New Orleans Saints Betting Odds

Last Updated on September 14, 2026 5:48 am by Henry

Team Overview

New Orleans was the one NFC South team that did not finish 8-9 last season. The Saints went 6-11 and finished last in the division. What changed everything was the second half. Tyler Shough took over as the starter for the final nine games and lifted the offense from 13.9 points per game to 19.8, with passing yards jumping from 198 per game to 265. Kellen Moore enters his second season with real reason for optimism.

The front office built around that. Travis Etienne Jr. arrives to pair with Alvin Kamara, who returned at a reduced price after a long standoff. Jordyn Tyson came off the board at No. 8 overall to give Shough a legitimate top target, and Chris Olave is cleared after spending the offseason on blood thinners. This is the first time in years that the Saints have surrounded a young quarterback with functional weapons.

Offensive Line Analysis

The interior was the priority this offseason, and David Edwards arrived from Buffalo specifically to stabilize it. Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning return alongside him, with Dillon Radunz providing versatility across multiple spots. The unit has continuity but not much of a track record. New Orleans finished second-worst in the league in yards per rush last season, and it was the worst team in football in red zone and goal-to-go situations. Those are line failures as much as scheme failures. Adding two running backs will not fix short-yardage if the front cannot generate movement.

Defensive Line Analysis

Bryan Bresee is feared to have torn his ACL in training camp, which strips the interior of its most productive young player. Nathan Shepherd and Vernon Broughton have taken first-team reps in his place, though Broughton missed most of last season himself. Cameron Jordan returns for another year anchoring the edge and provides the veteran stability the middle now lacks. This front was better than its reputation in 2025, finishing fifth in sack rate and third in third-down success rate. Holding those numbers without Bresee is the question that decides whether New Orleans stays in the race.

2026 NFL Season

Week 1

Saints at Detroit Lions | Sunday, September 13 | 1:00 PM ET | Ford Field, Detroit, MI

New Orleans opens as one of the biggest underdogs on the Week 1 board. The Lions opened at -7 with the Saints at +260 on the moneyline and the total set at 48.5, and that spread has held through the summer. Detroit is coming off a 9-8 season that dropped it to fourth in the NFC North, a steep fall from 15-2 the year before. Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown still headline one of the more dangerous offenses in the conference.

This is a difficult first assignment for a quarterback making his first Week 1 start. Detroit has bounce-back written all over it, and Ford Field is a poor venue for a young passer. The Saints will need Tyson to make an immediate impact and the defense to hold a high total down, because 48.5 points suggests a game New Orleans cannot win in a grind.

Week 1 Recap

New Orleans lost 31-30 in overtime at Detroit, and the scoreline hides how close this came to being the upset of the week. The Saints trailed 21-0 midway through the third quarter and had not scored a point. Then Tyler Shough put the offense on his back. He finished 35 of 56 for 410 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions, tying the game at 24-24 with 1:07 left in regulation on a nine-yard strike to Juwan Johnson. When Detroit scored first in overtime, Shough answered with an eight-yard touchdown to Noah Fant, and Kellen Moore went for two and the win rather than the tie. The pass fell incomplete.

The ground game never showed up, which was always the risk with Alvin Kamara sidelined. New Orleans ran 25 times for 91 yards at 3.6 per carry, with Kendre Miller accounting for the only rushing touchdown. That imbalance forced Shough into 56 attempts, and Detroit made him pay with five sacks, nine quarterback hits and two interceptions. Three turnovers on the road against a playoff team is usually the end of the story, and the Saints very nearly won anyway.

The defense is the part that should worry New Orleans. This was billed as the strength of the roster after finishing fifth in sack rate a year ago, and without Bryan Bresee it managed one sack and no takeaways while allowing 165 rushing yards. Four forced three-and-outs early built the 21-0 hole from the other side of the ball, not this one. New Orleans generated 469 yards and 29 first downs, so the offense is real. Whether the front can hold up is the question heading into Baltimore.

Week 2

Saints at Baltimore Ravens | Sunday, September 20 | 1:00 PM ET | M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD

New Orleans opens as a heavy road underdog at +325 on the moneyline, with the Baltimore Ravens at -425, the spread at 8.5 points and the total at 47.5. That is tied for the widest number on the Week 2 board. Baltimore arrives at 1-0 after a 41-23 win in Indianapolis, and the market has moved hard in its direction after one week.

The number looks generous to Baltimore given what the Saints just did. New Orleans put up 469 yards and 30 points in Detroit and lost by a failed two-point conversion, which is not the profile of a team that should be getting 8.5 points anywhere. The case for Baltimore is the matchup rather than the spread. A Saints defense that generated one sack and no turnovers now faces Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry after giving up 165 yards on the ground, and asking Tyler Shough to throw 56 times again in a hostile stadium is how quarterbacks get buried. Kamara’s status is the detail to watch this week, because without him the offense has no way to keep Jackson off the field.

Odds to Win Division and Super Bowl

Odds to Win NFC South: +250

Odds to Win Super Bowl: +8000

Predictions

Overall Record: The Saints project to finish around 8-9, with the win total set at 7.5 and a slight lean to the over

Playoff Chances: A live outsider in a wide-open division, though the market prices them against it

Super Bowl Chances: A long shot, level with the rest of the NFC South

New Orleans is the most improved roster in this division on paper. The defense already ranked sixth in yards per play allowed, Shough gave the offense a pulse over the last nine games, and the receiving corps went from a liability to a strength in one offseason. The concerns are specific rather than general. Bresee’s injury weakens a front that carried the team, and an offense that could not score inside the ten last year has not obviously fixed that. Expect New Orleans to be competitive every week and to hover around .500, with the ceiling tied to how quickly Shough handles a full season.