Tag: Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Saints lead NFL in penalty yards; referee Brad Rogers assigned Week 3 Packers game

The New Orleans Saints will kick off versus the Green Bay Packers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in front of second-year referee Brad Rogers

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It’s taken the New Orleans Saints just two weeks of NFL action to rack up the most penalty yards of any team (248, with the Arizona Cardinals a distant runner-up at 199), which isn’t great. If it’s any consolation, they’re tied with the Cleveland Browns for the second-most penalties by volume (16, trailing the Cardinals’ 20 fouls).

This is pretty much rock bottom, which means things can only get better from here. Surely. All sarcasm aside, at least these are problems the Saints can iron out through hard work in practice and keeping a cool head during games.

And the problem areas are easy to identify. Defensive backs Marshon Lattimore (three fouls), Marcus Williams and Janoris Jenkins (one each) have combined for 131 of the penalty yards the Saints have collected, more than 22 teams. It’s largely due to committing defensive pass interference. If they can just play a little more cleanly, this all looks very different.

So we’re on to Week 3, when the Green Bay Packers will visit the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on “Sunday Night Football.” The NFL has assigned second-year referee Brad Rogers and his crew to work the game, which will be his first blush with the Saints in this role. Rogers previously served as a field judge in 2017’s Christmas Eve game between New Orleans and the Atlanta Falcons, which the Saints won 23-13.

Last year, Rogers refereed a Packers-Broncos game at Lambeau Field which Green Bay won 27-16. Denver was flagged three times for 27 yards, while the Packers were fouled seven times for 53 yards.

Now in 2020, the Packers aren’t too far behind the Saints in total penalties (14), but their penalty yards yielded is much more pedestrian (123). Both teams have plenty to clean up, and this will be a great opportunity to make some progress in the right direction.

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The 2021 Sugar Bowl can’t be played in the Superdome

The Sugar Bowl committee might have to find a second location for the game this season.

(This post was originally published on Trojans Wire.)

It would be great if we somehow managed to reach the College Football Playoff and the 2021 Sugar Bowl, which is one of the two scheduled semifinal games this season, the Rose Bowl being the other.

Obviously, merely getting the 2020 season off the ground will be enough of a feat at this point. This is where the energy and debate are (rightly) flowing in the world of college football.

There is nothing wrong with thinking ahead, however: The 2021 Sugar Bowl can’t be played in the Louisiana Superdome.

Indoor football shouldn’t be played — especially if there is any expectation that some fans will be allowed to attend.

The Superdome can hold just under 79,000 fans for football, so a 20-percent-capacity plan for a possible Sugar Bowl game in the big dome would allow around 15,000 fans into the building.

If you’re going to have 15,000 fans (around 16,000 people, total, if you include the other personnel needed to stage a College Football Playoff semifinal), you can’t have a game played inside a dome without a retractable roof. That’s what the Superdome is.

Either move the game to the campus of the higher-seeded team or — if playing the game in New Orleans is really important — move it to the Tulane University campus.

A crowd of 15,000 watching what could be a four-hour game with air recirculating in an indoor environment is not something we should recommend — certainly not until we have a proven vaccine ready to distribute.

Barring the highly unlikely outcome of a safe vaccine being ready to distribute at the end of 2020 — most reasonable projections would have April or maybe late March as the earliest possible time for that development — the Superdome shouldn’t host the Sugar Bowl.

The whole point of having the Superdome as a Sugar Bowl and playoff venue is to stuff 79,000 people inside the grand building and create a great atmosphere.

If we’re only going to allow a few thousand fans to attend a game, might as well put it outdoors and create conditions much less conducive to the spread of COVID-19… smack-dab in the middle of flu season.

It’s the right move, even if it might seem premature.

New Orleans Saints playoff odds and predicted total wins: NFL futures picks and best bets

Assessing the betting odds of the New Orleans Saints making the 2020 NFL playoffs and predicting their exact win total.

Will the New Orleans Saints make the 2020 NFL playoffs? Below, we look at the BetMGM betting odds and make our pick. We also predict their exact win total for the upcoming season.

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Odds last updated Thursday, May 28 at 2:15 p.m. ET.

Will the New Orleans Saints make the 2020 NFL playoffs?

Yes: -400 | No: +310

Many respected minds of the NFL community rank the Saints at the top of the NFC heading into the season, but there is a world where the  Saints do NOT make the postseason in 2020. You know what they say about Father Time and he’s coming for 41-year-old QB Drew Brees. On the other hand, it’s not something I feel great banking on because aside from missing five games last year, Brees looked like his future-Hall of Fame self.

Another thing to factor in is the NFC South will be a tougher division. QB Tom Brady joining the talented Tampa Bay Buccaneers could instantly make them a contender (pending his own bout with Father Time). The Atlanta Falcons still have the nucleus that made it to Super Bowl LI including MVP QB Matt Ryan and future-Hall of Fame WR Julio Jones. Sure the Carolina Panthers will probably be bad but the Saints know full well that the Panthers’ new QB Teddy Bridgewater is no chump.

