Dating back to 2007, the New Orleans Saints are 7-7 straight up and 11-3 against the spread in their last 14 games as a preseason road underdog. The Saints will look to keep that run of success going against the New England Patriots Thursday night at Gillette Stadium.
Saints vs. Patriots 2016 odds: New Orleans underdog at New England in preseason opener
Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints will try to cash in as betting underdogs this Thursday night in New England against the Patriots.
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New Orleans is a 3-point road underdog at Foxborough for Thursday at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last nine preseason games as a betting underdog, the Saints are 7-2 ATS.
An 0-4 SU and ATS preseason rolled over into an 0-3 SU and ATS start to the regular season last year for the Saints, who eventually finished the season with a disappointing 7-9 SU and 8-7-1 ATS record. The Saints ranked dead last in scoring defense in 2015 with 29.8 points surrendered per game. Finding players who fit well into defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s system will be one of the keys to this preseason for New Orleans.
New England has won each of the last three preseason games between these two teams dating back to 2010. The Patriots are 2-1 ATS over that stretch per the OddsShark NFL Database.
With Tom Brady set to miss the first four games of the regular season while serving a suspension, plenty of emphasis will be placed on the quarterback position this preseason.
Coach Bill Belichick will be tasked with striking a balance between getting Brady’s backup Jimmy Garoppolo some important playing time during the preseason while also not leaving him too exposed to injury. Since going just 1-5 SU and 0-6 ATS in a preseason stretch back in 2011 and 2012, the Patriots are 7-5 SU and 7-4-1 in their last 12 preseason games.
Thursday night’s total for the Saints vs. Patriots betting matchup is set at 39.5 points. The UNDER is 5-1 in New England’s last six preseason games.
If this game were taking place in the regular season, it would figure to be a shootout between two of the best quarterbacks and offenses in the NFL. But in the first week of the preseason, don’t be surprised to see both of these pass-happy coaches work on the running game as players shake off the rust of a long offseason.
