The New Orleans Saints have boasted one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for the last several years, and now they have a great team around him. Drew Brees got a bunch of help in 2017 as the Saints made the playoffs, and the team is looking for another deep run in 2018.
The running game has vastly improved while the defense is finally stopping people after years of being a sieve. The Saints play in a tough NFC South division, so the schedule is not forgiving, but they have the type of talent to win the division if everything goes well.
Expectations are high for New Orleans this season, and they should be because this team has the chance to be great in NFL gambling.
New Orleans Saints Opening Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
Saints Over 9.5 Wins -142
Saints Under 9.5 Wins +118
2018 Saints Offense Preview
Brees is entering his age-39 season but he looks as good as ever. He set an NFL record by completing 72 percent of his passes last season and threw for 4,334 yards and 23 touchdowns. Brees has put up much gaudier yardage totals in the past but the team’s uptick in rushing success took some burden off.
Alvin Kamara had an unbelievable rookie season, as he carried the ball 120 times for 728 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 81 catches for 826 yards and five more scores. Mark Ingram is the other part of the 1-2 punch, but he will be suspended for the first four games.
The Saints’ top receiver is Michael Thomas. He has 1,245 receiving yards and five touchdowns a year ago and will be Brees’ top aerial option once again.
2018 Saints Defense Preview
New Orleans struggled for years to put a decent defense on the field to aid Brees. Finally enough talent has been added to that side of the ball. The Saints have a top-notch pass-rusher in Cameron Jordan and added a talented rookie in the first round in Marcus Davenport.
The secondary has been solidified with a pair of draft picks from 2017. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore excelled from the beginning of the season. Free safety Marcus Williams also proved to be a great choice despite his high-profile missed tackle in the NFC Divisional Round loss to the Vikings.
The Saints have some young stars on defense and the team’s improvement there has vaulted them into the NFC elite.
2018 New Orleans Saints Schedule Analysis
The Saints have a chance to get off to a really hot start. They begin the season at home against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team which is missing quarterback Jameis Winston, and then follow that with another home game against the hapless Cleveland Browns.
A road game against the Falcons will be a challenge, but that is followed by winnable contests against the Giants, Redskins and Ravens. The middle of the schedule gets tougher, with games against teams like the Rams, Vikings, Eagles, the Falcons again and the Cowboys.
The end of the season doesn’t get much easier, with a pair of games against the Panthers as well as one against the Steelers.
The Final Verdict
The Saints are one of the best teams in the NFC. There is always a chance Brees gets hurt or Kamara isn’t the star everyone believes he is destined to be, but that doesn’t seem too likely.
The win total is too low as the Saints have a star quarterback and solid talent on both sides of the ball. Take the “over” as New Orleans is in line for another impressive year in NFL betting.
NFL Odds: New Orleans Over 9.5 Wins (-142)
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