The New Orleans Saints and the New England Patriots will face off in a clash of two of the most storied franchises in the NFL. It’s time to continue our NFL odds series and make a Saints-Patriots prediction and pick.
Week 2 turned out to be an incredibly disappointing one for the Saints. They were embarrassed by the rival Carolina Panthers, losing by a wide margin. There were very few positives to take away from that contest for New Orleans, and things don’t get much easier here. The Patriots destroyed the New York Jets in Week 2 after losing a close game to the Miami Dolphins to open the season. New England will look to keep things going against a Saints team that hasn’t shown any consistency so far.
Here’s how the bookmakers have set the odds for Sunday’s showdown.
NFL Odds: Saints-Patriots Odds
New Orleans Saints +3 (-123)
New England Patriots -3 (+103)
Over 42 points (-114)
Under 42 points (-106)
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Why The Saints Could Cover The Spread
A big factor in New Orleans’ Week 2 loss was how depleted their defense was. Injuries racked this Saints team after their opening week victory, but it looks like the Saints are getting closer to full health in this one. Cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and PJ Williams should make their return to the lineup against the Patriots, along with linebacker Pete Werner. There’s no telling if New Orleans will have all of their coaches back on the sideline after a huge COVID outbreak, but this team should be much closer to full health than it was against the Panthers.
New England’s strength comes from their defense, but the Saints have the perfect formula to put some points on the board. New Orleans primarily runs their offense through the run game and running back Alvin Kamara. The Patriots allowed over five yards per carry to Miami Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin, a far less talented back playing behind a far less talented offensive line. Gaskin was also able to combine with fellow running back Salvon Ahmed for seven catches in that game, indicating that Kamara should be fairly successful in this contest. New York Jets running back Michael Carter also rushed for more than five yards per carry, so this should be a good game on the ground for New Orleans.
Why The Patriots Could Cover The Spread
The Panthers dominated their matchup against the Saints in a couple of ways, but one of the most notable was the complete lack of a passing attack from New Orleans. Jameis Winston managed a meager 111 yards passing on a 50% completion percentage, and no Saints pass-catcher finished with more than 30 yards receiving. Even when New Orleans blew out the Green Bay Packers they didn’t have a receiver with more than three catches. The Saints have proven themselves to be a completely unreliable and inconsistent passing attack, something that the Patriots should be able to take advantage of.
While their pass rush looks intimidating, New Orleans has failed to produce consistent pressure on the quarterback. They managed only two sacks against the Panthers, one of which came on a cornerback blitz. New England has one of the best offensive lines in all of football, so expect rookie signal-caller Mac Jones to be kept clean throughout this game. That should get the entire offense going, which could lead to a similar outcome as last week for the Patriots.
Final Saints-Patriots Prediction & Pick
This should be a fairly close game, and the odds make it difficult to profitably pick either side. Instead, the under is the best pick on the board. Neither team has been particularly good offensively, but both have flashed elite defensive ability. Lock in the under and don’t look back.
FINAL PICK: Under 42 points (-106)
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