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Away from home, Saints are Week 1 underdogs vs. Packers

Away from home, Saints are Week 1 underdogs vs. Packers

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The New Orleans Saints’ regular season kickoff is going to look weird. They’re “hosting” the Green Bay Packers all the way out in Jacksonville, at the Jaguars’ TIAA Bank Field due to the impacts of Hurricane Ida on New Orleans. While previous listings from oddsmakers gave the Saints a homefield advantage against Green Bay at the Caesars Superdome, the game’s relocation puts the Saints in a tough spot.

Tipico Sportsbook has the Saints opening as underdogs, with the visiting Packers favored to win by 4.5 points. The over/under of 50.5 projects a final tally in the neighborhood of Green Bay 28, New Orleans 23. That would be a seven-point drop for the Saints over their regular season scoring average the last three years (30.1), as well as the total they scored against the Packers in last season’s matchup (a 38-30 loss at home).

It’s not unwarranted, though. Jameis Winston has his work cut out for him against a Packers defense eager to prove themselves. Winston will be working without his best wide receiver while Michael Thomas continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery, meaning second-year pro Marquez Callaway has the unenviable task of running against Green Bay’s best cover corner Jaire Alexander (who won Pro Bowl and All-Pro second team recognition a year ago). And that doesn’t even get into the challenge New Orleans’ defense faces in Aaron Rodgers and his strong supporting cast.

Oddly, all three of the other NFC South squads are favored to win this week. Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers are 5.5-point favorites against his old New York Jets team. The Atlanta Falcons have an easy (on paper) matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, which they are favored to win by 3.5 points. And the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course, are 7.5-point favorites over the visiting Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 season opener — can both teams lose that one?

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Cowboys-49ers: How to watch, stream online, listen to flexed out Wk 15

Everything you need to know about how to watch or listen to the Cowboys-49ers Week 15 matchup.

The Dallas Cowboys were originally supposed to take on the 49ers in the Sunday night primetime slot, but the league flexed the matchup into the early game slate, and moved the Browns-Giants to the nightcap. It’s understandable if any fan was unaware of this change, because even Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith didn’t know the game had been flexed into a different time slot until earlier this week.

Injuries have derailed both Dallas and San Francisco’s seasons, and this week’s matchup will feature two backup quarterbacks. The 49ers have just a 10% chance at the postseason, and the Cowboys are done, with a percentage chance at just 1%. Teams toward the top of the NFL draft order will keep a close eye on the Cowboys results Sunday.

Cowboys-49ers: How to watch, stream online, listen to flexed out Wk 15

Everything you need to know about how to watch or listen to the Cowboys-49ers Week 15 matchup.

The Dallas Cowboys were originally supposed to take on the 49ers in the Sunday night primetime slot, but the league flexed the matchup into the early game slate, and moved the Browns-Giants to the nightcap. It’s understandable if any fan was unaware of this change, because even Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith didn’t know the game had been flexed into a different time slot until earlier this week.

Injuries have derailed both Dallas and San Francisco’s seasons, and this week’s matchup will feature two backup quarterbacks. The 49ers have just a 10% chance at the postseason, and the Cowboys are done, with a percentage chance at just 1%. Teams toward the top of the NFL draft order will keep a close eye on the Cowboys results Sunday.

BetMGM: Opening line favors Saints to beat the Broncos by nearly a touchdown

The New Orleans Saints opened as heavy favorites to win on the road against the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium, per BetMGM Sportsbook.

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Can the New Orleans Saints keep their 7-game winning streak going? Taysom Hill turned some heads in his first career start at quarterback in Week 11’s victory over the Atlanta Falcons, showing some of the growth the Saints were hoping for as a passer while remaining careful not to bail out and try to make a play with his legs (though he did finish the day with 50 rushing yards; not too shabby).

The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook were certainly impressed, which is reflected in the opening line for New Orleans’ upcoming road game with the Denver Broncos. BetMGM has the Saints winning by 6 points, with an over/under at 45.5, one of the lowest totals of the week. It implies a final score around Saints 26, Broncos 20.

If the Broncos score 20 points on the Saints defense this week, they will have nearly matched each of New Orleans’ last three opponents combined. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, San Francisco 49ers, and Atlanta Falcons were only able to post 25 points altogether in three games with the Saints, who have allowed just one touchdown to be scored on them in their last 33 drives.

That’s a tall task for Broncos quarterback Drew Lock and his supporting cast, who are averaging just 18.7 points scored per game this year. They have their work cut out for them against a daunting Saints defense. If Hill can make enough plays for the New Orleans offense, this one might not be close.

