Saints Season Win Total Prediction
How many games will the Saints win in 2017? With their total set at 8.5, will New Orleans fall short of 9?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book Bovada.lv, the Saints’ win total for 2017 has been set at 8.5. New Orleans also has odds of 50/1 to win the Super Bowl and is 22/1 to win the NFC Conference Championship Game this upcoming season. Finally, the Saints have the longest odds to win the NFC South Division, although they’re 9/2, which is hardly extreme. The Falcons are 17/10 to repeat as division champs, while the Panthers are 11/5 and the Bucs are 17/5.
This offseason, the Saints signed receiver Ted Ginn in free agency after trading Brandin Cooks to the Patriots. Ginn will help fill Cooks’ role as a vertical threat in the Saints’ dangerous offense. The other big name signing was Adrian Peterson, the former league MVP from the Vikings. He’ll share carries with starter Mark Ingram. The team also added Tony McDaniel along the defensive line after losing Nick Fairley for the season due to a a heart issue. McDaniel will join Alex Okafor, Sheldon Rankins and Cameron Jordan along the team’s defensive line.
In the draft, the Saints had two first round picks (one of their own, and one from the Patriots thanks to the Cooks trade). The team selected offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk and defensive back Marshon Lattimore with those two first-rounders. In the second, the Saints took another defensive back in Marcus Williams, and in the third round, New Orleans selected defensive end Trey Hendrickson and running back Alvin Kamara.
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Our Prediction: The Saints are going to win plenty of games on the strength of their offense and Drew Brees, who could throw for 5,000-plus yards like he did a year ago. Cooks is gone, but Michael Thomas is a legit No. 1 receiver and tight end Coby Fleener should have a better season now that he better understands Sean Payton’s system. That said, I don’t trust the defense. The front office has tried to upgrade that side of the ball for years and maybe they’ll surprise. But even if the New Orleans defense is improved, the Saints will face Cam Newton twice, Matt Ryan twice, and rising youngster Jameis Winston twice. Even with an easy schedule, I see the Saints maxing out at 8 wins this year.
NFL SEASON WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS UNDER 8.5 WINS