Other things to consider are natural regression on a 2019 record of 8-1 in one-score games and a difficult schedule, which ranks as the 23rd easiest (according to SharpFootballAnalysis.com).

At the end of the day, I’d bet New Orleans to make the playoffs on a straight-up yes or no question. Unfortunately, BetMGM isn’t giving us those odds so I recommend PASSING on a bet for the Saints to make the playoffs.

Place your legal NFL bets in CO, IN, NJ and WV at BetMGM. Bet now!

How many games will the New Orleans Saints win in 2020? Bands

BAND ODDS
0-4 Wins +20000
5-8 Wins +475
9-12 Wins -358
13-16 Wins +550

This won’t jive with what I wrote above but let me try to make a case for the Saints racking up 13 or more wins. First, there was very little roster turnover on a team that won 13 games in both 2019 and 2018. The Saints had the fourth-best offensive DVOA and 11th-best defensive DVOA in 2019, according to Football Outsiders. Second, the Saints host their toughest opponents such as the Green Bay Packers in Week 3, San Francisco 49ers in Week 10, Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16.

I’m not going to go crazy but I’ll TAKE the Saints to get 13-16 wins (+550). A $20 bet will return a profit of $110.

How many games will the New Orleans Saints win in 2020? Exact number

The only angle I’d take at betting this would be grabbing exactly six wins (+4000), exactly seven wins (+1500), exactly 13 wins (+725), and exactly 14 wins (+1800) and hoping one of those cashed. My official stance is to PASS on this one because there is little value in the exact win prices and too ambitious edges of the Saints’ win range.

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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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First look at redressed Superdome ahead of National Championship Game

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome has been prepared for the College Football National Championship Game between the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers.

 

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A major football game will kick off at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night, but it won’t feature the New Orleans Saints. Instead, the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers will kick off the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in front of a raucous home crowd, and the Superdome has been decorated for the occasion.

The first look at the dressed-up Superdome comes from Nola.com director of photography David Grunfeld, who shared a photo from the LSU end zone to his official Twitter account. The Superdome is covered in LSU purple and Clemson orange, with College Football Playoff logos on just about every surface. See it for yourself:

This game is kind of poignant — it will be the last kickoff in the Superdome before major renovations sweep through the building this offseason, with further updates and construction planned for next year, too. It’s all part of a larger agenda to maintain pace with other top-tier venues around the country, which will allow New Orleans to continue hosting major events like college football bowl games and playoff championships, Super Bowls (the next NFL title game will be played in New Orleans in 2024), Wrestlemania, Monsterjam, landmark music concerts, and of course, Saints home games. The Superdome will look different the next time Saints fans crowd its halls.

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Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Monday’s Colts at Saints Week 15 NFL matchup, with NFL betting odds, picks and best bets

The Indianapolis Colts (6-7) will try to snap their three-game losing streak on Monday night against the New Orleans Saints (10-3), who are coming off a loss to the 49ers in Week 14.

These two cross-conference foes will square off at 8:15 p.m. ET from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Colts at Saints: Week 15 preview, betting trends and notes

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  • The Colts have lost five of their last six games this season, going 2-3-1 against the spread in that span.
  • The Saints are 9-2 straight up and 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games. Their only SU losses this season were to the Rams, Falcons and 49ers.
  • New Orleans is 15-5 SU in its last 20 games at home (including playoffs).
  • The Saints are 8-2 SU in their last 10 games against the Colts
  • In the last five games between these teams in New Orleans, the total has gone over four times.
  • The Colts are 11-2 ATS in their last 13 games against teams above .500.
  • The Saints are 4-1 ATS against teams with a losing record.

Colts at Saints: Key injuries

Colts WR T.Y. Hilton has a calf injury and is questionable to play on Monday night.

Saints DT Sheldon Rankins (ankle) and DE Marcus Davenport (foot) were both placed on injured reserve this week. TE Jared Cook suffered a concussion against the 49ers and will be monitored.

Colts at Saints: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 12:40 p.m. ET.

Prediction

Saints 31, Colts 20

Moneyline (?)

It’s hard to fathom a way in which the Saints lose this game, especially being at home and coming off a 48-46 loss to the 49ers. The Colts are really struggling right now and shouldn’t pose much of a threat to the Saints.

Bet the SAINTS (-455) to win outright on Monday night and defend their home turf.

New to sports betting? A successful $10 wager on the Saints to win would return a profit of $2.20.

Against the Spread (?)

The Saints come into this one as 9.5-point home favorites over the Colts. Three of the Saints’ last five wins have come by at least 11 points, so they’re plenty capable of winning handily.

Take the SAINTS -9.5 (-106) to cover the spread and beat the Colts by at least 10 points.

Over/Under (?)

The over/under of 45.5 points is certainly a reachable number, considering the Saints have scored at least 26 points in each of their last four games, and just put up 46 on the 49ers’ top defense.

Take the OVER (-125) because this game has a good chance of topping 50 total points.

