Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Saints Matchup Preview (9/12/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

This is another team where the offseason was a bigger story than the team they have. In New Orleans, the longtime face of the franchise QB Drew Brees has officially hung up his cleats after serving as the starter for the past 15 seasons. This means that there was a spot open and Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill have been battling for the starting spot all offseason.

This QB battle was one of the most-watched ones this offseason because of the different ways these two players play. Jameis Winston operates as more a real quarterback as he has an excellent arm with a gunslinger mentality. The problem is that Winston has some field vision issues as the last time we saw Winston start an NFL season was when he threw 30 INTS. Taysom Hill is a different story as he can do everything well but throw the football. Hill is big, fast, strong, tough, and has great hands. Hill plays similarly to Tim Tebow when he was the starter for the Broncos in that he is a run-first quarterback who can throw the ball when he really needs to. But Hill wants to run over people rather than throw over them and I don’t feel like he should be the starting quarterback if the Saints want to make it to the playoffs. The Saints did eventually crown Winston as the starter, which is the right move but expect Hill to see some playing time as a gadget player. 

Around Winston are some great playmakers like RB Alvin Kamara and WR Michael Thomas. Kamara is a unique player because he is one of the best pure runners in the NFL while also having the hands and route-running to be a wide receiver. Kamara was the best player on the Saints’ offense last season as he finished with 1,688 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns. He sticks to running back most of the time with the great Saints O-line, and he is a top 3 player in fantasy football because of his huge volume and excellent talent. 

Michael Thomas is an interesting story because he is one of the biggest divas in the NFL. Thomas has been publicly fighting with the Saints and with random people on Twitter this offseason after missing most of last season with an ankle injury. Thomas set the single-season record for receptions in a season with 149 in 2019, so the talent is definitely there. Twitter mocks Thomas for only running slants by calling him “Slant Boy”, but he does so much more for the Saints than run slants. While slant routes were the most popular route run by Thomas, he also ran his fair share of crossing and out routes as well.

The other guys to know on this Saints offense are RB Latavius Murray, WR Marques Calloway, TE Adam Trautman, and WR Tre-Quan Smith. These guys are players to know because they get on the field mainly through backup roles, but can be very valuable if their star players get injured. 

The defense is going to be the thing that carries this team to the playoffs as they have some real ball hawks on that side of the ball. Their stars are CB Marshon Lattimore, DE Jordan Cameron, LB De’Mario Davis, and S Marcus Williams. These players are guys offensive coordinators warn their players about as these guys are All-Pro type talents and can wreck a game plan if you don’t account for them. DE Marcus Davenport and LB Kwon Alexander are also guys to pay attention to as they fit great in the Saints’ defensive scheme with their aggressive play. 

New Orleans Saints Depth Chart

QB: Jameis Winston
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Tony Jones Jr.
WR1: Michael Thomas
WR2: Tre’Quan Smith
WR3: Marquez Calloway
TE1: Adam Trautman
TE2: Juwan Johnson

Green Bay Packers vs. New Orleans Betting Corner

As one of the most anticipated games of opening weekend, making the right pick sets the tempo for the rest of the gambling season. Since this is the first game of the season for both teams and both teams haven’t played their star players in the preseason, we don’t really have a feel for these teams will perform. 

In last season’s matchup, the Packers beat the Saints 37-30 with the Saints as a 3 point favorite and the over/under being set at 53 points. 

Now, a lot of things have changed between then and now, most noticeably Drew Brees retiring, but I think things will be similar to last year’s result. The thing about this matchup is the Packers’ offense is better and more proven than the Saints, however, the Saints’ defense is more aggressive and better than the Packers. Aaron Rodgers lit up the Saints last year throwing for 283 yards and 3 touchdowns. Davante Adams missed this game last year, but it didn’t seem to matter as Aaron Jones had 69 yards and 1 touchdown. 

My problem with the Saints is that we don’t know what to expect from QB Jameis Winston when he is playing against real competition. Winston has looked great in the preseason, but the last time he played in a regular-season game, he threw a pick-six to the Falcons. Also, Michael Thomas is out of this game because of his ankle injury and there are just too many question marks around the Saints to have confidence in picking them. I do think this game will hit over 50 points because of the offensive firepower between Rodgers, Kamara, Adams, and Jones, but I think that the Packers are a better and more cohesive team than the Saints. 

Prediction: -3 Packers & over 50 points