Packers Offense Should Be Most Reliable Tonight

Saints vs. Packers, 8:15 ET

I've brought up that the quality of the Thursday Night Football games has been good - at least on paper, the teams standout as a good matchup. The Monday Night Football slate doesn't seem to have that same quality this year, but that also isn't supposed to be a knock on them. The schedule makers need to find a way to get the popular and unpopular teams in primetime, and it won't always work out that late in the season you still have teams playing for anything. That's the situation we get tonight, but I do think as long as you have a bet placed, any game will be a bit intriguing. Let's make this game between the Saints and Packers interesting. 

The Saints started the season looking like the offense was going to be unstoppable. They won their first two games of the year and scored over 44 points in both games. We've since learned that they played a bad Panthers team and a rough Cowboys squad. Since that point, the Saints have scored over 30 points just once. So, 40+ points in two games, then under 30 points in 11 of their next 12 games. Seems almost like it should be impossible to do. The team was competitive for the next two games after their first two wins, but they were both losses. Since then, they've been blown out in most games, but there was another change around Week 9 that saw them regain a bit of competitiveness, perhaps it was the return of Derek Carr. Carr is now out again and so is Alvin Kamara, so this offense could look ugly. They are 3-2 over their past five contests with wins over the Falcons, Browns, and Giants. Last week, they played the Commanders tough and lost by just 1 point. They took a gamble to go for the win because they really had nothing to lose. The Saints have one of the worst rushing and passing defenses in the game, so the Packers have an open playbook to try and attack.

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - AUGUST 25: Spencer Rattler #18 of the New Orleans Saints reacts after throwing a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 25, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Speaking of the Packers, they are one of the top teams in the NFC and could be a tough out for anyone who faces them in the playoffs. Right now, the league has given most of the attention to the Lions and Eagles. Perhaps that is the right thing to do, and maybe the Packers prefer to fly under the radar. Looking at the Packers schedule, they are 10-4 right now with losses coming to the aforementioned Eagles, the Vikings, and twice to the Lions. Only one of those games was a two-score game, so you'd have to think one or two plays could potentially turn around the game for them. The Packers have the luxury of playing at home tonight. They've lost two games at home so far - a third was played on a neutral field, but technically they were the home team. Jordan Love has looked really solid for them and should be able to pick apart the defense along with Josh Jacobs who has been a bell cow for them this season. The Packers defense isn't amazing, but they are good enough to keep the Saints from marching up and down the field.

The line on this one is predictably high at -14. I'm not sure I am overly comfortable laying that number with the Packers even with the Saints missing a ton of key guys. I am certainly not comfortable taking the points with the Saints because they've already shown they have the capability to be blown out of games. I think the Packers should be good for four touchdowns though and I will take over 27.5 team total points for them here. 

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