Category: Sports betting

BetMGM: Saints open as 3.5-point road favorites vs. Falcons

The New Orleans Saints opened as slight favorites to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in the opening NFL Week 13 odds from BetMGM Sportsbook.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”qiADWTZU6a-1054821-7498″]

The New Orleans Saints manhandled the Atlanta Falcons just one week ago, but the oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook anticipate their rematch at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium being much more competitive.

BetMGM opened their Week 13 NFL odds with the Saints favored to win by 3.5 points, paired with an over/under of 46.5 to suggest a final score around Saints 25, Falcons 22. It would be a big shift for the Saints defense, which has allowed just one touchdown to be scored against them in New Orleans’ last four games (including that 24-9 beatdown with this same Falcons team).

The Falcons have been a volatile squad in recent weeks, rebounding from their embarrassing defeat to the Saints with a 43-6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders (who beat the Saints early this season) this past Sunday.

Still, the Saints-Falcons rivalry typically sees records and stats thrown out the window. It seems to always be an unpredictable matchup between two teams that really, really want to take home a win. We’ll just have to wait and see how this one shakes out.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[listicle id=40852]

BetMGM: Saints surge to 15-point favorites after Broncos QB’s ruled out

BetMGM Sportsbook lifted the New Orleans Saints to 15-point favorites after the Denver Broncos ruled out their quarterbacks due to COVID-19*.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”UQiXY5N6dI-1053438-7498″]

The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook had to make a big adjustment to their line for Sunday’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos when Denver lost all four of their quarterbacks to the NFL’s COVID-19 protocol. After initially opening with the Saints favored by 6 points (which fell to 5.5), BetMGM updated their listing to favor New Orleans by 15 points — on the road.

Taken with a new over/under of 36.5 points, that suggests a final expected tally in the neighborhood of Saints 26, Broncos 11. Those are long odds for the Broncos, who will have to play either a backup running back (Royce Freeman) or a practice squad wide receiver (Kendall Hinton, who played quarterback at Wake Forest) against a Saints defense that has bagged 10 takeaways and 18 sacks in their last four games. Good luck.

Meanwhile, the Saints are dealing with their own COVID-19 absences. All-Pro left tackle Terron Armstead is out after testing positive, though so far he’s been asymptomatic and is hopeful to return next week. His backup, James Hurst, could struggle against Broncos pass rusher Bradley Chubb and a well-coached Denver defense. With left guard Andrus Peat also ruled out due to a concussion (putting veteran backup Nick Easton in his place), it could make for a long day at the office for Saints quarterback Taysom Hill.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=40707]

BetMGM: Opening line favors Saints to beat the Broncos by nearly a touchdown

The New Orleans Saints opened as heavy favorites to win on the road against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”RLGmFMlsSj-1047589-7498″]

Can the New Orleans Saints keep their 7-game winning streak going? Taysom Hill turned some heads in his first career start at quarterback in Week 11’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons, showing some of the growth the Saints were hoping for as a passer while remaining careful not to bail out and try to make a play with his legs (though he did finish the day with 50 rushing yards; not too shabby).

The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook were certainly impressed, which is reflected in the opening line for New Orleans’ upcoming road game with the Denver Broncos. BetMGM has the Saints winning by 6 points, with an over/under at 45.5, one of the lowest totals of the week. It implies a final score around Saints 26, Broncos 20.

If the Broncos score 20 points on the Saints defense this week, they will have nearly matched each of New Orleans’ last three opponents combined. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, and Atlanta Falcons were only able to post 25 points altogether in three games with the Saints, who have allowed just one touchdown to be scored on them in their last 33 drives.

That’s a tall task for Broncos quarterback Drew Lock and his supporting cast, who are averaging just 18.7 points scored per game this year. They have their work cut out for them against a daunting Saints defense. If Hill can make enough plays for the New Orleans offense, this one might not be close.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=40581]

BetMGM: Despite QB uncertainty, Saints comfortably favored over Falcons

BetMGM favors the New Orleans Saints to beat the Atlanta Falcons despite not knowing whether Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill is at quarterback

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”Pv7q8TWY55-1040193-7498″]

The Atlanta Falcons will kick off with the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this week, and Drew Brees will not be in at quarterback for the first time in the rivalry’s history — at least back to 2005 (14 years, 11 months, and 11 days, to be exact). Either Jameis Winston or Taysom Hill will get the start in his place as he recovers from serious chest injuries.

