JACKSONVILLE – Each week during the 2023 season, Jaguars "experts" – Tony Boselli, Frank Frangie, Jeff Lageman, Brent Martineau, John Oehser, Brian Sexton, J.P. Shadrick and Kainani Stevens – will analyze the following day's Jaguars matchup.

Up this week:

The New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, La.

Tony Boselli, Jaguars Analyst and Former Jaguars Left Tackle

• The Jaguars will win if:They protect a dinged Lawrence (assuming he plays) and match the physicality of a good front seven for the Saints. Defensively, the Jaguars must continue to tackle well and limit the splash plays. If they pressure Carr, he will make mistakes.
• The Saints will win if:Running back Alvin Kamara has a big night with a high volume of touches. This will take the pressure off Carr and allow the Saints to stay ahead of the chains. Defensively, their front seven dominating the line of scrimmage will make the Jags one-dimensional, which is bad news for a beat-up Lawrence.
• As Boselli sees it: Short weeks are always challenging, even more for the road team, and the Jaguars are a little beat up coming into the game. Obviously, Lawrence being on the field is critical. This Jags team is tough and I think they rise to challenge, winning a low-scoring affair, 20-14.

Frank Frangie, Radio Voice of the Jaguars

• The Jaguars will win if: They run the football. At this writing, there was no word on whether the Jags will have Lawrence. If he doesn't play, or even if he does but has limited mobility, the team will have to rely a bit more on its running game. Which means a big game is necessary from Etienne. Even with a healthy Lawrence, this team is best when it has balance. Defensively, Brown or whoever replaces Campbell — who isn't expected to play — must play well because he will be targeted. That's a big key to the game.
• The Saints will win if: They stuff the run and make the Jags one-dimensional – and if they can hit some big plays over the top. I don't think they will put together a lot of long drives.
• As Frangie sees it: This is a tough out for the Jaguars. It's a short week, on the road, against a desperate team with a good defense. The Jags have to play a tough, efficient game to win.

Jeff Lageman, Jaguars analyst and former Jaguars defensive end

• The Jaguars will win if: Their defense continues to make big plays. The Jaguars' defense leads the NFL in takeaways with 15 and continues to provide sparks for an offense that is still gaining momentum.
• The Saints will win if: They have a fast start, getting the crowd going and putting the Jaguars in the position of playing catch up. The Saints' defense is impressive. With a lead, contending with it would be tough.
• As Lageman sees it: Being the road team on a short week is very tough and will be a great test for a Jaguars team riding the high of a three-game win streak. The health of Lawrence's knee and the performance of his offensive line will be a huge factor in determining success. The entire league and nation is watching on Thursday night, and this presents a great opportunity.

Brent Martineau, Action Sports Jax Sports Director

• The Jaguars will win if: Runing back Travis Etienne Jr. has over 120 yards from scrimmage. The Jaguars will need to effectively run against a good Saints defense. If they do, they can control the clock and set up big plays in the passing game. The Saints defense is allowing just 16 points per game, so anything north of 20 would be good.
• The Saints will win if: They don't turn the ball over. In the last two years, the Jaguars have forced zero turnovers five times and lost all five games. New Orleans has eight turnovers this season, which is middle of the pack in the NFL. If the Saints don't let the Jaguars make a big defensive play, they likely win at home.
• As Martineau sees it: The Jaguars are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and the Saints are one of the quirky teams in the NFL. I think it might be a weird game Thursday and probably a typical clunky Thursday night affair. I'm not getting off the Jaguars bandwagon right now so let's go with a 23-19 win.

