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Andrew Rogers
Saints vs. Jets Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 3 Odds, Prediction
It’ll be the second-year gunslinger facing off against the future Hall of Famer – at least for a series or two – when the New York Jets entertain the New Orleans Saints on Saturday night in Week 3 of the pre-season. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold will look to build some rapport with his receiving corps in what should be his most significant audition of the pre-season, while Saints counterpart Drew Brees will see what will likely be his only action prior to Week 1 kickoff.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Jets opened as ever-so-slight one-point underdogs, but the line has moved all the way to +3 – due in no small part to the confirmation that Jets running back Le’Veon Bell won’t see the field until the regular season. The Saints have covered three of their previous four pre-season road games following a five-game losing streak, while the Jets enter Saturday night’s game having successfully covered six of their last eight exhibition home contests.
This game has one of the higher totals of the week at 42.5, and recent pre-season trends on both sides would suggest that the under will be a popular option. The Jets have gone below the number in seven consecutive home games in the preseason, limiting opponents to just 12.4 points per game over that stretch. The Saints have converted the under in 10 of their last 13 preseason outings, with nine of those coming in below 40 total points.
New Orleans Saints
How many snaps will Brees play? Saints head coach Sean Payton wouldn’t tip his hand when speaking with reporters earlier this week, but it’s worth noting that Brees has averaged 22 snaps in Week 3 of the previous two pre-seasons. We’d guess that the Saints won’t leave Brees out on the field too long, especially considering the Jets racked up five sacks and a ridiculous 14 quarterback hits in their Week 2 game vs. the Atlanta Falcons.
New York Jets
It might bother Jets fans to see the team’s prized off-season acquisition not play a pre-season snap. But head coach Adam Gase says that Bell, who missed the 2018 season in a contract dispute with Pittsburgh, has shown enough in practice that the team doesn’t think he needs any pre-season work. His absence also allows New York to better evaluate its backups, with Ty Montgomery, Bilal Powell and Elijah McGuire all expected to see action Saturday.
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NYJ