One of the top matchups for NFL Week 3 pits the Philadelphia Eagles against the New Orleans Saints. Can the Eagles bounce back after a heartbreaking last-second loss to the Falcons last Monday? Will the Saints continue their hot streak behind All-World RB Alvin Kamara?
Check out our betting guide below to get the live odds and our top predictions for this remarkable game on Sunday, September 22. Good luck, folks! Enjoy the NFL action!
It may be a shock to some people, but oddsmakers have made the Saints a favorite over the Eagles on Sunday afternoon. Most online sportsbooks have this line at either Saints -2.5 or Saints -3. That's quite an adjustment over the look-ahead line of Eagles -2.5 that was posted just a few days ago.
As for the total, oddsmakers are expecting somewhat of a shootout. The number currently sits at 49.5 at the time of this writing. That seems a bit high at first glance, especially since both teams rank in the Top 8 in time of possession.
Philadelphia found a way to lose against Atlanta on Monday, even though they looked dominant for much of the second half. Every talking head in sports media seems to be questioning Nick Sirianni's 3rd down play call in the final minutes of the game.
That drop by Saquon Barkley was shocking, but so was Philly's putrid prevent defense against the Falcons on the final drive of the game. Jalen Hurts and a few of the other team leaders are saying all of the right things, but you have to wonder where their heads are at heading into this clash in The Big Easy.
AJ Brown is still listed as doubtful with his hamstring injury, so DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert will have to carry the load for the Eagles passing attack. Even with all of its stars on offense, Philly ranks just 18th in yards per rush and 12th in yards per pass attempt.
The Saints have been shockingly good to start the 2024 campaign. Dennis Allen has recommitted himself to running the football and that strategy has paid nice dividends so far. New Orleans is running the ball 64.41% of the time, which leads the NFL.
As you might expect, the key to the Saints' success has been the play of Alvin Kamara. The veteran running back is averaging a whopping 5.7 yards per carry and has already found the end zone 5 times. Philly better have a solid game plan to contain him if they want to pull off the upset.
This is a fantastic buy-low spot on Philly after their epic Monday Night Meltdown. I'm not a big fan of Sirianni, but I think he'll have the Eagles ready to play in this marquee game on Sunday afternoon.
My numbers suggest that the look-ahead line of Philly -2.5 was about right, so there's a ton of value in getting a full field goal in this spot. The Saints' defense has looked fantastic, but a lot of those numbers are skewed because they played the dreadful Panthers in Week 1.
This is also a great opportunity to sell the Saints at a high. I love Kamara and the offensive line has impressed me. That said, I still can't trust Derek Carr to perform well against good teams. Give me the points here with Philly!
Prediction: Philadelphia 27 - New Orleans 21