Jaguars vs Saints Odds: Week 7 Begins in New Orleans
Saints 0-6 in Totals This Season
Week 7 of the NFL season kicks off on Thursday in New Orleans, as the Jacksonville Jaguars visit the Saints. The Jags have won three straight games to move to 4-2 and get to where people expected before the season began. The Saints have dropped three of their last four games to move to 3-3 on the season. New Orleans is in a three-team battle for the NFC South. The Jaguars vs Saints odds have New Orleans favored by 3 points at home, and the total on the game is at 38.5.
Jacksonville Jaguars at New Orleans Saints 
Day/Time:
Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Line: New Orleans -3
Total: 38.5
Streaming: PRIME
Lawrence Status is ‘Day-to-Day’
Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence is considered day-to-day after he was injured late in the team’s win over the Colts. C.J. Beathard is the backup quarterback. Lawrence hasn’t missed a game in his career, so he’ll want to play. But that decision will ultimately come down to the coaching staff and team doctors. Lawrence isn’t off to a great start, but with Beathard 2-10 in his career as a starter, the Jags are hopeful Lawrence can go.
Jacksonville has played a fairly tough NFL 2023 schedule so far. Jeff Sagarin has the Jaguars as having played a top-10 schedule, while the Saints have played one of the easier slates in the league. The Jaguars are outscoring opponents 23.7 to 20.3. Neither the running game or passing attack have been outstanding. But the Jaguars are winning, and that’s what it’s all about.
The Jags’ defense is playing well against the run but allows some yardage against the pass. Jacksonville has done a good job forcing turnovers, and the team is +7 on the season. The Jaguars do need to shore up the pass defense a bit, as allowing 270.3 yards per game will create problems down the road.
New Orleans Defense Keeping Team in Games
The current NFL scores show this year’s version of the Saints has been pretty quiet offensively. New Orleans is averaging 18.2 points against teams, allowing 22.5 points. The Saints aren’t rushing the ball well, gaining just 3.4 yards per carry. Derek Carr hasn’t performed as expected, throwing just five touchdowns against three interceptions. New Orleans is averaging just 312.5 total yards per game.
The defense has been pretty solid, allowing 16.0 points per game and limiting teams to 278.3 total yards. The Saints’ opponents have averaged 296.9 total yards, so the New Orleans may not be as good as it looks at first glance. But it’s still been pretty tough to play against. The Saints allow 182 passing yards per game, which is fifth-best in the league. New Orleans has allowed seven TD passes and made eight interceptions.
What to Expect
If the first six games are any indication, fans can expect plenty of defense from these two teams. The latest NFL lines showing the total at 39 is a good indication of a low-scoring game. The Jaguars get the edge on offense, while New Orleans rates a slight edge on defense. The difference between Jacksonville and New Orleans on offense is quite a bit greater than the difference between the two on defense. While the Jaguars are allowing 20.3 points, their foes average 23.2 points. New Orleans opponents are scoring just 18.5 points per game.
The Jags have to come out and run the ball a bit. The New Orleans secondary is decent and has been playing well so far this season. Jacksonville throws 35.5 times and runs 30.2 times per game and needs that balance to be its most effective.
The Saints can’t afford to make many mistakes. They haven’t played well enough to overcome them, as evidenced by last week’s 20-13 loss to Houston. New Orleans outgained the Texans 430-297, but 0 for 3 in the red zone, and two turnovers did them in.
Who to Bet On?
The Jaguars vs Saints odds are pretty much where you would expect them to be, with New Orleans a slight favorite. Jacksonville hasn’t looked impressive at times, but the overall results are there. For a .500 team, New Orleans has been favored quite a bit, going 3-2 straight-up, but 0-4-1 against the spread as a favorite this season.
The Jaguars vs Saints odds on the total appear to be a little low. But based on what New Orleans has done this season, going 0-6 in over-unders, the number really can’t be any higher. The status of Lawrence makes the total a bit tricky, but the Jaguars are the better NFL team. Jacksonville +3 is the way to look in this game.
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