Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints Preview (10/9/22): Betting Odds, Prediction, Depth Chart

The Seattle Seahawks are on the road for the second week in a row, this time heading to New Orleans to take on the Saints, who were riddled with injuries in last week’s loss to the Vikings in London. The Seahawks enter this game at 2-2 while the Saints fight to stay relevant in the NFC South at 1-3  Despite last week’s results and uncertainty with injuries, the Saints are still a strong favorite at home this week. Read on for predictions, odds, picks, injuries, and depth charts.

Seattle Seahawks Vs. New Orleans Saints Betting Odds

The big question for bettors will be the status of not only Jameis Winston, who didn’t play last week, but also Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara who were out with injuries as well. If they’re back, the 5.5-point spread makes sense given Seattle’s defensive struggles, but if they’re ruled out, we may see this line shift over the week.

Seattle Seahawks Vs. New Orleans Saints Analysis and Prediction

Geno Smith. That’s it. The man accounted for 369 yards of total offense, a pair of passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown for good measure. If he does nothing else for the rest of the season, his Week 4 game will still be something to smile about. He still leads all quarterbacks in the league in completion percentage, boasting 77.3% through Week 4. He now holds the record for the highest completion rate through four weeks of any quarterback in league history.

DK Metcalf had his first high-performing game of the year last week notching 149 receiving yards on seven catches, but the real star was running back Rashaad Penny. Penny added 151 yards and two touchdowns to the team’s 555 yards of total offense on Sunday. The success of the offense was relative, given they were playing the Lions, who have allowed an average of 444 yards per game and are ranked last in several defensive categories.

The Seahawks defense remains the crux of the breakdowns in Seattle. They rank second-to-last in yards per game against them and gave up 45 points to the Lions all while the Seattle offense did their job. While the Seattle offense ranks third in the league in yards per play, their defense ranks dead last in opponent yards per play (6.7). They also rank second-to-last in opponent points per game and opponent yards per game.

The Saints offense also looked strong last week in their narrow loss to the Vikings, despite not having three starting playmakers. Chris Olave proved to be a reliable option while tallying his first career touchdown. If Thomas does not return this week, Olave and the rest of the receiving corps showed that they can survive. Andy Dalton was under center for the Saints, and while he’s no Winston, he managed to complete 20 of 28 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown.

The Saints defense gave up 150 yards and a touchdown to Justin Jefferson who had a combined 62 yards in his two games prior. Their rushing defense ranks 28th in both opponent rush play percentage (47.33%) and opponent rushes per game (31) so Penny should get more snaps this week to exploit this part of their defense.

If Winston, Kamara, and Thomas, or any combination of the three are back this week, I don’t see the Seahawks defense keeping up with the Saints offense. On the other side, the Saints have a significantly better defense than the Lions, so it will be hard for the Hawks offense to perform at that high of a level again this week. These teams have similarities and Seattle’s offensive success shouldn’t be overlooked, but their defense continues to get in the way. Until that’s figured out, the Saints can win at home.

My prediction: Saints win 23-13, Saints cover, under 46

Betting Trends

• Seahawks are 2-1 ATS as underdog this year
• Over is 1-2 in Seahawks’ games as an underdog this year
• Seahawks are 0-3 against the Saints in last three matchups
• Saints are 0-2 ATS as favorite this year
• Saints are 0-1 ATS as home team this year
• Over has hit twice for the Saints this year, both on the road

Key Injuries

New Orleans Saints Injuries: Jameis Winston (Q), Michael Thomas (Q), Alvin Kamara (Q)

Seattle Seahawks Injuries: Darryl Johnson (D)

Key Matchups

Check out the key matchups and mismatches for Seattle Seahawks vs New Orleans Saints below.

Rashaad Penny vs Saints run defense

After running for 151 yards and two touchdowns last week, it’s to be expected that Penny gets significant time in the backfield this week. The Saints run defense averages 124.8 rushing yards against them per game and have tallied the fifth-most rushing attempts against them. The Saints won’t give up as much ground to Penny that the Lions did, but they will definitely have to make a game plan to stop him if they want to win this game.

Chris Olave vs Seahawks secondary

Chris Olave has been a pleasant surprise for this Saints offense having tallied over 200 receiving yards in his last two games and notching his first career touchdown. He has emerged as the most-targeted player on the Saints offense. Depending on the status of Michael Thomas, we could see a lot more of Olave this week who could cause problems for the Seattle secondary. Seahawks rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen showed promise last week and would be a good matchup for Olave.

Detroit Lions Depth Chart

QB: Jameis Winston
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Mark Ingram
LWR: Michael Thomas
RWR: Jarvis Landry
SWR: Chris Olave
TE1: Adam Trautman

Seattle Seahawks Depth Chart

QB: Geno Smith
RB1: Rashaad Penny
RB2: Kenneth Walker
LWR: DK Metcalf
RWR: Dee Eskridge
SWR: Tyler Lockett
TE1: Will Dissly