New Orleans Saints vs. Seattle Seahawks NFL Sports Betting Guide
The New Orleans Saints were dealt a devastating blow with the news that quarterback Drew Brees will be sidelined for at least the next six weeks after a thumb injury. Now they will turn to Teddy Bridgewater (or possibly Taysom Hill) with the hope that he can keep them in the playoff hunt until Brees is back. The schedule won’t do the Saints any favors as they head to the west coast to visit the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday before a Week 4 clash with the Dallas Cowboys.
Can the Saints win this week or at least cover?
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Details
- Opening Line: Seattle -1
- Current Line: Seattle -4.5
- Over/Under: 50
- Location: CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
- Start Time: 4:25 PM ET
- Last Meeting: Seahawks 34, Saints 7 (12/2/13)
View consensus picks from 100+ experts for the Saints at Seahawks >>
Overview
Seattle followed up a 21-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals with a 28-26 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2. While their 1.5-point average margin of victory isn’t anything to write home about, the fact that the Seahawks have found a way to get to 2-0 is good news. Wilson threw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in last week’s win over the Steelers. In his past six home games, Wilson is 6-0 with 12 touchdowns compared to two interceptions. With running backs Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny taking care of business on the ground, Wilson has relied on the play-action pass to really open things up. With the Saints ranking 27th in run defense so far (147.5 rushing yards per game allowed), the Seahawks offense should work well.
Meanwhile, Bridgewater enters this week with something to prove, but it won’t be an easy task against a tough defense in a hostile environment. New Orleans lost by 27 the last time they played in Seattle. Now, they turn the ball over to a quarterback in Bridgewater that owns an 86.8 passer rating in 29 career starts. Running back Alvin Kamara has averaged 100.6 scrimmage yards per game with 16 total touchdowns in 17 career road games, but much of that was with Brees under center. How good are he and Michael Thomas without Brees getting them the ball? The Saints will lean heavily on Kamara with the hope that he can carry them in this one, but he doesn’t look like a workhorse to hand it off to 25 times. He’s more of a mismatch out of the back-field.
If Bridgewater is struggling early, don’t be surprised if the Saints turn to Hill. He’s often used as a gadget player, but he might be the better passer here. Bridgewater didn’t show much last week.
Trends
- Seattle is 15-0 SU in its last 15 September home games
- Seahawks are 12-3 ATS in its last 15 September home games
- Saints are 0-5 ATS in last 5 road games vs. teams with winning records
- New Orleans is 0-7 ATS in its last seven games overall
- Over is 5-1 in Seattle’s last 6 games overall
Bottom Line
The biggest surprise from a sports betting perspective is the fact that the line didn’t move more following the injury to Brees. The line moved from Seattle -1 to Seahawks -4.5. Considering Pete Carroll is 15-0 in September home games, there probably could have been more of an adjustment.
Bridgewater isn’t a terrible quarterback, but the Saints would have been in for a tough game even if Brees were healthy for this contest. Seattle at home in September is quite reliable. They should win and cover here.
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.