Tag: know who to root for

Know who to root for: Saints fan watching guide to NFL Week 13

There are many NFL games for New Orleans Saints to watch during Week 13, including the San Francisco 49ers’ visit with the Baltimore Ravens.

The New Orleans Saints handled their business on Thanksgiving with an NFC South-clinching win over the Atlanta Falcons, and they received some help in the earlier games considering the greater scope of the NFC playoff picture. The visiting Buffalo Bills ran roughshod over the Dallas Cowboys, who are hanging onto the NFC East title by a thread, while the Chicago Bears outlasted the Detroit Lions, guaranteeing a longer stay for inconsistent quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Now, Saints fans get a long, stress-free weekend of football. Here’s who you should hope wins every game left on the Week 13 schedule, with some serious playoff implications on the line. All odds come from BetMGM.

Around the NFC South

Washington Redskins (2-9) at Carolina Panthers (5-6). Panthers by 9.5. It’s time for the other NFC South teams to start playing for draft position, which means it’s in their interest to lose out and get better players next year. Don’t let that happen, and root for Washington to pull off an upset.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) at Jacksonville Jaguars (4-7). Jaguars by 2.5. If Tampa Bay wins, they’ll have worse draft positioning and maybe talk themselves into sticking with Jameis Winston at quarterback. Root for that.

Painting the NFC Playoff Picture

San Francisco 49ers (10-1) at Baltimore Ravens (9-2). Ravens by 5.5. Root for the Ravens to win and force the 49ers into a tough spot before their game with the Saints next week.

Minnesota Vikings (8-3) at Seattle Seahawks (9-2). Vikings by 2.5. These teams are playing for playoff seeding, so root for the Seahawks to defend the fifth seed and keep the Vikings a guaranteed road team.

Green Bay Packers (8-3) at New York Giants (2-9). Packers by 6.5. The Packers have a tenuous hold on the NFC North; root for chaos, and a big Giants upset.

Los Angeles Rams (6-5) at Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1). Kyler Murray may not play this game due to an injury, but root for the Cardinals either way. The Rams can’t afford another loss and still hope to reach the playoffs.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-6) at Miami Dolphins (2-9). Eagles by 9.5. The Eagles would easily be the worst NFC playoff team if they displace the Cowboys, so root for them to win here.

Leftovers and Lagniappe

Tennessee Titans (6-5) at Indianapolis Colts (6-5). Colts by 2.5. New Orleans has to play both of these teams down the stretch, so it can be hard to pick one or the other in this game. A Colts loss would decrease their playoff chances and maybe make them throw in the towel ahead of their Monday Night Football game with the Saints in a few weeks. Root for Tennessee.

New England Patriots (10-1) at Houston Texans (7-4). Patriots by 3.5. Never pull for the Patriots. Root for the Texans and young star quarterback Deshaun Watson.

Oakland Raiders (6-5) at Kansas City Chiefs (7-4). Chiefs by 9.5. Raiders fans can use a win after their strange loss to the Jets, so root for that despite their long odds.

Los Angeles Chargers (4-7) at Denver Broncos (3-8). Chargers by 2.5. The Broncos are auditioning rookie quarterback Drew Lock, so root for him to thrive and keep Denver from drafting another rookie highly next year (when the Saints are scheduled to visit).

New York Jets (4-7) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-11). Jets by 3.5. Bengals fans don’t deserve this after all their team has put them through. Root for them to finally get a win.

Cleveland Browns (5-6) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5). Browns by 1.5. Many LSU Tigers fans can sympathize with embattled Browns wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, and cornerback Greedy Williams. Root for them to win and keep their playoff hopes alive.

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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Know who to root for: Saints fan interests in every Week 12 game

The New Orleans Saints will host the Carolina Panthers in Week 12 of the NFL regular season, but fans have rooting interests in every game.

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New Orleans Saints fans are getting ready to see their team kick off against the Carolina Panthers, but the NFL’s schedule features plenty of other games to watch afterwards. With the NFC playoff picture starting to take shape, now is as good a time as any to get up to get up to speed with the standings and know who to root for in every game this weekend. Here’s your Saints fan rooting guide. All odds are sourced from BetMGM.

Around the NFC South

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7) at Atlanta Falcons (3-7). Falcons by 4.5. The Saints have swept the Buccaneers already, and the Falcons are their next opponent after the Panthers — on Thanksgiving night, no less. Root for the Buccaneers to give Atlanta all they can handle.

Painting the NFC Playoff Picture

Green Bay Packers (8-2) at San Francisco 49ers (9-1). 49ers by 3.5. This one is complicated. A Packers victory puts Green Bay in the top NFC playoff seed by way of tiebreaker, which means the Saints would have to hop the Packers lose a game later in the season. If the 49ers win, the Saints can control their own destiny by beating San Francisco later (if they win out until then, anyway). Root for the 49ers on Sunday Night Football.

Seattle Seahawks (8-2) at Philadelphia Eagles (5-5). Eagles by 1.5. Russell Wilson is an MVP favorite, and there are few quarterbacks more dangerous thanks to his accuracy and ability to keep plays alive with his legs. The Saints were fortunate to escape Seattle with a win earlier this season, and avoiding another matchup with him is in their interests. The Eagles haven’t been much of a threat to New Orleans lately, so root for Philadelphia.

Dallas Cowboys (6-4) at New England Patriots (9-1). Patriots by 6.5. The Cowboys are the least-terrible team in what may be the NFL’s weakest division. The Saints have beaten them once already, but who’s to say they’ll do it again after last year’s disaster and this year’s too-close-for-comfort finale? Root for the Patriots to keep the Cowboys weak.

Baltimore Ravens (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (6-4). Ravens by 3.5. A loss on Monday Night Football would be a dagger into the heart of the Rams’ season, likely putting L.A. too far back in their division to reach the playoffs, so root for Lamar Jackson and former Saints running back Mark Ingram to do just that.

New York Giants (2-8) at Chicago Bears (4-6). Bears by 6.5. This is a winnable game for Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, which says a lot about the state of the Giants. Chicago has proven to be no threat to New Orleans so long as Trubisky is under center, so root for the Bears to win and build enough optimism to keep him around for at least another year.

Leftovers and Lagniappe

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6) at Tennessee Titans (5-5). Titans by 3.5. The Saints will play the Titans in a few weeks; Tennessee has rallied around Ryan Tannehill, but a loss here could push them closer to playing for draft positioning by the time that game comes around. Root for the Jaguars.

Miami Dolphins (2-8) at Cleveland Browns (4-6). Browns by 10.5. The Dolphins have a handful of former Saints players in prominent roles, including Vince Biegel and Ken Crawley. Root for Miami.

Detroit Lions (3-6-1) at Washington Redskins (1-9). Lions by 3.5. Root for Washington to win and improve their draft position, keeping a top prospect like Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young from joining them and playing against the Saints some day.

Denver Broncos (3-7) at Buffalo Bills (7-3). Bills by 3.5. The Broncos finding a way to win here would be entertaining, do root for that.

Oakland Raiders (6-4) at New York Jets (3-7). Raiders by 2.5. Raiders fans finally have a team worth cheering for, so root for their momentum to continue rolling.

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5) at Cincinnati Bengals (0-10). Steelers by 6.5. This game is more winnable for the Bengals than JT appears, given the Steelers’ injuries and suspensions. Root for the Bengals to get their first win.

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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