Saints vs. Jaguars Preseason Prediction
A pair of playoff teams from a year ago will square off in Jacksonville on Thursday night when the Jaguars host the New Orleans Saints at 7:00 p.m. ET. What’s the play for bettors in this NFL preseason matchup?
Game Snapshot
261 New Orleans Saints at 262 Jacksonville Jaguars
Game Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
Betting Odds & Public Betting Information
According to oddsmakers, the Jaguars are 2.5-point favorites to beat the Saints while the over/under currently sits at 34.5 points. As of this writing, 80% of betting tickets are on the Saints to cover the spread. (Check out Week 1 NFL Preseason Odds)
New Orleans Saints
Cameron Meredith (knee) is participating in team drills in training camp. Meredith avoided the active/PUP list, but coach Sean Payton said the team planned to be “smart” with him. The fact that being smart with him already includes participating in 11-on-11s is an excellent sign both for Meredith’s health and his odds of carving out a big/fantasy-meaningful role in the Saints’ offense.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Blake Bortles (wrist) said he is pain-free for the first time since 2016. Bortles originally started experiencing pain in his wrist during the 2016 season, but he did not get the injury fixed. After the pain became worse last year, he finally opted for surgery in January. Now pain-free, he thinks he can focus on just playing football. “It is just a lot of process to be able to go out there and do what you should be able to do without any pain,” Bortles said. “To be able to do that now finally is pretty awesome.”
Betting Trends
New Orleans
The Saints have covered four straight spreads against the Jaguars in the last four meetings between these two teams.
Jacksonville
The favorite is 5-1 against the spread in the last six meetings between these two teams.
Prediction
NFL preseason betting comes down to quarterback rotation. For the Jaguars, after Blake Bortles it’s Cody Kessler and Tanner Lee. After Drew Brees on the Saints’ depth chart, it’s Tom Savage (who isn’t good but does have some starting experience), Taysom Hill and JT Barrett. I like New Orleans’ crop of talent at the quarterback position more than Jacksonville so I’m taking the points.
NFL Preseason Prediction: New Orleans Saints +2.5