However, the oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook are still expecting plenty of points to be scored, and for the Saints to win comfortably. New Orleans is favored by 5 points against an over/under of 49.5, the third-highest total of the week. That projects a final tally in realm of Saints 27, Falcons 22. Not too shabby for the Brees-less Saints, if it holds true.

So which games are expected to reach higher scores? Thursday night’s tilt between the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks carries an absurd over/under of 57.5, while the inter-conference matchup of the Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts nets a 51.5. We’ll see if everyone can live up to expectations.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[listicle id=40436]

BetMGM: Saints are heavy home favorites against injury-riddled 49ers

BetMGM Sportsbook heavily favors the New Orleans Saints to defeat the San Francisco 49ers during Week 10 of the 2020 NFL regular season.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”FAg065JRQS-1031768-7498″]

That’s quite a mountain for the San Francisco 49ers to climb: the oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook opened up their Week 10 NFL lines with the New Orleans Saints as 9.5-point home favorites over the visiting 49ers, projecting another Saints blowout with the over/under set at 49.5. That suggests a final tally around Saints 30, 49ers 20.

And it follows a dominant performance from New Orleans on the road against the experts’ favorite Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which the Saints won 38-3. San Francisco is coming off a 34-17 Thursday night loss to the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 5, which doesn’t add much clarity. The Packers beat the Saints by a touchdown early this season 37-30 and later lost to the Buccaneers 38-10, so none of this is really informative.

It doesn’t help that the 49ers have been decimated by injuries, in the truest sense of the word. While they got a couple of wide receivers back from the COVID-19 reserve list, they didn’t field a single player who touched the football in their NFC championship game win over the Packers last season when Green Bay met them for a rematch.

So the Saints are probably rightly favored to bulldoze San Francisco. But anything can happen in the NFL, and this isn’t a game New Orleans can afford to overlook as the NFC playoff picture begins to take shape.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[listicle id=39813]

BetMGM: Saints are underdogs for the first time in 2020

The New Orleans Saints are 4.5-point underdogs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the first time they aren’t favored by BetMGM in 2020.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”4D2aFvjlPL-1028161-7498″]

The New Orleans Saints are entering uncharted territory. The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook are not favoring them to win this week for the first time this season, instead favoring the home-team Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 4.5 points.

Here’s the previous weekly Saints numbers from BetMGM:

With an over/under set at 50.5, it suggests a final tally in the neighborhood of Buccaneers 28, Saints 23. That’s hardly outlandish considering how poorly the Saints defense has performed this year, but they did play well in the season opener against Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. He was intercepted twice and sacked three times, and that was without Marcus Davenport in the lineup for New Orleans.

Of course, Brady didn’t have Antonio Brown at the time. The former All-Pro receiver should add even more juice to an offense that has been firing on all cylinders, presenting a big challenge to the Saints. Brown has caught four touchdown passes in his two previous career games versus New Orleans, both with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And things are rarely easy at Raymond James Stadium. The Saints have gone 2-2 at Tampa Bay in their last four visits, and they needed a blocked punt by Taysom Hill midway through the third quarter in 2018 to spark a comeback after a lousy 14-3 start. The 2019 meeting might have been very difficult if not for four Jameis Winston interceptions.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=39909]

BetMGM has Luka Doncic, LeBron James ahead of Kevin Durant in 2021 MVP running

Kevin Durant barely cracked BetMGM Sportsbook’s top 10 candidates to be named 2021 NBA MVP.

[jwplayer gUn7mWDC]

Now coming off back-to-back NBA MVP nods — though still ringless — Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo is still in position to be in the conversation for the league’s MVP in 2021. Although, it’s hard to imagine his disappointing performance in the 2020 NBA Playoffs won’t impact the thought process of some voters who may still have a sour taste in the mouths.

