The story of this game remains the same—how it plays out will depend entirely on the quarterback situation for both teams. For now, it is unclear who is going to start for either team in week one.
Green Bay Packers
The story surrounding the Green Bay Packers this offseason has been all about the future of their superstar quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers has made it clear that he has no desire to take the field as a Packer ever again and wants a trade.
The team, of course, has no desire to trade him.
While the team has not done much to improve at the skill positions this offseason, it did try to improve his contract situation. The Packers offered Rodgers an extension that would make him the highest-paid player in the league (and would tie him to the team for the next five years).
Rodgers declined it.
All the reports on Jordan Love have been positive. But since he has yet to take the field in an NFL game, it is impossible to know how he will perform. So, if Rodgers does holdout and the team is forced to go with Love, there is no telling what the Green Bay offense will look like.
The defense is good but not good enough to carry the team if the offense struggles.
New Orleans Saints
Like the Packers, the offseason in New Orleans has been all about the team’s future at quarterback. With Drew Brees retiring after last season, the Saints offense will either be in the hands of Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston.
Hill looked good enough in the handful of starts he had last season. But does he have enough game to be the full-time starter? He has always been more of a change-of-pace, Swiss army knife type of guy. Winston, on the other hand, is more of a traditional pocket passer.
While Winston has more experience as a starter, he has historically had some serious turnover issues.
However, rumor has it that the ‘competition’ will not be much of a competition. Sean Payton is supposedly favoring Hill and wants to see his dual-threat QB under center to start the season. While that may be true, Drew Brees thinks both quarterbacks will get used.
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Sports Betting Recommendation
With all the uncertainty at quarterback for both teams, it is hard to recommend either team in this week one match-up. If Rodgers plays for the Packers, take Green Bay without hesitation. The Saints have the better defense between the two, but it will be without defensive tackle David Onyemata and possible cornerback Marshon Lattimore as well.
However, if Rodgers is out, take the Saints. But make sure you shop around for the best spread. The Saints opened as 2.5-point favorites. But the spread is as low as a single point at some books and as high as 3.0 at others.
The best move for now may be to wait and see how the QB battles pan out.
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