’s contest against the Saints and that is whether or not quarterback Trevor Lawrence will play.

Lawrence was seen wearing a metal brace on his knee at the Jaguars Tuesday practice and his status is up in the air, especially with it being a short week. If Lawrence is unable to go on Thursday night, the Jaguars will have to turn their attention to quarterback CJ Beathard.

There is still talent for the Jaguars that the Saints defense has to be aware of and that starts at the running back position with Travis Etienne. Etienne can beat you through the running and also in the passing game. Etienne rushed for 55 yards and two rushing touchdowns in the win over the Colts on Sunday. The Jaguars are also loaded at the wide receiver position as they were led by Calvin Ridley and Christian Kirk.  As a whole, the Jaguars offense ranks 13th in total offense on the season.

Jacksonville’s defense has seen its flaws this season as they rank 21st in total defense and are 31st overall in pass defense. The Colts were able to have success through the air as they were able to rack up 310 yards through the air, but the Jaguars’ defense was able to force turnovers to create some separation between the two teams.

This is always a tough matchup for the road team on the short week, especially with the road trip the Jaguars have been on in the last few weeks. If Lawrence is out, we could be in store for a defensive matchup in New Orleans on Thursday night.

Prediction: New Orleans Saints 19, Jacksonville Jaguars 16