Tag: favored

Saints somehow open as home favorites ahead of must-win Week 11 Rams game

The Saints somehow opened as narrow favorites at home ahead of their must-win game against the Rams in Week 11:

Huh? We’re already shifting focus to Week 11 on the New Orleans Saints’ schedule, and they’re somehow favored to win their next game after dropping back-to-back losses to start the season at 3-7. Tipico Sportsbook opened its Week 11 NFL lines with the Saints favored by 3 points over the visiting Los Angeles Rams, which is surprising after New Orleans lost by double digits in each of the last two weeks.

But the Rams might be in even worse shape. They’re expecting to be without superstar wide receiver Cooper Kupp for some time after he suffered an ankle injury in Week 10, and quarterback Matthew Stafford may be unavailable as well while managing his own injury. Their defense hasn’t lived up to expectations, either. There’s good reasons for this game opening with a 39-point over/under, suggesting a final tally close to Saints 21, Rams 18.

Regardless of what the oddsmakers are saying about it, this is a must-win game for both teams. The Saints are losing relevance in the NFC South week by week. And the Rams are falling off, too. Both teams are feeling the pain of going all-in chasing a Super Bowl trophy — and frustratingly, only L.A. can say they went the distance. We could go off on a tangent here about you-know-what, but enough ink has been spilled about that to last us a lifetime. Let’s see if the Saints can at least start to earn their way back into fans’ good graces with a win on Sunday against one of their team’s oldest rivals.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[pickup_prop id=”29872″]

[listicle id=118230]

Saints not favored to beat Patriots in week’s 2nd-lowest over/under

Tipico: Saints not favored to beat Patriots in week’s 2nd-lowest over/under

What are we in for when the New Orleans Saints match up with the New England Patriots? Tipico Sportsbook isn’t counting on a barn burner, posting their second-lowest over/under of the week (42.5). Only one game is expected to feature a lower scoring output when the Jets and Broncos kick off (41.5).

And Tipico has the Patriots as home favorites, but only barely. New England is favored by 2.5 points over the visiting Saints, having scored just 16 points in Week 1 and 25 points against the Jets in Week 2. Mac Jones’ offense is hardly a high-flying unit. Can New Orleans capitalize on that?

The defensive matchup is in the Saints’ favor, but they’ve got to prove they can move the ball on offense once Bill Belichick takes away Alvin Kamara. Carolina showed last week that New Orleans doesn’t have the firepower to adapt when their best player is smothered in coverage. Now it’s on Sean Payton to course-correct. We’ll see soon whether he’s up to the task.

[listicle id=50685]

No, the Bucs shouldn’t be talked up as 2021 NFC South favorites

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won plenty of fans following their Super Bowl victory, but the NFC South will be as competitive as ever.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbyahgz6p2j3xp7 player_id=none image=https://saintswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

Is this a hot take? It feels like a hot take. Slandering the reigning Super Bowl champions isn’t going to sit right with many readers, but here it goes. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are getting gassed up entirely too often this offseason, with many outlets and media observers pointing to the Bucs as favorites to win their division. They shouldn’t be.

The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook, for example, have Tampa Bay winning the NFC South at a -155 line, which would flip a $50 bet into an $82 haul. New Orleans isn’t too far behind at +275, which would yield $187 for the same ticket. Their divisional rivals, the Panthers and Falcons, have longer odds at +700. You do the math.

It’s easy to explain why the Bucs are favored so heavily — they’re the ones tossing the Lombardi Trophy between boats and enjoying avocado tequila at the Kentucky Derby. But it took a lot of luck for them to get here.

Tampa Bay did what every contender hopes for and got hot at the right time, cruising into the playoffs off of a four-game winning streak. They survived two wins against teams hamstrung by fraught quarterback situations to narrowly beat the Packers in the NFC title game before running the injury-ravaged Chiefs off the field during the Super Bowl.

If Taylor Heinicke hadn’t posted a quarterback rating 17 points below league average, the Bucs wouldn’t have made it out of the wild-card round. If Drew Brees hadn’t thrown three interceptions in a meltdown while Jared Cook gave the game away with a second-half fumble, things look very different. Losing one of Taysom Hill or Latavius Murray, but not both, might have given the Saints enough of a physical edge to avoid putting so much on Brees in the first place.

There are parallel timelines where Tom Brady’s legacy is in jeopardy after an 8-8 dud away from New England, and others where the Bucs are seen as desperate, trendy Super Bowl contenders trying to fix the flaws they found in January. It’s just not the timeline we inhabit.

Credit to the Bucs for hitting their stride when they needed it most, and for bringing back so many key players from their title run. Their front office has done a great job keeping that core together while adding possible upgrades. But at the end of the day the team they’ve held together finished the season at 11-5 with coin-flip wins against the 4-12 Falcons, the 6-10 Giants, and 7-9 Chargers.

Compare that to the Saints, who built a team around Brees that won the NFC South an unprecedented four consecutive seasons from 2017 to 2020. That roster’s top-end talent (which has gone 8-1 without Brees the last two years) remains intact, but their depth is facing legitimate scrutiny after so many contributors were lost against an equally-unprecedented depressed salary cap. Enough changes have taken place around the division to make it anyone’s game, no matter who eventually won their championship rings.

We’ll see how it shakes out in the fall. Maybe Jameis Winston is able to make the throws Brees couldn’t to keep the Saints in contention, while cutting down on the turnovers that got him punted out of Tampa Bay. Maybe the Panthers’ new quarterback and improved supporting cast make some noise, while the Falcons go all-in on an offense seeking to make the most of Matt Ryan’s golden years.

