5 bold predictions for Packers vs. Saints on Monday Night Football

The Packers were hoping to get some help from other teams in Week 16 but their competitors have not cooperated. That means Green Bay must knock off the Saints at home on Monday Night football to keep pace in the race for one of the NFC's Wild Card spots.

New Orleans has already been eliminated from the postseason with their 5-9 record. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler will come into Lambeau Field hoping to strengthen his case to be the Saints' signal-caller of the future. The Packers' defense will fancy their chances to force the inexperienced quarterback into fatal mistakes that can turn the game in their favor.

Packers fans who want to know how their favorite team will perform on Monday Night Football should pay close attention to the following five bold predictions.

Packers bold prediction No. 1: Jordan Love will throw for less than 150 yards

Jordan Love is the most important player on the Packers roster. If Green Bay is going to make noise in the postseason it will be because of his ability to torment opponents with his passing ability.

Love's full range of talents will not be on display against the Saints. The team's coaching staff will do everything they can to protect their most valuable asset in a home game they should win comfortably. The plan in Green Bay will be to establish the ground game early and put the game out of reach before Love needs to do any heavy lifting.

The end result will be Love making a few key throws to loosen up the Saints' defense but his volume will not be there in the stat sheet. He'll have fewer than 20 pass attempts on the night and won't cross the 150-yard plateau through the air.

Packers bold prediction No. 2: Emmanuel Wilson will get 12+ carries

The lack of passing volume from Love means the Packers' running backs are going to get all they can eat against New Orleans. Josh Jacobs will clearly get a heavy workload. It's imperative that Green Bay not overload their No. 1 running back this close to the playoffs.

That's good news for Emmanuel Wilson. The team's second choice tailback will get more opportunities than normal to spell Jacobs against the Saints' defense. If he experiences some early success it's easy to envision him getting double-digit carries to help salt this game away for his team.

The final line for Wilson should be over 12 carries and 50 yards on the ground. That would be a nice individaul output for the reserve running back and his offensive teammates.

Packers bold prediction No. 3: Lukas Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare will both get sacks

Young quarterbacks are notorious for holding onto the ball too long which is great news for Green Bay's maligned group of edge rushers. Rashan Gary is an obvious bet to notch one sack on Monday Night Football but he will get help on the other side of the line.

Kingsley Enagbare has been playing his best football over the past few weeks and he'll continue that trend by taking Rattler down on one occasion. The kicker here is that Lukas Van Ness will also get at least one sack on the evening. That combination is going to go a long way towards putting this game out of reach in the first half.

Enagbare and Van Ness getting sacks in this game doesn't alter Green Bay's long-term need to add a premier edge rusher to the roster but it does show the deficiency isn't quite as severe as some fans believe.

Packers bold prediction No. 4: Keisean Nixon is going to get his second interception of the season

Rattler is going to try to attack the Packers' secondary with a strong dose of short throws. That means a high number of targets for his team's slot receivers. Keisean Nixon is the Green Bay defender who will line up on the inside most often.

He's done a decent job replacing Javon Bullard when the rookie's missed action this year. His PFF pass coverage grade of 63.9 depicts him as an above-average nickel back. That's bad news for Rattler's hopes of nickel and diming the Green Bay defense.

The bold prediction here is that Nixon will jump one short route and record an important interception for his team. It might not look like a big play in the context of Green Bay's season, but it will help remove any drama from Monday night's game.

Packers bold prediction No. 5: Malik Willis will play more than one series

Green Bay's desire to protect Love is going to be an easy proposition in this game. The Packers are going to get out to such a big lead that backup quarterback Malik Willis will receiver the opportunity to play more than one series.

The young signal-caller may not get the chance to do anything other than hand the ball off but it will still represent a big victory for the Packers. The sooner they can get Love to the sidelines in one piece the better off they will be. Love will need to do some serious work over the next few weeks and there's no reason to stress him against this overmatched opponent.

WIllis' involvement in games earlier this season has spelled trouble for the Packers but that won't be the case against New Orleans. He will be the figurative victory cigar to appear on the field when this game gets out of reach.