It’s been a season of ups and downs in terms of expectations for Dennis Allen’s first year as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Right now though, after a much-needed win against the Las Vegas Raiders, people are back to being high on the potential of this team.

With a newfound confidence and the benefits of a terrible division, the Saints have the opportunity to come back from the rough start and make the playoffs. They need to do a lot, but the chance is there. Looking at the rest of the schedule, it definitely seems like a tall order.

Where things stand with these teams right now, here’s our week-by-week predictions for the rest of the Saints season:

Week 9: Saints vs. Ravens (MNF)

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Prediction: Loss (3-6)

The Baltimore Ravens have Lamar Jackson who will face off against a rejuvenated Saints defense. The Saints offense will have to face off against a Ravens defense that just added Roquan Smith, is getting Tyus Bowser back and activating rookie David Ojabo for the first time. I think the Saints are getting back on track, but they will likely have another bump in the road here.

Week 10: Saints at Steelers

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Prediction: Win (4-6)

The Steelers offense is really, really bad. The Saints should be fine here. The Steelers defense is definitely scarier with T.J. Watt, but this is a game that’s on the defense. If they can’t shut down Kenny Pickett, it may be time to throw the season away.

Week 11: Saints vs. Rams

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Prediction: Win (5-6)

The Saints have not beaten the Rams since 2018, with the worst loss in team history in between that time. Now is the chance to snap that streak, the Rams have been pretty bad this year. They’ve been held to 20 points or less in five games, with a 1-4 record in those games. Should the defense continue to ride the wave, it’ll be a much easier day but even then the Rams defense hasn’t been as scary without Von Miller.

Week 12: Saints at 49ers

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Prediction: Loss (5-7)

The 49ers are again better than their record suggests, and with the addition of Christian McCaffrey making them a scary team. With that and the game being in San Francisco, I think the 49ers get the edge when neither team is perfect.

Week 13: Saints at Buccaneers (MNF)

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Prediction: Win (6-7)

Tom Brady and the boys in Tampa Bay got away with an ugly win in New Orleans at the beginning of the season. This is a chance for revenge for the Saints with likely major playoff implications. The NFC South is a mess, but the Buccaneers seem like a mess that’s harder to fix than the Saints so far.

Week 14: Bye

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Praise Be.

Week 15: Saints vs. Falcons

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Prediction: Win (7-7)

I’m not certain that the Falcons will keep their hold of first place in the division this late into the season, but this game could still decide the NFC South with how close everyone is. The Falcons blew their chance to beat the Saints earlier this year, the Saints will likely not need another fourth quarter comeback with how the team is playing right now.

Week 16: Saints at Browns

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Prediction: Loss (7-8)

Time will tell how the Browns will look with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, but with close they’ve been in games with Jacoby Brissett behind center it seems likely that their record is deceptive. Cold weather game late into the season gives the edge to the home team.

Week 17: Saints at Eagles

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Prediction: Loss (7-9)

The Eagles are legit. Jalen Hurts is better than ever and he has given the Saints fits for his entire career. C.J Gardner-Johnson is set to get the first laugh in their head-to-heads as I think this will be too much for the Saints to handle on the road in cold weather for a second week in a row. Their best chance will come if the Eagles have the division locked up and less to play for than the Saints.

Week 18: Saints vs. Panthers

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Prediction: Win (8-9)

The Panthers are an absolute mess and will likely finish as one of the worst teams in the league. The Saints get to close out the season at home with what should be a stress-free win, if there is such a thing for New Orleans.

Bottom Line

I think the Saints are truly lucky that this transition year comes at a time when the division is a complete mess. There’s a real possibility that the Saints can host a playoff game finishing with an 8-9 record. A slow start does not leave very much room for error, but if they play a fraction of like what they played against the Raiders as they continue to get healthier they can make some noise towards the end of the season.

Story originally appeared on Saints Wire