The New Orleans Saints’ regular season kickoff is going to look weird. They’re “hosting” the Green Bay Packers all the way out in Jacksonville, at the Jaguars’ TIAA Bank Field due to the impacts of Hurricane Ida on New Orleans. While previous listings from oddsmakers gave the Saints a homefield advantage against Green Bay at the Caesars Superdome, the game’s relocation puts the Saints in a tough spot.
Tipico Sportsbook has the Saints opening as underdogs, with the visiting Packers favored to win by 4.5 points. The over/under of 50.5 projects a final tally in the neighborhood of Green Bay 28, New Orleans 23. That would be a seven-point drop for the Saints over their regular season scoring average the last three years (30.1), as well as the total they scored against the Packers in last season’s matchup (a 38-30 loss at home).
It’s not unwarranted, though. Jameis Winston has his work cut out for him against a Packers defense eager to prove themselves. Winston will be working without his best wide receiver while Michael Thomas continues to recover from offseason ankle surgery, meaning second-year pro Marquez Callaway has the unenviable task of running against Green Bay’s best cover corner Jaire Alexander (who won Pro Bowl and All-Pro second team recognition a year ago). And that doesn’t even get into the challenge New Orleans’ defense faces in Aaron Rodgers and his strong supporting cast.
Oddly, all three of the other NFC South squads are favored to win this week. Sam Darnold and the Carolina Panthers are 5.5-point favorites against his old New York Jets team. The Atlanta Falcons have an easy (on paper) matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, which they are favored to win by 3.5 points. And the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, of course, are 7.5-point favorites over the visiting Dallas Cowboys in the 2021 season opener — can both teams lose that one?