John Oehser, jaguars.com senior writer

• The Jaguars will win if: They force multiple turnovers and hold the Saints to 20 points. Whatever Lawrence's status with a knee injury sustained last week in a victory over the Colts, the Jaguars figure to be limited offensively. This is a game for an opportunistic Jaguars defense to continue making key plays at key moments. If they can create points or short fields defensively, the Jaguars can overcome a slew of injuries.
• The Saints will win if: They score in the red zone and pressure the Jaguars into mistakes. The Saints have been effective offensively between the 20s and they are a good defense. If they can score when they're close to the end zone and score three touchdowns, they will be tough to beat in what for them is close to a desperation game.
• As Oehser sees it: This matchup is tough for the Jaguars for multiple reasons, only one of which is Lawrence's knee. They could be missing multiple starts, including Campbell, and they're playing a third game in 12 days. It will take a mammoth defensive effort for the Jaguars to win this one.

Brian Sexton, jaguars.com senior correspondent

• The Jaguars will win if: They overcome key injuries. We can start with quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the offensive line. Lawrence must be on the field to give the Jaguars the best chance to win and he must have a clean pocket. Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell's hamstring is a problem this week against Saints wide receivers Chris Olave and Michael Thomas after Montaric Brown – playing in place of Campbell – struggled to keep up with Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman last week. Backups must play like starters on a short week.
• The Saints will win if: Saints quarterback Derek Carr has time to stand in the pocket and find those receivers. Carr hasn't been the upgrade New Orleans thought they were getting, but we saw him with the Las Vegas Raiders last season and he's more than capable of taking advantage of your weaknesses. The Jaguars must attack him like they did Indianapolis Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew last week, because Carr is capable of beating you.
• As Sexton sees it: This is a tough game to call. The Jaguars should be able to win a game with backup players; the Cleveland Browns won last week against the San Francisco 49ers with a journeyman backup quarterback who wasn't in their training camp and the New York Jets beat the Philadelphia Eagles with two backup cornerbacks. But this is the Jaguars' third game in 12 days on two continents and that's a lot to overcome.

J.P. Shadrick, jaguars.com senior reporter

• The Jaguars will win if: They continue to play defense at a high level. They are now third in the league against the run, and that has led to teams giving them the ball to the tune of a league-high 15 takeaways. The offense has been effective at moments, but now is battling through some key injuries. Can they lean on Etienne and the running game as heavily as they have so far? Etienne leads the NFL in rushing attempts.
• The Saints will win if: They can possess the football and cash in for touchdowns. The Saints have scored just over 18 points per game, so this is far from an explosive attack so far. If they take advantage of any changes in the Jags secondary with a veteran quarterback in Carr, the Saints could be on their way.
• As Shadrick sees it: It is always difficult to travel for Thursday Night Football, especially with so many injuries for the Jaguars. If Lawrence can go, and stay out of harm's way, then the Jaguars have their best opportunity with a defense that is feeling it right now.

Jeff Lageman, Jaguars analyst and former Jaguars defensive end

• The Jaguars will win if: Their defense continues to make big plays. The Jaguars' defense leads the NFL in takeaways with 15 and continues to provide sparks for an offense that is still gaining momentum.
• The Saints will win if: They have a fast start, getting the crowd going and putting the Jaguars in the position of playing catch up. The Saints' defense is impressive. With a lead, contending with it would be tough.
• As Lageman sees it: Being the road team on a short week is very tough and will be a great test for a Jaguars team riding the high of a three-game win streak. The health of Lawrence's knee and the performance of his offensive line will be a huge factor in determining success. The entire league and nation is watching on Thursday night, and this presents a great opportunity.

Kainani Stevens, Jaguars.com reporter

• The Jaguars will win if: The defense continues to dominate. New Orleans' offense has struggled mightily with Carr and not much creativity in the passing game. If the Jags can continue to force turnovers, they put a lot of pressure on a struggling Saints offense.
• The Saints will win if: Lawrence doesn't play or is seriously limited by his knee injury. Backup C.J. Beathard is certainly familiar with Head Coach Doug Pederson's offense but putting that into action in a hostile environment is an entirely different story. I think the Jags offense will struggle this week regardless of who is QB1 and it will end up being a defensive battle.
• As Stevens sees it: I'll ride with the Jags. I don't think it will take more than one or two touchdowns to win this game. Anything the Jags can do to take the crowd out of it early will benefit them. I say Jags 13-10.