Who would’ve ever thought the wild 48-46 home defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14 would’ve proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back? Because of it, the New Orleans Saints missed out on a first round bye even though it sported an identical 13-3 record as the Green Bay Packers. So instead of taking a week off to lick its wounds and prepare itself mentally and physically for a Super Bowl run, it was forced to take on a physical Minnesota Vikings squad instead. And for the second time in the last three seasons, it came out on the wrong end of the scoreboard against the Vikings when it mattered most. Though it found a way to fight back in the fourth quarter and tie the game in the closing seconds, it ultimately fell in overtime by a 26-20 final count after losing the coin flip and allowing Minnesota to punch it in for the game winner. N’awlens +490 sits only behind the San Francisco 49ers on the odds to win the NFC this season, and once again has a team capable of living up to those expectations.
New Orleans Saints Season Win Total: 10.5
Linemakers once again expect the Saints to be one of the best teams in the league with Sean Payton’s squad’s season win total odds checking in at 10.5. They’re one of only four teams with a double-digit win total heading into the regular season. That said, their Super Bowl LV odds are the longest of the quad with the Saints odds to win it all checking in at better than 11-1 while the 49ers +841, Ravens +527 and Chiefs +527 are much shorter. That right there just might be the telltale sign that the Saints are the worst of the best. But we only care about the win total for this piece, so let’s press on.
While Taysom Hill will in fact be the QB1 in the bayou at some point, it won’t be this season or likely the next. The job still belongs to Drew Brees and rightly so. Though no doubt in the twilight seasons of his career, the 41-year old can still bring it evidenced by his body of work a short season ago. Even in an injury-marred year that only saw him start 11 games, the veteran gunslinger still went on to throw for a tick under 3,000 yards and an eye-opening 27:4 TD/INT ratio. His 116.3 QB rating was second only behind Ryan Tannehill. With arguably the best pass catching wide receiver in the game in the form of Michael Thomas, one of the best pass-catching running backs in Alvin Kamara and another steady target in Jared Cook to sling the pigskin to, it comes as no surprise to see him continuing to excel through the air.
Still, upper management thought it to be the prudent move to bolster his pass catching corps by bringing in the services of veteran Emmanuel Sanders to enact supreme solidification. Also added to the mix via the draft were four players that could make impacts down the road. The most likely to hit the ground running this season is 1st round draft pick Cesar Ruiz - who upgrades the interior of the Saints offensive line immensely – and Wisconsin’s Zack Baun who was nothing short of a stud anchoring the Badgers LB corps throughout his stay in Madison. An already loaded roster got that much better this past offseason which has New Orleans in line to once again be one of the best teams in the league. But can they finally overcome their playoff woes after falling in the Divisional, NFC Championship and Wild Card round the last three seasons?
New Orleans Saints Football Schedule
Week 1: Buccaneers at Saints, Sunday, September 13, 4:15 p.m. ET
Week 2: Saints at Raiders, Monday, September 21, 8:15 p.m. ET
Week 3: Packers at Saints, Sunday, September 27, 8:20 p.m. ET
Week 4: Saints at Lions, Sunday, October 4, 1 p.m. ET
Week 5: Chargers at Saints, Monday, October 12, 8:15 p.m. ET
Week 6: Bye Week
Week 7: Panthers at Saints, Sunday, October 25, 1 p.m. ET
Week 8: Saints at Bears, Sunday, November 1, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 9: Saints at Buccaneers, Sunday, November 8, 8:20 p.m. ET
Week 10: 49ers at Saints, Sunday, November 15, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 11: Falcons at Saints, Sunday, November 22, 1 p.m. ET
Week 12: Saints at Broncos, Sunday, November 29, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 13: Saints at Falcons, Thursday, December 6, 1 p.m. ET
Week 14: Saints at Eagles, Sunday, December 13, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 15: Chiefs at Saints, Monday, December 20, 4:25 p.m. ET
Week 16: Vikings at Saints, Friday, December 25, 4:30 p.m. ET
Week 17: Saints at Panthers, Sunday, January 3, 1 p.m. ET
New Orleans Saints Schedule Analysis
The Saints boast the 23rd toughest schedule strength in the league per Sharp Football Analysis. They’ll partake in primetime games five times and have their bye early in Week 6. There isn’t much to dislike about this team that won 13 regular season games a short season ago. Though forced to take on the AFC West and NFC North along with games on the docket against the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans gets the Packers, 49ers, Chiefs and Vikings all at home. On top of that, it’s only forced to travel to the Raiders, Lions, Bears, Broncos and Eagles in non-divisional play; four of those teams failed to make the playoffs last season and the fifth just snuck in. Bottom line, the team is extremely fortunate to get a majority of its toughest matchups at home in the dome in front of their frenzied fan base. Though unlikely to match last year’s win output, they could still win two fewer games and still cash an over ticket. Should they at the very least win four games against their division rivals, the rest of the schedule simply isn’t imposing enough to lead me to believe they can’t cash over tickets for NFL total bettors a fourth straight season.
New Orleans Saints Season Win Total Prediction: Over 10.5 -102
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