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 are underdogs for the first time in 2020

The New Orleans Saints are 4.5-point underdogs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the first time they aren’t favored by BetMGM in 2020.

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The New Orleans Saints are entering uncharted territory. The oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook are not favoring them to win this week for the first time this season, instead favoring the home-team Tampa Bay Buccaneers by 4.5 points.

Here’s the previous weekly Saints numbers from BetMGM:

With an over/under set at 50.5, it suggests a final tally in the neighborhood of Buccaneers 28, Saints 23. That’s hardly outlandish considering how poorly the Saints defense has performed this year, but they did play well in the season opener against Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. He was intercepted twice and sacked three times, and that was without Marcus Davenport in the lineup for New Orleans.

Of course, Brady didn’t have Antonio Brown at the time. The former All-Pro receiver should add even more juice to an offense that has been firing on all cylinders, presenting a big challenge to the Saints. Brown has caught four touchdown passes in his two previous career games versus New Orleans, both with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And things are rarely easy at Raymond James Stadium. The Saints have gone 2-2 at Tampa Bay in their last four visits, and they needed a blocked punt by Taysom Hill midway through the third quarter in 2018 to spark a comeback after a lousy 14-3 start. The 2019 meeting might have been very difficult if not for four Jameis Winston interceptions.

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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Buccaneers close the gap with the Saints in updated Super Bowl odds

It takes more than Tom Brady to put the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of the New Orleans Saints, at least as far as Super Bowl LV bettors care.

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The New Orleans Saints have called the shots in the NFC South for three years in a row, winning the division crown each time and condemning the also-rans like the Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers to the cellar.

Tampa Bay has arguably done more than any other team to try and catch up to New Orleans, signing legendary New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and working quickly in the 2020 NFL Draft to surround him with better protection (in Iowa left tackle Tristan Wirfs) and playmakers on defense (with Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr.). The Buccaneers also coaxed Rob Gronkowski out of retirement to catch passes from Brady again.

And all of those moves have inspired some confidence among sportsbettors. Per the latest odds from BetMGM, the Saints and Buccaneers have the same chances of winning Super Bowl LV (at +1100), trailing the teams that competed in last year’s title game and a contender that hopes to fill the void Brady left in the AFC hierarchy. The Kansas City Chiefs (+650), the Baltiomre Ravens (+750), and the San Francisco 49ers (+900) are each slotted in ahead of the top-two NFC South squads, with the Philadelphia Eagles (+1800) rounding out the top tier.

While New Orleans and Tampa Bay are perceived as equals in the Super Bowl race, the Saints do have an edge in odds for winning the division. Ahead of the rest at 100-even, the Saints narrowly lead the Buccaneers (+120) in pursuit of a first-place finish while also facing the longest chances of total failure. If there’s a sprint to the bottom, the Buccaneers (+3000) have a better shot at futility than the Saints (+3500), which is kind of reassuring.

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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Daniel Jeremiah, Bucky Brooks propose a realistic Lions trade in Twitter mock draft

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks did a mock draft on Twitter and executed what they believed was a realistic trade for the Detroit Lions.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks — who also co-host the Move the Sticks podcast — did a mock draft on Twitter, altering selections between themselves.

Brooks opened the draft by giving Joe Burrow (QB, LSU) to the Bengals, while Jeremiah paired Washington with Chase Young (EDGE, OSU). But when the Lions got on the clock at pick No. 3, Jeremiah proposed a trade offer to Brooks for the pick.

Jeremiah, having the even-numbered picks, offered Brooks the Los Angeles Chargers No. 6 overall pick, as well as pick No. 37 in the second round, and the Chargers second-round pick in the 2021 draft.

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Brooks entertained the offer but countered by also asking for the Chargers fourth-round pick in 2020, No. 112 overall. Jeremiah accepted the counteroffer and selected Tua Tagovailoa (QB, Alabama) for the Chargers.

Jeremiah then gave the Giants Mekhi Becton (OT, Louisville), with Brooks selecting Justin Herbert (QB, Oregon) for the Dolphins.

With the Lions back on the clock Brooks had the option to choose from Jeff Okudah (CB, OSU), Isaiah Simmons (LB/S Clemson), or Derrick Brown (DT, Auburn) — and in a mild upset, Brooks went with Simmons.

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A haul of Simmons picks No. 37 and No. 112, as well as a future second-round pick, would make most Lions fans very happy — and realistically, that is a scenario that could very well play out this April.

Here’s a look at how the entire mock draft played out: