MENU
The New Orleans Saints will take the trip to Sin City on Monday night as they visit the Las Vegas Raiders in the first-ever NFL game at the Allegiant Stadium.
The Saints and Raiders picked up wins in week 1 with New Orleans defeating Tom Brady and company while the Raiders edged out the Carolina Panthers in their first assignment of the season. The Saints have a 4-2 record against the Raiders with Las Vegas winning their last meeting 35-34.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints silenced the much-hyped Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-23 last week at the Mercedes Benz Superdome. The Saints took a 17-7 lead at the half and never looked back. It was a solid win for the Saints who look to build off on that success and win the first game at the Allegiant Stadium.
Drew Brees completed 18 out of 30 passes for 180 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Tight end Jared Cook led New Orleans with 80 yards on five catches. Emmanuel Sanders and Alvin Kamara caught one touchdown pass each. New Orleans rushed for 82 yards with Latavius Murray leading the way with 48 yards on 15 carries.
The New Orleans defense allowed the Buccaneers a total of 310 total yards including 224 through the air. They recorded one fumble and cornerback Janoris Jenkins picked off an errant pass for a pick-six. Marcus Williams also had one interception as the New Orleans defense sacked Tom Brady thrice last week.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders opened their season with a big road win against the Carolina Panthers. The Raiders used a big third quarter where they scored 10 unanswered points and then hung on to beat the Panthers. Like the Saints, they look are looking to win back to back games to start the 2020 season.
Derek Carr threw for a total of 239 yards on 22-30 passing, with one touchdown and no interception. Josh Jacobs rushed for 93 yards, had three rushing touchdowns while catching four catches for 46 yards. Henry Ruggs led the team with 55 receiving yards on 3 catches and Darren Waller had a team-high six catches for 45 yards. Nelson Agholor’s 23-yard TD grab was the only one for Las Vegas’ receiving corps.
The Las Vegas defense allowed 388 total yards with 260 of these coming through the air. The Raiders allowed the Panthers to score on two of three red-zone possessions while recording one sack. Jonathan Abram led the Raiders with 13 tackles including nine solo tackles and one tackle for a loss.
Who Wins?
New Orleans is 13-3 SU in their last 16 games played. The Saints are 7-1 SU in their last eight games played in September and 10-0 SU in their last 10 games played against teams from the AFC. Las Vegas is 2-5 SU in their last seven games played. The Raiders are 3-6 SU in their last nine Week 2 games, and 4-2 SU in their last six games played in September. Head to head, the Saints are 6-3 SU in their last nine games played against the Raiders.
New Orleans looked good against Tampa Bay but there is plenty of room for improvement. Drew Brees isn’t getting any younger and the Saints are in a win-now mode. Their defense looked legit as they forced Brady to two interceptions while limiting the Bucs to only 23 points. Overall, they controlled the clock well and ran the ball better against Tampa Bay.
The Raiders picked up a solid road win against the Panthers the last time out. They will head to this game with a lot of confidence as they are playing at their new home. Despite the absence of fans in attendance, the first NFL game in Las Vegas is expected to bring out the best in the players.
The absence of Michael Thomas will hurt the Saints but their receiving corps is more than just Thomas. With Alvin Kamara leading the ground assault, I think that the Saints will be just fine here. Drew Brees is no longer the guy he was in his prime but against Carr, this is his matchup to win. I like the Saints to pick up the road win here.
Prediction: New Orleans Saints
Other Bets To Make
The Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. New Orleans is 7-0 SU in their last seven games played on the road. The Raiders are 3-5 ATS in their last eight games played. Las Vegas is 2-4 ATS in their last six games played at home. Head to head, New Orleans is 4-2 ATS in their last six games played against the Raiders. The Saints are also 4-1 ATS in their last five road games played against the Raiders.
Saints
-5.5 (-110)
Raiders
+5.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 09/21/2020
Not having Thomas is going to hurt Brees and the Saints, However, New Orleans still has a competitive roster of wide receivers and of course, they have Alvin Kamara. The Raiders and Carr played well in week 1 but they will be up against a New Orleans defense that limited Tom Brady and the Bucs to only 23 points last week. The Raiders are 16-34-1 ATS in their last 41 games after an SU win and 1-4 when picking up 350 or more yards in their previous outing. Meanwhile, the Saints are 4-0 ATS in their last four games as road favorites. I’ll lay the points with New Orleans here.
Prediction: Saints -5.5
The total has gone over in six out of the last nine games played by the Saints. New Orleans has seen the total go under in six out of their last nine games played against the AFC West. The total has gone under in six out of the last eight games played by the Raiders. The over is 6-0 in Las Vegas’ last six games against the NFC, and 5-0 in their last five games played against the NFC South division. Head to head, the under is 2-1 in the last three meetings between these two teams.
Over
48.5 (-110)
Under
48.5 (-110)
Odds from BetOnline as of 09/21/2020
The Saints held an offensively gifted Tampa Bay team to only 23 points last week but the New Orleans defense was one of the worst defensive teams not too long ago. New Orleans is going to put the pressure on Carr but he’s used to it and shouldn’t affect his game that much. I think that the Raiders are going to hang around with the Saints here. Drew Brees should have a cleaner pocket to throw from this week and that should get them to 30 points again. I like these teams to hit the over.
Prediction: Over 48.5
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks 04/19/2023 NBA Odds and Prediction
New York Mets vs Los Angeles Dodgers 04/17/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
Minnesota Twins vs New York Yankees 04/14/2023 MLB Preview and Prediction
OKC Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans 04/12/2023 NBA Play-in Tournament Odds and Prediction