So it makes sense, on the surface, for Tampa Bay to be getting so much attention. With so much continuity in place and fresh memories from their last — surprisingly dominant — win, they’re going to get their flowers. But while the Bucs are relishing their time on top of the mountain, they may need even more luck than they enjoyed last year to remain kings of the 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.

[lawrence-related id=43457]

[listicle id=45158]

BetMGM: Saints climb to 10-point favorites vs. Bears

The BetMGM oddsmakers expect the New Orleans Saints to handle the Chicago Bears with ease in a Wild-Card Round game that shouldn’t be close.

[jwplayer oFnMx6BT-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints opened as heavy favorites to defeat the Chicago Bears in the Wild-Card Round, but the oddsmakers at BetMGM have only heightened expectations as the week has continued. New Orleans is now favored by 10 points over the visiting Bears, with an over/under of 47.5 — tied for the third-highest total of the week.

And that suggests a final score in the neighborhood of Saints 28, Bears 18, which would be a much more comfortable finish for New Orleans compared to their Week 8 meeting (the Saints escaped with an overtime win of 26-23). Here’s hoping the Saints come close to that.

Other notable spreads around the league this week: the Tennessee Titans are 3.5-point underdogs against the Baltimore Ravens in what’s expected to be the highest-scoring game of the week with a 54.5-point over/under. Next-best is the Buffalo Bills’ matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, who are 6.5-point underdogs facing an over/under of 51.5.

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=42255]

BetMGM: Saints favored to defeat Vikings, clinch NFC South on Christmas Day

BetMGM opened their NFL Week 16 odds with the New Orleans Saints favored over the Minnesota Vikings by 7 points on Christmas Day.

[sendtonews_embed video_id=”DXl5zIzAgN-1080835-7498″]

Pressure is building on the New Orleans Saints. They’ve stumbled into a two-game losing streak while needing just one more win to clinch the NFC South, and now they’re going into Week 16 with an always-tough opponent standing between them and that elusive 11th win: Mike Zimmer’s Minnesota Vikings.

But the oddsmakers at BetMGM don’t anticipate a close one. They’ve opened up with the Saints favored by 7 points against the visiting Vikings on Christmas Day, with an over/under of 51.5. That suggests a final score around Saints 29, Vikings 22.

That might be a tough sell given how much trouble the Vikings have given New Orleans in recent years. Zimmer’s defense has swarmed the Saints offense, a system he’s known well ever since he and Sean Payton were coworkers on Bill Parcells’ staff back in the day. The Saints are 1-3 against the Vikings since 2017 and can’t afford another slow start like they’ve shown the last two weeks.

Elsewhere around the Saints’ orbit: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 9-point favorites to beat the Detroit Lions, which would keep them in the thick of the NFC South race. The only way Tampa Bay steals the division from the Saints is if the Bucs win both of their remaining games and the Saints lose both of theirs.

Another game to watch is the Sunday night matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Tennessee Titans, where the Titans are 3.5-point underdogs. A Packers win, paired with a Seattle Seahawks loss to the Los Angeles Rams (Seattle barely favored by 1.5), would clinch the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC for Green Bay. While the Saints are mathematically alive to earn the No. 1 seed, their odds are growing longer by the day.

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=41728]

BetMGM: Saints open as 7-point favorites for Week 14 vs. Eagles

BetMGM Sportsbook opened its Week 14 NFL odds with the New Orleans Saints favored to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles by 7 points on the road.

[jwplayer bkTLtv5e-ThvAeFxT]

Who plays quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in their next game? Taysom Hill, the backup who has won three in a row, or Drew Brees, who hopes to push the envelope and return from nearly a dozen broken ribs as soon as he’s allowed?

The Philadelphia Eagles’ situation isn’t settled, either; Eagles coach Doug Pederson has declined to name a starter after pulling Carson Wentz from Sunday’s frustrating loss to the Green Bay Packers, replacing Wentz with rookie draft pick Jalen Hurts. There’s a lot of moving parts here.

And even the oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook aren’t too sure what to make of it. Their opening line has the Saints favored over Philly by seven points, but the over/under has not yet been posted. Hurts rallied the Eagles back to trail Green Bay 23-16 late in the game, but a long Packers touchdown run closed out the final score 30-16.

Maybe another spark from Hurts can close the gap against a Hill-led Saints offense, which has averaged 25.3 points per game since he was named the starter. But the Eagles will have their hands full putting up points of their own against a raucous Saints defense that has allowed just 8.8 points per game over the last five weeks.

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=41164]

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]

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]

Saints favored by more than a field goal over the Lions

The New Orleans Saints are favored to defeat the Detroit Lions on the road in Week 4, with BetMGM Sportsbook giving an edge to the visitors.

[jwplayer Yj9YM8R4-ThvAeFxT]

A couple of ugly losses aren’t enough to deter the oddsmakers from favoring the New Orleans Saints again in Week 4. The BetMGM Sportsbook likes the Saints as road favorites over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field this Sunday, currently listing the Lions as 4-point underdogs in their own building. The over/under is set at 54.5, which implies a final total in the range of Saints 29, Lions 25.

That’s optimistic, given how poorly the Saints defense has performed this season. And they’ll be squaring off against Matthew Stafford, a veteran quarterback with a big arm who has put up more than 25 points every time he’s faced New Orleans throughout his career (except for a 2011 contest when his offense managed just 17 points in a loss).

Including the postseason, Stafford is 3-4 against the Saints, with his offense humming along at an average of 28.1 points per game. He’s won their only meeting at Ford Field back in 2014, outdueling Drew Brees to a score of 24-23.

Hopefully the Saints can bounce back this week. The Lions are a very beatable team, but New Orleans can’t afford to continue hurting itself with so many penalties and miscues.

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