Tag: favored

Saints still favored to beat Raiders on ‘Monday Night Football’

The New Orleans Saints are still road favorites in their Week 2 game with the Las Vegas Raiders, despite an injury to star WR Michael Thomas

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We’re only hours away from the New Orleans Saints kickoff with the Las Vegas Raiders on “Monday Night Football,” and the Saints remain road favorites to walk away with a win. That comes after the Saints ruled star wide receiver Michael Thomas out for this game with an ankle injury.

The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook still like the Saints to win, even with Thomas watching from the sidelines. New Orleans is favored by 5.5 points over Las Vegas, with an over/under set at 48.5; that implies a final score somewhere around Saints 28, Raiders 22. Still solid, but it’s a point lower than the projections when Thomas was expected to play.

Injuries have hit both sides. The Raiders are expected to be without their starting and backup right tackles, promoting a backup guard to their place, which is quite a mismatch for All-Pro Cameron Jordan. Jordan will not be joined by his bookend pass rusher Marcus Davenport, which could help create some favorable looks for impressive Raiders running back Josh Jacobs.

And, yeah, the Saints won’t have Thomas. But they should get better protection up front with rookie draft pick Cesar Ruiz making his debut. Maybe the extra second or two he can save Drew Brees here and there will make a real difference.

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Saints are 6.5-point road favorites in Week 2 over the Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders are not favorites to open their own new home stadium against the visiting New Orleans Saints, favored by nearly a TD.

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Both the New Orleans Saints and the Las Vegas Raiders won their Week 1 debuts over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers, and now they’re on a collision course in Week 2 on Monday Night Football. All eyes will be on the Darth Vader-esque Allegiant Stadium when the Saints help the Raiders open their new home venue.

And the Saints are favored to win this one, unfortunately for the Raiders. The BetMGM Sportsbook oddsmakers have the Saints winning their first game on the road in 2020 by 6.5 points; taken with an over/under of 51.5 points, that suggests a final score in the neighborhood of Saints 29, Raiders 22.

Only two games have a higher over/under right now: a matchup between the winless Atlanta Falcons and Dallas Cowboys (52.5), and a high-profile duel of Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens against Deshaun Watson’s Houston Texans (52.5).

For context, the Saints offense scored 27 points on a very good Buccaneers defense in Week 1, helped out with Janoris Jenkins’ interception returned for a defensive touchdown. Meanwhile, the Raiders hung 34 points on the Panthers, fueled by Josh Jacobs’ three touchdown runs.

So we may be in for more fireworks in prime time. And that should get fans — and bettors — excited.

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

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Saints are the 1st team favored to beat Tom Brady in 5 years

Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Tom Brady is finally an underdog again, with the New Orleans Saints favored to win Week 1 of the regular season.

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It’s taken five long years and a move away from the New England Patriots, but Tom Brady is finally an underdog again. The new Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback isn’t forecast to win his Week 1 game against the New Orleans Saints, breaking a 74-game regular season streak of being favored by oddsmakers. The last team favored to beat him were Rex Ryan’s 2015 Buffalo Bills, favored at home by a single point (Brady’s Patriots won, 40-32).

That’s backed up by the BetMGM Sportsbook, which has the Saints as 3.5-point favorites. Taken with their over/under of 49.5, that projects a final score in the ballpark of Saints 27, Buccaneers 23.

For the curious, neither of the other NFC South teams taking the field in Week 1 are favored to win their games. The Atlanta Falcons are 2.5-point home underdogs versus the Seattle Seahawks, while the Las Vegas Raiders are 3.5-point road favorites against the Carolina Panthers.

Whoever wins this season opener between the Saints and Buccaneers could have a real leg up on the race for an NFC South crown. The Saints have won that title three years in a row, but Brady’s impact on Tampa Bay is sure to make things more competitive than usual.

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

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Opening odds favor Saints to beat the Vikings by more than a TD

The New Orleans Saints are favored by more than a touchdown over the Minnesota Vikings in their wild card round matchup in the 2019 playoffs

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The NFL has set its playoff schedule for next week’s wild card round games, and the New Orleans Saints are readying for a rematch against the Minnesota Vikings, who eliminated them in 2017.

That was a returning of the favor from their last postseason matchup in 2009, when the Saints beat Minnesota to advance to (and win) the Super Bowl. The Vikings didn’t follow New Orleans’ example, however, instead getting run off the field by the Philadelphia Eagles. Minnesota went on to miss the playoffs the next year with an 8-7-1 record, while the Saints beat that same Eagles team twice by a combined score of 68-21. Makes you think that maybe the wrong team won back in 2017, but let’s not dwell on it.

Per the latest odds from BetMGM, the Saints are 7.5-point home favorites over the Vikings for this latest entry in their long-running series. With an initial over/under of 46.5, that implies a final score in the neighborhood of Saints 28, Vikings 20. In other words, bettors are expecting a competitive game, with New Orleans ultimately coming out on top. We’ll see soon whether Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins can finally have a good game on a big stage, and test how well Minnesota’s running game performs against a staunch Saints defensive front.

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

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New Orleans Saints narrowly favored over 49ers in Week 14 odds

The New Orleans Saints are narrowly favored over the San Francisco 49ers for their Week 14 game inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

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The New Orleans Saints are a week away from hosting the San Francisco 49ers in their Week 14 kickoff from inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and the opening line slightly favors the home team. According to the latest odds from BetMGM, the Saints are 3.5-point favorites to win, with an over/under of 45.5. That suggests a final score in the neighborhood of Saints 25, 49ers 21 — hardly a decisive outcome. New Orleans’ recent streak of victories and home-field advantage could be giving them an edge in the oddsmakers’ eyes.

New Orleans is fresh off the heels of a dominant (if at times sloppy) win over the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving, in which their defense sacked Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan nine times. Six of those sacks came from starting defensive ends Cameron Jordan (four) and Marcus Davenport (two).

Things aren’t nearly so positive for the 49ers. They took the Baltimore Ravens down to the wire on a muddy field but couldn’t close the deal. Inexperienced quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo conducted the offense well, but the 49ers run defense was kept on their heels by Ravens phenom Lamar Jackson. Expect the Saints to target that same vulnerability with Taysom Hill, who has seen his involvement (and effectiveness) rise as the season has wore on.

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