NFC Playoff picture heading into Week 13

The races for all of the divisions outside of the NFC South are heating up. The Cowboys and Eagles both have shots at winning the East. The Packers and Vikings have the same record and a game against each other. The Seahawks won’t go away even as …

The races for all of the divisions outside of the NFC South are heating up. The Cowboys and Eagles both have shots at winning the East. The Packers and Vikings have the same record and a game against each other. The Seahawks won’t go away even as the Niners continue to dominate every opponent — outside of Seattle. Of course, the wild card race is kind of finished since the Seahawks and Vikings are probably locked in.

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 6-5

Dallas is suffering from their coaching and not their talent. Now they enter a pretty tough stretch of their schedule starting with a Thanksgiving matchup against the Bills on short rest. The Week 16 game against the Eagles could end up deciding which team takes the east.

Remaining Games: Bills, @Bears, Rams, @Eagles, Redskins

Philadelphia Eagles 5-6

Philadelphia has been disappointing up until this point of the season. Now they get a stretch where they face some of the worst teams in the league. The Eagles may be thin at wide receiver and offensive line but they should still win games against the Dolphins, Giants and Redskins.

Remaining Games:  @Dolphins, Giants, @Redskins, Cowboys, @Giants

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons Thanksgiving odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons Thanksgiving betting odds and lines, with NFL betting picks, tips and best bets.

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The Atlanta Falcons (3-8) play host to the New Orleans Saints (9-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thanksgiving as the two NFC South rivals meet for the second time in four weeks. The game is the third of the day and will kick off at 8:20 p.m. ET. We analyze the Saints-Falcons odds and sports betting lines, while providing sports betting tips and advice on this matchup.

Saints at Falcons: Week 13 preview, betting trends and notes


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  • The Falcons won the Week 10 meeting in New Orleans by a 26-9 score to snap a six-game losing streak.
  • The Saints are 13-1 when intercepting at least one pass since the start of last season. Falcons QB Matt Ryan has 10 INTs on the year.
  • New Orleans is 27-2 when scoring 22 or more points since the start of the 2017 campaign.
  • The Falcons have scored 22.0 points per game this season, but they rank 28th in the NFL with 27.0 points allowed per game. The Saints score 24.7 and allow 20.9 per game.
  • The Saints are tied for fourth with a turnover differential of plus-8. The Falcons are 27th at minus-8.

Saints at Falcons: Key injuries

Falcons TE Austin Hooper (knee) and RB Devonta Freeman (foot) remain week-to-week.

Saints at Falcons: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 2:35 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Saints 24, Falcons 20

Moneyline (?)

The Falcons (+220) are home underdogs but the number is lower than it should be following the Week 10 upset. The SAINTS (-278) are getting a higher number than they should.

Atlanta is just 1-4 at home and coming off a 35-22 embarrassment at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints are 4-1 on the road and they beat the Carolina Panthers 34-31 Sunday. Take the visitors, though a $10 bet for the outright win will return a profit of just $3.60.

Against the Spread (?)

The FALCONS (+6.5, –110) are being spotted a touchdown at home and the hook is key here as they’ll need to stay within six points for the cover. The Saints are 7-4 against the spread overall, but cover by an average of just 0.6 points per game.

Back the home side with a backdoor cover keeping them within six points in defeat.

Over/Under (?)

Take the UNDER 49.5 (-106). The number is the highest on the three-game Thursday slate. Each of the last two and four of the last five head-to-head meetings fell short of that number. New Orleans is 6-5 against the Over/Under but falls an average of 1.3 points shy of the projection. Atlanta is 4-7 and falls one point below the projections on average.

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.

Esten’s NFL betting record: 29-34

Follow @EstenMcLaren and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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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NFC Playoff picture heading into Week 12

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) NFC East Dallas Cowboys 6-4 It still feels like Dallas should be better than it is. The Cowboys have a talented defense but give up too many points. They have a stud running back but go to Ezekiel Elliott …

 

(Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

NFC East

Dallas Cowboys 6-4

It still feels like Dallas should be better than it is. The Cowboys have a talented defense but give up too many points. They have a stud running back but go to Ezekiel Elliott too often on early downs. Dak Prescott is an MVP candidate. Dallas almost needs to win this game against the Patriots because the Eagles have an extremely easy schedule after Week 12. It’s a weird situation.

Remaining Games: @Patriots, Bills, @Bears, Rams, @Eagles, Redskins

Philadelphia Eagles 5-5

The Eagles are the new Falcons. Everyone expects them to win but they do something every other game that makes us question whether they are actually good. Their defensive injuries have now transitioned to the offense. If Philadelphia can beat the Seahawks this week, they could end up 10-6 or 11-5. It’s all very odd. The NFC East could come down to the Week 16 game against Dallas.

Remaining Games:  Seahawks, @Dolphins, Giants, @Redskins, Cowboys, @Giants

Jameis Winston proves he’s not the answer at quarterback in loss to Saints

The Bucs would be wise to go for a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft if they land a high draft spot.

For those Buccaneers fans who’ve been clinging to hope this season that Jameis Winston would turn it around and prove to be the long-term answer at quarterback, today’s 34-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints proved once and for all that the quarterback is a lost cause.