Regardless, BetMGM Sportsbook has Antetokounmpo as the betting favorite to win the MVP again in 2021. His line is set at +550 — as is Luka Doncic’s.

That’s right, the Dallas Maverick guard one of the betting favorites to be named 2021 NBA MVP, ahead of Kevin Durant (+1600).

Along with Doncic and Antetokounmpo, LeBron James (+600), Anthony Davis (+800), Steph Curry (+1100), Kawhi Leonard (+1200) and Damian Lillard (+1400) were each given better odds to win MVP next season than the Brooklyn Nets forward by BetMGM.

Kyrie Irving’s line opened up at +5,000, and those two aren’t the only Nets players fans can bet on at BetMGM. Though, as one might expect, the remaining Brooklyn players are huge longshots:

  • Caris LeVert +20,000
  • Spencer Dinwiddie +50,000
  • Jarrett Allen +100,000
  • DeAndre Jordan +100,000
  • Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot +100,000

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

BetMGM: Saints are 4-point road favorites over the Bears at Soldier Field

The New Orleans Saints have received some strong backing from the oddsmakers at BetMGM in Week 8’s road game against the Chicago Bears.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”1o4TrYRlMK-1016399-7498″]

It hasn’t mattered who is under center for the Chicago Bears in 2020: both Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky have looked bad, leading to friction with embattled head coach Matt Nagy. That sets the New Orleans Saints up for a very winnable game away from home, which is reflected in the latest odds.

The BetMGM Sportsbook currently has New Orleans as 4-point road favorites over the Bears. The game’s over/under of 43.5 points is the second-lowest of the week (only a sloppy Bills-Patriots matchup is lower, at 42.5), which projects a final tally in the neighborhood of Saints 26, Bears 22.

If that holds true, it would be one of the lowest-scoring Saints games of the year. New Orleans has scored 27 or more points in five of their six games, coming up short in a 34-24 road loss to the Raiders. But the Chicago defense is fearsome and they could give the Saints trouble.

Conversely, the Bears offense has been held to 22 points or fewer in three of their last four games (and they managed just 23 points scored against the Panthers in the one outlier). Their 5-2 record is as phony as it gets in the NFL.

What about the rest of the NFC South? The top-seeded Buccaneers are expected to dominate the Giants in a very forgettable Monday night game (Tampa Bay is favored by 10.5 points), while the Thursday night’s matchup between the Falcons and Panthers is nearly a toss-up (Carolina is a 2.5-point home favorite).

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services.  Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[listicle id=39563]

Saints open as 7.5-point favorites over the Panthers in Week 7

The BetMGM Sportsbook opened up its Week 7 NFL odds, favoring the New Orleans Saints to handle their business with the Carolina Panthers.

[jwplayer c6IXCQ6z-ThvAeFxT]

Teddy Bridgewater is set to make his return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome against his old team, but his Carolina Panthers appear to be in for a tough time versus the New Orleans Saints.

The BetMGM Sportsbook opened up with the Saints as 7.5-point favorites at home against the Panthers, with an over/under set at 50.5. That suggests a final score in the neighborhood of Saints 30, Panthers 22.

That’s very pedestrian, but we’ll take it. The Saints defense hasn’t held an opponent to 22 points or fewer all season (coming closest in their season-opening 34-23 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), averaging more than 31 points allowed in four of their first five games.

Conversely, Bridgewater’s offense has struggled to turn up the heat: the Panthers have been limited to 22 points or fewer in half of their games so far, including Sunday’s 23-16 loss to the Chicago Bears. They’ll hope to keep that from becoming a firmer trend against the Saints.

Elsewhere around the NFC South: the lowly Atlanta Falcons are favored by a field goal while hosting the Detroit Lions with the highest over/under of the week (56.5), while the Buccaneers are narrow 2.5-point favorites on the road with the resilient Las Vegas Raiders in another maybe-high-scoring game (over/under of 53.5). The Saints are ranked second-best in the NFC South right now, but a win over Carolina and a Buccaneers road loss would help New Orleans’ case.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

[vertical-gallery id=39121]