Sunday night’s NFL Week 2 Preseason matchup between New Orleans and host Los Angeles pits a pair of teams that have championship aspirations and were impressive winners in Week 1 of the summer schedule. Here’s a look at Saints vs. Chargers odds, props, and predictions.
The Saints are coming off a 26-24 walk-off home victory over Kansas City, with new starting quarterback Derek Carr reuniting with his first head coach, Dennis Allen. They teamed in 2014 on the Oakland Raiders before Allen got the heave-ho. Carr, in his 10th season, played in the opening series only last week, but it was a doozy — a 12-play, 80-yard march that culminated with a 4-yard TD pass to Keith Kirkwood.
The Chargers, meanwhile, were 34-17 winners over the LA Rams at SoFi Stadium, the home they share in Inglewood, Calif. Game officials were throwing flags all night, with both teams having more than 100 penalty yards. There was only one such league game last regular season when both teams reached triple digits in infraction yards.
The Chargers thrived primarily with their running game, totaling 216 yards and 7.4 a carry, excluding two late kneel-downs.
Also read: How Sharp Bettors Approach NFL Preseason | Super Bowl 58 odds | NFL MVP odds | Cowboys vs. Seahawks odds, props
NFL Preseason Week 2 Odds: Saints vs. Chargers Spread, Total, Moneyline
The Saints are listed as 3- to 3.5-point favorites two days before the game on the top US sports betting apps. The Over/Under total ranges from 37.5 to 38.5. On the money line, New Orleans can be had at -160 (FanDuel, BetMGM), while the Chargers are +145 at DraftKings.
How Much Will Carr Play This Week vs. the Chargers?
After Thursday’s joint practice with the Chargers, even Carr said he didn’t know yet if he’ll get any work in Sunday’s game: “I have no idea.”
The other Saints QBs likely to see most of the snaps are second-teamer Jameis Winston and rookie fourth-round pick Jake Haener out of Fresno State. They shared most of the action last week, neither having a game to remember.
Winston went 11-for-13 and a TD, but for only 92 yards. And if his three sacks are thrown in, he generated 64 net passing yards. Haener was 11-for-17 for 105 yards, with a TD and an INT. The good news was that he wasn’t sacked.
The ground game, meanwhile, was largely ineffective, with a host of backup running backs averaging of 2.9 yards on 25 carries.
Who Will Play QB for the Chargers vs. the Saints?
First-teamer Justin Herbert will almost for sure spend the game on the sideline. Or in the press box. Or in a suite. After all, in his career over the past three seasons he hasn’t played in any of the team’s seven exhibition games. In his rookie year of 2020, the summer schedule was wiped out in the wake of COVID-19.
Anyway, no doubt coach Brandon Staley and his staff saw all they needed of Herbert during the teams’ joint scrimmages.
That leaves second-teamer Easton Stick, who has thrown one pass in the regular season since being drafted in 2019, and rookie third-teamer Max Duggan.
Since 2021, Stick has seen the majority of the play in the preseason. He played the first half last week, going 14-for-21 but for only 109 yards (5.2 yards a throw).
Duggan, a seventh-round pick out of TCU, got to play the whole second half against the Rams and in that time the passing game had a net of minus-4 yards. He was 2-for-3 for 19 yards, but was sacked three times for 23 yards. Yikes! And that was while playing with a double-digit lead almost the whole final 30 minutes.
Chances are the Chargers know all they want about Stick and will give Duggan plenty of time to show what he can do — and can’t do.
In the backfield, undrafted rookie Elijah Dotson out of Northern Colorado had a spectacular debut, with TD runs of 37 and 40 yards. He’ll be looking to enhance his status to earn a back-up role behind standout seven-year veteran Austin Ekeler, himself an undrafted RB who is out of Western Colorado.
Saints vs. Chargers Props
Here are samplings of Saints vs. Chargers props:
Winning Margin (FanDuel)
- Saints 1-13 points +145
- Saints 14+ points +290
- Chargers 1-13 points +200
- Chargers 14+ points +600
Game Combo: Moneyline and Total (BetRivers)
- Chargers and Over 37.5 +320
- Chargers and Under 37.5 +320
- Saints and Over 37.5 +205
- Saints and Under +205
Game Combo: Point Spread and Total (BetRivers)
- Chargers +3.5 and Over 37.5 +250
- Chargers +3.5 and Under 37.5 +235
- Saints -3.5 and Over 37.5 +255
- Saints -3.5 and Under +270
Saints vs. Chargers Prediction
The teams are quite familiar with each other after holding two days of joint drills in SoCal, which is when the coaching staffs can get a good look at their talent in a more controlled environment in which slobber-knocker hits are frowned upon.
But with backup QBs expected to get virtually all the work, the Chargers running game could prove to be the difference-maker.
With regard to Thursday’s scrimmage, the L.A. Times’ Jeff Miller wrote the Chargers defense “largely punch(ed) the New Orleans Saints in the chops.”
With that in mind ….
Prediction: Chargers moneyline +145 (DraftKings), Under 38.5 (BetMGM)
Are Wins and Losses Important in Preseason?
Recent history screams out NO!
Of the six teams that went unbeaten in last season’s exhibition schedule, only one wound up making the playoffs — Baltimore as a wild card. Chicago and Houston were among the “perfect” preseason teams and they wound up with the worst records in the regular season, the Bears going 3-14 and the Texans 3-13-1.
All but one of the six teams that lost all their exhibition outings reached the postseason, including division winners Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, and Minnesota. The only one that wasn’t in the playoff mix was Washington.
Saints, Chargers Season Outlooks
Although the Saints at +4000 (FanDuel, BetMGM) have steeper odds to win the Super Bowl than the Chargers at +2500 (DraftKings, BetMGM, PointsBet), they are a heavier favorite to make the playoffs.
New Orleans is listed at -184 (PointsBet) to qualify for the 14-team field while Los Angeles is at -115 (FanDuel).
It’s all about what division you’re in. The Saints are favorites to win the NFC South, by far the weakest grouping in the conference, while the Chargers are slotted to finish behind Kansas City in the AFC West, a division the Chiefs have won seven straight seasons.
How to Watch Saints vs. Chargers
Sunday, Aug. 20: New Orleans at LA Chargers, 7:05 p.m., EDT
Site: Inglewood, Calif.
On the Air: NFL Network
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