Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers march on into New Orleans riding a very impressive four-game winning streak which has included a bunch of big blowouts. Their hosts, the Saints, are coming off yet another loss on the road and will look to bounce back with a home win. But with Rodgers playing as great as ever, Drew Brees will need to throw something close to a perfect game to send Green Bay packing with a loss.
Our Week 8 NFL picks and predictions might not be perfect, but they’re pretty concise in analyzing each and every matchup. Give that piece a good read, shortly after checking out our comprehensive preview of the week’s Sunday night showdown.
[sc:Football ]Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints Betting Preview
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans
When: Sunday, October 26, 8:30 PM ET
Line: Green Bay Packers (+1.5) at New Orleans Saints (-1.5); total 54.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Green Bay Packers
The red-hot Green Bay Packers extended their winning streak to four games and improved to 5-2 overall with another emphatic 38-17 win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Aside from a close three-point road win in Miami, the Packers blew out their other three opponents by 21, 32 and 21 points, and covered the spread in all four games.
[sc:NFL240banner ]The Packers offense has been absolutely dominant since being held to seven points against the Lions in Week 3. Green Bay has scored 36.3 points per game over the last month, with quarterback Aaron Rodgers playing MVP-caliber football.
Rodgers completed a season-high 86 percent of his passes against Carolina and threw three touchdowns, his fourth straight game with three or more TDs. His touchdown-to-interception ration this season now is a ridiculous 18-to-1.
That locked-in Packers passing game will be matched up against a Saints defense ranked dead last against the pass via DVOA. And with a resurgent Packers running game that’s averaging 133 yards and has scored four TDs in the last three games, the Packers certainly have the tools to continue their scoring ways in the Superdome.
Meanwhile, their improving defense continues to create timely takeaways. The Packers are tied for the league lead with 10 interceptions, and have picked off opposing quarterbacks at least once in each of their last six games. With the Saints’ Drew Brees having issues with turnovers so far this season, the Packers will have ample opportunities to gain extra possessions in New Orleans.
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Betting on the New Orleans Saints
The struggling New Orleans Saints sunk to a new low on Sunday as they surrendered a 23-10 lead to the Detroit Lions with just under four minutes to go in the fourth quarter in a 24-23 defeat. The Saints dropped to 2-4 on the season, with the total going over in five of their six games.
It’s become a punchline just how incapable the Saints are at winning on the road; they’ve now dropped their last seven regular season road games. Good thing they’ll be facing the Packers at home, where they’ve won their last 10 games in a row and are 8-1-1 against the spread.
However, that streak was so close to ending in their last home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Saints needed overtime to beat the Bucs, 37-31, in large part because quarterback quarterback Drew Brees threw three costly interceptions. Brees was also culpable for the big game-changing pick against the Lions, already the seventh he’s thrown this season.
To be fair, Brees had played well until that pick and finished with 342 yards against what had been the best defense in the league despite an injured Jimmy Graham being a nonfactor with zero catches. With Brees leading the way, this Saints offense is still capable of putting up points, and is potentially one of the few that can hang with the Packers.
But keeping Green Bay off the scoreboard will also be a big ask, especially with top cornerback Keenan Lewis still hobbled by a toe injury. The Saints defense is in the bottom five in points allowed per game at 27.5, although they’ve allowed more than 20 points just once at home since 2013.
Writer’s Prediction
Rodgers and the Packers expose New Orleans’ porous secondary to put an end to the Saints’ Superdome win streak. Take Green Bay to win and cover on the road.
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