Winston had two interceptions in the first half, both of which came under strange circumstances. But, in the second half, Winston had two costly picks that ultimately prevented the Bucs from mounting any sort of comeback.

His third interception of the day was returned 55 yards for a touchdown by Saints safety Marcus Williams, and Winston’s fourth pick came on a third-and-goal from the New Orleans 1-yard line.

Winston could set a new career-high in interceptions next week in Atlanta against the Falcons, should he remain the team’s starting quarterback. There really isn’t much of an option behind Winston on the roster, though, so the team might just have to ride this out until the end of the year.

The Bucs would be wise to go for a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft if they land a high draft spot. Bruce Arians has shown he can work with young guys, evident by his work with Andrew Luck in 2012 with the Indianapolis Colts.

Winston has been given plenty of opportunities to prove himself in Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, things just haven’t worked out. It might be best for both parties to go their separate ways.

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Jameis Winston throws another crazy interception before halftime

Bad luck just seems to find Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, evident by this interception right before halftime vs Saints.

The next season of the Netflix series “Stranger Things” should really just be a documentary about Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, because this guy seems to have some of the strangest luck around.

Winston entered Sunday with 14 interceptions on the year, and threw two against the New Orleans Saints today before halftime. The first one came through no fault of his own, after tight end O.J. Howard made a bumbling attempt to catch the ball.

The second came courtesy of another strange play.

Take a look as Saints linebacker Kiko Alonso tips the Winston pass right into the arms of his teammate.

Bad luck just seems to find Winston, and fans on Twitter had plenty to say about the play of the Bucs’ quarterback.

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Saints-Bucs Injury Report: Saints rule CB Marshon Lattimore, two others out for Week 11

See which players have been ruled out for Sunday’s Week 11 game between the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here is the final injury report for both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints ahead of Sunday’s Week 11 showdown at Raymond James Stadium.

The Bucs are coming off a busy week. After beating the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday to halt their four-game skid, Tampa Bay made the surprising move of releasing cornerback and former first-round pick Vernon Hargreaves. The move came after the corner was benched in the team’s win over the Cardinals for lack of hustle.

Now, the young secondary of Tampa Bay will be tasked with trying to stop Saints quarterback Drew Brees, who missed Week 5’s matchup with an injured thumb.

At 7-2, New Orleans will look to make up ground in the NFC playoff race after a stunning loss last week to the Atlanta Falcons. The Bucs are 3-6 and still have life them, but will need to play near-perfect football to take down New Orleans..

Fortunately, they won’t have to worry about Saints Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who has been ruled out for Sunday’s game, meaning Mike Evans could have a monster game.

Evans, who was held without a reception in Week 5’s loss, has averaged 139.0 yards per game since then. He needs just 76 yards on Sunday to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the sixth-straight season, something accomplished only by one other player, Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss.

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Saints-Buccaneers odds: New Orleans looks to rebound

Previewing Sunday’s New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 11 matchup, with NFL betting odds, picks and best bets

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The New Orleans Saints (7-2) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6) hook up at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa for a key NFC South battle at 1 p.m. Sunday.

We analyze the Saints-Buccaneers sports betting odds and lines, with NFL betting picks and tips for the Week 11 matchup.

Saints-Buccaneers: Week 11 preview, betting trends and notes


Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.


  • The Saints were stunned at home by the Atlanta Falcons last week, falling 26-9 despite entering the game as 14-point favorites.
  • New Orleans has covered three straight on the road, although this is its first time being favored away from home this season. Last season the Saints were 4-2 ATS in six games as a road favorite, including a 28-14 win at Tampa as 10-point favorites.

Saints at Buccaneers: Key injuries

Nov 3, 2019; Seattle, WA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Dare Ogunbowale celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. (Photo Credit: Steven Bisig – USA TODAY Sports)

Saints: CB Carlton Davis (hip) practiced in full, but is still listed as questionable. LB Carl Nassib (groin), LB Anthony Nelson (hamstring) and S M.J. Stewart (knee) are out.

Buccaneers: OT Andrus Peat (forearm), CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) and WR Deonte Harris (hamstring) are each listed as out.

Saints at Buccaneers: Odds, betting lines and prediction

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 2:20 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Saints 34, Buccaneers 26

Moneyline (?)

The Saints (-239) should be able to bounce back on the road in this divisional battle, but risking more than two times your return is not a wise way to go. The Buccaneers (+195) are awful on defense, but so were the Falcons. If there is any way to go, it’s the Bucs rather lightly.

New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Bucs moneyline returns a $19.50 profit with a Tampa Bay victory.

Against the Spread (?)

The SAINTS (-5.5, -110) should be able to get it done on the road, as long as their offense shows up. Their showing against an awful Atlanta defense was inexplicable, and you can expect them to pick apart the leaky D of the Buccaneers (+5.5, -110).

Over/Under (?)

The OVER 50.5 (-110) is the play whenever the Bucs are involved. The over has cashed in seven straight for the Bucs, and four of the past five at the RayJay. The Under has connected in eight of the past 11 on the road for the Saints, but the over is 9-3 in their past 12 following a straight-up loss.

Want action on this game? Sign up and bet at BetMGM. Looking for more sports betting picks and tips? Visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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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