| Game: New Orleans (8-2) at Denver (4-6) Location: Empower Field at Mile High Time: 4:05 PM ET Television: FOX |
Betting Lines
| Team | Point Spread | Moneyline | Over/Under | Team Total |
| Saints | -6 | -270 | 43½ | 24½ |
| Broncos | +6 | +230 | 43½ | 17½ |
Update:
The Broncos are in a quarterback mess as Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, the team’s other QBs have been declared out as high-risk. So, it is up to Vic Fangio to manufacture an offense with Kendall Hinton and Royce Freeman.
Head-to-Head
This will be the first meeting between the Broncos and Saints since 2016, and only the 12th matchup between the two all-time. Denver has dominated the series, holding a 9-2 advantage heading into Sunday’s contest. The Broncos are on a five-game winning streak in the series.
New Orleans last beat Denver in 1994, winning in Colorado, 30-28. Although the Saints seem like the obvious pick to win this game, there are plenty of opportunities for online betting on this one.
New Orleans Saints
Betting Record
| Team | Record | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | ATS Fave | ATS Dog |
O/U |
| Saints | 8-2 | 5-5 | 3-3 | 2-2 | 4-5 | 1-0 | 7-3 |
Next Game: at Atlanta Falcons
Last Game
Taysom Hill’s first NFL start at quarterback turned out well for the Saints, who dominated the Atlanta Falcons, 24-9. Hill finished 18-of-23 for 233 yards passing but also had 51 yards on the ground, including two touchdowns.
The Saints defense was fantastic, limiting Atlanta to just three field goals and 248 total yards. The Falcons got nothing on the ground against New Orleans, finishing with just 52 rushing yards in the contest.
Stats Pack
The Saints moved up to a tie for third in the league in total sacks with 34, taking Atlanta’s Matt Ryan down eight times last weekend. Cameron Jordan had three of those sacks after recording just 2.5 in the first nine games. Jordan has recorded at least 12 sacks in each of the last three seasons.
Trends
Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas may be ready to break out with Hill under center. Thomas almost doubled his season output with nine catches in last week’s win (he now has 19 in four games) thanks to 12 targets. Thomas had been targeted just 18 times in his first three games this season. Having their top receiver back in the fold and producing makes the Saints a team to watch when making your NFL picks.
Injury Report
Drew Brees, QB Out
Deonte Harris, WR Questionable
Alvin Kamara, RB Questionable
Michael Thomas, WR Questionable
Andrus Peat, OG Questionable
Denver Broncos
Betting Record
| Team | Record | ATS | ATS Home | ATS Away | ATS Fave | ATS Dog |
O/U |
| Broncos | 4-6 | 6-4 | 3-2 | 3-2 | 0-0 | 6-4 | 5-5 |
Next Game: at Kansas City Chiefs
Last Game
Denver was able to cool off a red-hot Dolphins team with a 20-13 victory at home to snap a two-game losing streak. The Broncos defense was solid throughout the contest, with Miami rookie sensation Tua Tagovailoa getting benched because of ineffectiveness against the Denver defense.
The Broncos more than doubled the Dolphins’ yardage, 459-223 behind Drew Lock’s 270 passing yards and Melvin Gordon III’s 84 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Denver defense had a big day rushing the passer, racking up six sacks.
Stats Pack
Lock bounced back from a four-interception game in a loss to Las Vegas in Week 10 with just one interception against the Dolphins. Still, Lock has now thrown at least one interception in six straight contests after not throwing any in his first two games of the season.
Trends
Gordon had his best game since a Week 4 win over the New York Jets and broke the 80-yard mark in a game for only the second time this season. His 5.6 yards per carry in the win over Miami was his best average since joining the Broncos, and could get him some more chances in this game as Denver tries to keep the New Orleans offense off the field.
Injury Report
Bryce Callahan, CB Questionable
Josey Jewell, LB Questionable
Sylvester Williams, DT Questionable
Jerry Jeudy, WR Questionable
Joe Jones, LB Questionable
Trey Marshall, S Questionable
Duke Dawson, CB Questionable
Demar Dotson, OT Questionable
Graham Glasgow, OG Questionable
Betting on the Game
Point Spread
When looking at the NFL odds, New Orleans has been on a roll of late, winning its last three contests by double-digit margins despite having three different quarterbacks over the last two games. The Saints haven’t lost since falling to Green Bay in Week 3, racking up three straight road wins in the process. Denver’s last four losses have come by a touchdown or more, making it hard to picture it keeping it close against New Orleans.
Moneyline
This is the first of three straight road games for the Saints, who need to keep winning to stay in first place in the NFC South, and the overall NFC standings. Coach Sean Payton will have his team focused on getting the win in this one, even with Drew Brees sidelined. Denver played possibly its best game of the season last weekend, but shutting down the powerful New Orleans offense is going to be another story.
Over/Under
The Saints didn’t miss a beat offensively despite one of the bigger NFL injuries to future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. Hill gives New Orleans another dimension with his ability to run the ball, which should neutralize the Broncos’ pass rush. The question mark for this is whether the Broncos can get their running game going behind Gordon and Phlilip Lindsay to limit the number of Saints possessions.