Want action on this game? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. If you’re looking for more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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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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Everything Georgia football fans need to know about Baylor

Georgia won each prior meeting, but the game in New Orleans will be the first in which they’ve faced each other outside Sanford Stadium.

With conference championship week having come to a close, bowl season is upon us. The Georgia Bulldogs are headed to the Sugar Bowl to square off with the Baylor Bears, with whom they’ve competed four times across the programs’ histories.

Georgia won each prior meeting, but the contest in New Orleans will be the first in which the Dawgs have faced the Bears outside Sanford Stadium. It will be the first time the teams have played since 1989.

Baylor and Georgia enter the game with identical records (11-2), both having lost one regular season game and their respective conference title games.

The Bears’ two losses both came against playoff-bound Oklahoma by a combined ten points.

Led by third-year head coach Matt Rhule, Baylor will make its second consecutive bowl game following an incredible turnaround: the Bears finished with just one regular season win in Rhule’s first season, six in his second, and eleven in 2019.

Georgia’s second-longest active bowl streak continues with a second consecutive trip to the Allstate Sugar Bowl. It will be Baylor’s first Sugar Bowl appearance since 1957, when the Bears shocked a second-ranked and previously undefeated Tennessee Volunteers squad by a score of thirteen to seven.

Baylor possesses a balanced, powerful offense that averages 257 yards passing and 175 yards rushing per game.

However, The Bears’ powerful offense may arrive to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome shorthanded; starting quarterback Charlie Brewer was knocked out early in the second quarter of this weekend’s Big XII Championship and stayed sidelined for the remainder of the game.

Backup quarterback Gerry Bohanon, who was also recruited by UGA, was later replaced by third-string QB Jacob Zeno against Oklahoma. Zeno led a comeback that took his team to overtime before coming up short. Prior to his team’s most recent game against the Sooners, Bohanon had attempted just 21 passes wearing green and gold. Zeno has attempted nine passes all year.

Baylor has a run-first offense, attempting 82 more rushes than passes in 2019 (476 to 394).

If Brewer, who’s posted a solid 20:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio with a 65% completion rate, remains out, expect an even heavier rushing attack procured by the Bears’ massive offensive linemen (three of whom have played together for over three years). Behind them, shifty tailbacks JaMycal Hasty and John Lovett have combined for 1251 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.

On Defense, Baylor hasn’t allowed north of 30 points all year to anyone who doesn’t attend school in Norman, Oklahoma. This group of players amounts to one of the most physical defenses the team has produced in years, nearly half-full of seniors (Henry Black, Jameson Houston, James Lockhart, Chris Miller and Blake Lynch) all playing the best statistical season of each of their college careers.

They give up just 19.3 points per game facing an injury-plagued Georgia team that has failed to score over 27 points in all but one game (against Georgia Tech) since their first loss of the season to South Carolina two months ago.

Baylor presents a cohesive defensive unit against a rattled Silver Britches offense. Whether their signal caller is missing or not, the Bears are not to be underestimated.

San Francisco’s Raheem Mostert expects 49ers fans to pack ‘the Voodoo Dome’

The New Orleans Saints won’t enjoy a homefield advantage when the San Francisco 49ers visit the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, one player insists.

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The New Orleans Saints will not enjoy a strong homefield advantage when the San Francisco 49ers visit the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for Sunday’s game, some players think. Or at least that’s what 49ers running back Raheem Mostert believes. He doesn’t expect his experience in New Orleans to go much differently from what he’s seen in other venues around the NFL this year.

“I have not played a game in the Voodoo Dome,” Mostert joked during an appearance on 97.9 The Game in San Francisco, “and I have heard multiple stories about how crazy the fans are in there, and the atmosphere, and all that. How I see it is it’s going to be a neutral site because I know our fans are going to show up because every game we’ve gone to, so far, has really felt like a home game, especially for these away games.”

In his defense, Mostert and the 49ers haven’t packed out stadiums that boast the NFL’s most fervent fanbases: they’ve played road games with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens. Those aren’t franchises boasting years-long waiting lists for season tickets, and in some cases (like Cincinnati, Washington, and L.A.) are teams struggling to even lure out home fans due to various states of disappointment, instability, and indifference.

But Mostert doesn’t see much of a difference, though he is eager to see what all the fuss is about from his more-experienced teammates: “Even in Baltimore, we had a lot of fans cheering for us. We’re going to see how it goes this week when we play the Saints, but, like I said, it’s going to be a nice atmosphere, and I heard nothing but great, crazy things about it.”

Mostert is one part of the three-headed rushing attack coordinated by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, and he’s turned 92 carries into 539 rushing yards this season; teammates Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman have each been effective with 542 and 454 yards on the ground, respectively.

They’ll be the toughest test yet for a Saints run defense that has snuffed out every opponent they’ve faced the last few years, including then-MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey not too long ago. New Orleans has established the longest streak of games without allowing a 100-yard rusher in the NFL (38, including the playoffs). We’re about to find out what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.

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