In the heart of Texas, the New Orleans Saints will get their preseason started when they travel to Houston to face off with the Texans. Join us for our NFL preseason odds series, where our Saints-Texans prediction and pick will be made.

Last season, the Saints finished in second place in the NFC South with a 9-8 record. but fell just short of reaching the postseason. After Sean Payton decided to end his reign as Saints head coach beginning all the way back in 2006, New Orleans decided to hire within by naming Dennis Allen the next man for the job. From 2015-2021, Allen served as the team's defensive coordinator and excelled at getting the best out of his players defensively. A new era has officially arrived in The Big Easy.

Like many other NFL teams, the Texans will be entering 2022 with a brand new coach, as former Bears headman, Lovie Smith will be tasked in improving upon Houston's 4-13 record from a year ago. Not to mention, Houston is high on second-year quarterback Davis Mills, who threw for 2,664 yards and fired 16 touchdowns as a rookie in 2021.

Here are the Saints-Texans NFL preseason odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NFL Preseason Odds: Saints-Texans Odds

New Orleans Saints: -2.5 (-110)

Houston Texans: +2.5 (-110)

Over: 35.5 (-110)

Under: 35.5 (-110)

Why The Saints Could Cover The Spread

What do names like Tony Dungy, Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, and Mike Shanahan all have in common? They each coached exceptionally better during their second stints as head coaches. Only 32 people can say that they are head coaches in the National Football League, and only a few can say they've had multiple chances to show that they can succeed. For Dennis Allen, the longtime defensive coordinator has the opportunity to join that select list. In his first go-around with the Raiders from 2012-2014, Allen compiled an 8-28 record before being relinquished of his duties four games into the 2014 regular season. For that reason, Allen is most likely more than ready to prove that he can be a head coach in this league rather than just a coordinator.

At first glance of this roster, Allen will certainly possess a handful of weapons at his disposal. The return of starting quarterback Jameis Winston should ease the growing pains of the new coach. After undergoing underwent LASIK eye surgery in a turnover-plagued campaign that saw Winston throw 30 interceptions in 2019, he threw 14 TDs and only three interceptions in 2021 as the starter before his season was cut short due to a knee injury.

After a recent ankle sprain in practice, Winston will sit on the bench in this one as the Saints will turn to backups Andy Dalton, Ian Book, and K.J. Costello to lead the team to victory. New Orleans has the deeper roster on paper in comparison to Houston, but the Saints will need to be wary of the fact that the Texans may be playing more starters than them throughout this contest.

Why The Texans Could Cover The Spread

Stuck in the midst of the Deshaun Watson legal drama for the better part of last season, Houston finally had enough and granted the troubled quarterback's trade request by shipping him off to Cleveland in exchange for six total draft picks including three-future first-round picks. All in all, the Texans can breathe a sigh of relief with Watson out of the picture.

It is hard to imagine, but the Texans haven't been favored in a preseason game since 2019. While the days of Gary Kubiak winning football games in Houston are long gone, many view the Lovie Smith hire as a solid one. For years in Chicago, Lovie Smith led the Bears to some successful seasons even with subpar quarterback play. After his run with the Bears ended, Smith even joined the college ranks at Illinois before returning to the NFL as Houston's defensive coordinator in 2021. Smith has experience at every level of football and should provide a struggling Texans franchise with a sturdy foundation to build upon.

Currently sidelined with injuries, Texans fans will have to wait on watching this year's two first-round picks in guard Kenyon Green and cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. The pair of soon-to-be rookies should provide an immediate impact on the field when they suit up, but for now, Houston is taking the cautious route.

Unlike many starting quarterbacks in the league during the preseason, it is rumored that Davis Mill will start and even see a few series of action before being removed. This is a major advantage for Houston when it comes to covering the spread against the Saints. If Mills can lead the troops to some points on each of his drives, the backups of the Saints will find it difficult to come out on top.

Final Saints-Texans Prediction & Pick

While the general consensus is that New Orleans will be the far better team once the regular season rolls around, taking the Texans to cover the +1 with the Saints reluctant to play many starters might not be such a bad pick after all.

Final Saints-Texans Prediction & Pick: Texans +2.5 (-115)