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Jaguars open as 4-point road favorite vs. Texans

The Jaguars are unsurprisingly favored against the Texans, despite an early season loss.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have been sub-.500 this season since October when a 13-6 home loss to the Houston Texans dropped the team to 2-3 on the year.

Nearly three months later, the Jaguars have a chance at a climbing back to .500 with a fourth straight win. Standing in their way are the Texans.

While the Texans won their first meeting and the rematch is in Houston, oddsmakers are unsurprisingly siding with the 7-8 Jaguars against the 2-12-1 Texans. At BetMGM, Jacksonville is a four-point favorite in the Week 17 contest. The scoring total is set at 43.5.

When the Texans came to TIAA Bank Field in October, they were out-gained by the Jaguars 422 total yards to 248. Despite the offensive output, Jacksonville turned the ball over twice and failed to convert any of its three fourth down tries. The Jaguars finished without a touchdown, while the Texans scored a game-winner with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter.

It was the only game this season that saw the Jaguars finished with less than 14 points.

Houston lost nine straight after beating Jacksonville, but snapped that streak Saturday with a 19-14 win over the Tennessee Titans. That victory for the Texans guaranteed that the Jaguars and Titans will play for the AFC South title in Week 18, regardless of Week 17 results.

Saints vs. Falcons 2021 odds: New Orleans opens as road favorites

Saints vs. Falcons 2021 odds: New Orleans opens as road favorites at Tipico Sportsbook

It’s finally New Orleans Saints game week. This isn’t some exhibition kickoff in preseason — the black and gold will suit up against their biggest rivals in a matter of days, not weeks or months. And expectations are high. The Saints have opened as 5.5-point road favorites against the Atlanta Falcons at Tipico Sportsbook, which is interesting. The game’s low over/under (42.5) is a little concerning. That suggests a final score in the neighborhood of New Orleans 24, Atlanta 19. Opposing teams held the Saints to 24 points or fewer in nine games last season, including three of Jameis Winston’s first six starts.

New Orleans has made real upgrades on offense at wide receiver (in drafting Chris Olave and signing Jarvis Landry, while mending fences with Michael Thomas) but they took a step back at left tackle in parting ways with Terron Armstead. Credulous oddsmakers don’t seem confident that Winston will take a big step forward in such circumstances, but they do see the Saints’ winning formula.

That’s easier said than done against a talented offense. The situation Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota has found himself in isn’t that different from Winston’s circumstances. The two top picks in the 2015 NFL draft have won, lost, and regained starting jobs in the NFL while playing for a couple of different teams. Now Mariota is leading an offense stocked with dangerous pass catchers like Kyle Pitts, Cordarrelle Patterson, and rookie draft pick Drake London. It’s going to be a big test for a Saints defense replacing all three of last year’s top safeties, swapping Marcus Williams, Malcolm Jenkins, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson for Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, and a small platoon of slot corners.

As for other opening lines across the NFC South: the Carolina Panthers are favored by a field goal at home against the Cleveland Browns, as are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers versus the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. But the Bucs-Cowboys game features one of the highest over/under point totals of the week (50.5), so there’s some potential for fireworks in the

Odds courtesy of Tipico Sportsbook; check USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list (lines last updated Monday at 8:36 a.m. ET).

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How to watch, wager, and stream Week 18’s Saints vs. Falcons finale

Will your local FOX affiliate carry Week 18’s New Orleans Saints game? The black and gold are squaring off with their oldest, bitterest rival in the regular season finale. But will you be able to tune in locally?

The latest broadcast map from 506sports has this week’s game with the Atlanta Falcons being broadcast in a broad swath of the Southeast, with coverage running from Houston to Augusta. That includes the home markets for both New Orleans and Atlanta, which you can see below in green:

Mark Sanchez and Kevin Krugler are on the call from the booth for FOX. Remember, kickoff has been rescheduled from noon to 3:25 p.m. CT/4:25 p.m. ET. The Saints will only advance to the playoffs with a win in Atlanta and a Los Angeles Rams win over the San Francisco 49ers out west — a game that’s happening in the same time slot, shown on this map in red (the less-meaningful Seattle Seahawks-Arizona Cardinals matchup is in blue).

If your market isn’t carrying the game, you can stream it online at FuboTV (free 7-day trial).

As for what the oddsmakers are forecasting: the Saints are now 3.5-point favorites at tipico.com, having opened at 4.5 points, though the over/under remains unchanged at 39.5. That suggests a tight win for New Orleans is in store, but the Falcons have surprised us before. Let’s hope the Saints are firing on all cylinders with a playoff berth on the line.

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Dolphins now favored against Saints after COVID-19 issues worsen

The Saints are now home underdogs against the Dolphins at Tipico as their COVID-19 issues worsen:

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Yikes. The New Orleans Saints initially opened up as narrow home favorites against the Miami Dolphins in Week 16, but they’re now home underdogs after a dozen players entered COVID-19 protocols — including their top two quarterbacks. Tipico Sportsbook now has the Dolphins favored by 2.5 points at the Caesars Superdome, as of 11 a.m. CT on Friday, Dec. 24.

That represents a 6-point swing from the opening line, when the Saints were favored by 3.5. Take this new spread with the adjusted over/under of 37.5 (a slight drop in itself) and you’ve got an implied final score of Miami 21, New Orleans 17.

It’s hardly ideal, but that’s where the Saints are. Their offense has been nearly defanged with top weapons unavailable like wide receivers Michael Thomas (season-ending injury) and Deonte Harris (serving an NFL suspension), plus tight ends Adam Trautman and Juwan Johnson (both on the COVID-19 reserve list). The Saints don’t even have the threat of Taysom Hill as a runner to fall back on as he’s also entered COVID-19 protocols. The heightened pressure on Alvin Kamara is titanic.

Hopefully the Saints can find some answers to all the problems in front of them. They badly need a win to keep themselves in the playoff race, or at least to keep their heads above water after fighting back to .500.

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Saints open as 3.5-point favorites vs. Dolphins at Tipico Sportsbook

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Sunday night’s big New Orleans Saints win has sent a ripple effect around the NFL’s orbit, and it’s prompted some early lines to shift in the Week 16 betting odds. According to the oddsmakers at Tipico Sportsbook, the Saints are favored by about a field goal against the Miami Dolphins, as of Monday morning. Take that 3.5-point advantage with the over/under of 39.5 and you’ve got a suggested final score in the neighborhood of Saints 22, Dolphins 18.

It’s a bit of an odd projection, but let’s not kid ourselves. The Saints haven’t been kicking doors down on offense lately. Points have come at a premium for them and this matchup has all the hallmarks of a low-scoring evening. Miami has been averaging a modest 24.5 points per game during their six-week winning streak, and they haven’t seen a defense as stout as New Orleans.

But with that said, the Dolphins run a lot of read-option plays similar to what gave the Saints trouble in their loss to the Philadelphia Eagles not too long ago. New Orleans’ defense needs to be on top of their game if they’re going to meet expectations and get back to a winning record as the regular season draws to a close.

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Tipico: Saints are home underdogs again vs. Cowboys in Week 13

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Sports bettors haven’t been high on the New Orleans Saints through their four-game losing skid, and the tide doesn’t appear to be close to changing this week. The latest odds from Tipico Sportsbook have the visiting Dallas Cowboys favored to win on Thursday night by a 4.5-point margin — taken with the over/under of 47.5 and that’s a projected final score in the neighborhood of Cowboys 26, Saints 22.

That would at least be more entertaining than the 31-6 drubbing Saints fans were saddled with on Thanksgiving last week. If this team isn’t going to be any good, they should still try to make it a good time. Putting some points on the board would help.

The good news for Saints fans is that Dallas has lost three of their last four games, with the sole win coming in a 43-3 blowout over the Atlanta Falcons (so, hey, we can laugh about that). The Cowboys have been reeling for most of a month now between various injuries, COVID-19 absences, and bizarre coaching decisions. They’ve been prone to turnovers and are sloppy football with a ton of penalties going their way. It’s a winnable matchup for New Orleans.

But almost every game the Saints have lost this season looked winnable up to a certain point. Hopefully they’ve done a better job of self-scouting and getting healthy so that they can avoid their first five-game losing streak of the Sean Payton era.

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Bills favored more heavily after Saints injury issues worsen

Tipico NFL odds: Bills favored more heavily after Saints injury issues worsen

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A series of injuries to the New Orleans Saints offense have impacted this week’s NFL odds from Tipico Sportsbook, which now favors the visiting Buffalo Bills by 6.5 points over the undermanned Saints on Thursday night. That’s a full 2-point swing away from where the opening line was set, which had the Saints as 4.5-point underdogs in New Orleans.

Taken with the over/under (45.5) and you’ve got a proposed final tally in the neighborhood of Bills 26, Saints 20. That’s hardly encouraging, but there’s plenty to feel discouraged about with the Saints these days. Their offense has been eroded by more and more injuries and their defense has taken a step back from its early-season success.

And it’s tough to see how the Saints can put many points on the board without Alvin Kamara, Ryan Ramczyk, Adam Trautman, and Michael Thomas, to say nothing of the step down from Jameis Winston to Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill. Maybe New Orleans can pull off an upset, but they’ve got a tough out ahead of them.

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BetMGM: Saints favored to beat the Bucs by a field goal

The New Orleans Saints are projected to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a field goal in their third meeting this year, per BetMGM odds.

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The oddsmakers at BetMGM have opened up their Divisional Round lines with the New Orleans Saints favored to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the third time this season, but barely; New Orleans is a 3-point favorite, with the 51.5 over/under suggesting a final tally near Saints 27, Buccaneers 24.

How does that compare to their two previous meetings — which, again, the Saints swept? In Week 1, the Saints were 3.5-point favorites, snapping Tom Brady’s 74-game streak of being favored to win. That initial over/under was set at 49.5, implying a final score of Saints 27, Buccaneers 23. Instead, New Orleans won 34-23 against Tampa Bay.

However, Brady’s squad was favored in the much-anticipated rematch by 4.5 points. That was the first game of the year in which New Orleans entered as underdogs, projected to lose 28-23. The Saints responded with their best game of the year, leaving Raymond James Stadium on the heels of a dominant 38-3 blowout.

So use that information how you will. These aren’t the same teams as played each other before, but it’s understandable to feel some confidence in the matchup considering the Buccaneers lose both previous games by significant margins.

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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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