Saints Now Given Second-Best Odds to Win Super Bowl 54 After Week 6
- Oddsmakers list the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints as +700 second betting choices to win Super Bowl 54
- New Orleans moved past the Kansas City Chiefs into second spot
- The Saints’ Super Bowl odds climbed as high as +1800 after QB Drew Brees underwent thumb surgery
Rumors of the demise of the Super Bowl hopes of the New Orleans Saints proved to be greatly exaggerated.
When quarterback Drew Brees underwent thumb surgery following the Saints’ 27-9 Week 2 loss against the Los Angeles Rams, the doom and gloom crew swept into town. It was all over.
Forget about the Super Bowl. Cancel Mardi Gras. Board up Bourbon Street.
A funny thing happened along the way to oblivion, though. The Saints didn’t make the trip.
New Orleans is 4-0 since Brees was hurt. The Saints have beaten the Dallas Cowboys at home. They dropped the Seattle Seahawks and Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.
They are 5-1, and atop the NFC South. With the Kansas City Chiefs engulfed in a two-game losing streak, oddsmakers leapfrogged New Orleans over the Chiefs and into second spot in Super Bowl 54 odds.
The Saints are now listed at +700 in Super Bowl odds.
Super Bowl 54 Odds
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| New England Patriots | +275 |
| New Orleans Saints | +700 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | +800 |
| San Francisco 49ers | +1000 |
| Green Bay Packers | +1200 |
| Baltimore Ravens | +1600 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | +1600 |
| Seattle Seahawks | +1600 |
| Carolina Panthers | +2000 |
| Houston Texans | +2000 |
| Minnesota Vikings | +2000 |
*Odds taken on 10/14/19.
Shortly after Brees was injured, the average odds on New Orleans winning Super Bowl 54 climbed to +1800.
Saints Build a Bridgewater
There were raised eyebrows in the offseason when the Saints gave quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a one-year, $7.25-million guaranteed contract. The pact made Bridgewater the highest-paid second-string QB in the NFL.
It’s deal that is currently paying dividends.
Bridgewater stays undefeated!
The New Orleans @Saints are now 4-0 since Teddy took over at QB! pic.twitter.com/Obt7ddSlDQ
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 13, 2019
He’s 4-0 as the starter. Bridgewater won defensive struggles with the Cowboys and Jaguars by taking what was given him and spreading the ball around among a number of options, both running and passing. He also threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns in a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bridgewater is a QB who took his previous team, the Minnesota Vikings, to the playoffs before tearing up his knee and missing an entire season. His scenario is reminiscent of the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Teddy tosses it up ?
Cook hauls it in ?#Saints lead | #NOvsJAX pic.twitter.com/AHQ3jdQfjP— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 13, 2019
En route to a perfect 17-0 season, the Dolphins lost QB Bob Griese to a broken ankle early in the season. In stepped veteran Earl Morrall, who’d led his previous team, the Baltimore Colts, to the Super Bowl.
Morrall kept the Dolphins rolling until Griese got back in action during the playoffs.
Brees is expected to miss 6-8 weeks.
Dominating Defense
The Saints are 10th overall in NFL defense (340.5 yards per game) and 11th in points allowed per game (20.3). But where they really are difference-makers is in the big play department.
"I told our defense I felt like if we had played 8 quarters they wouldn't have scored a touchdown today," – Sean Payton #Saints pic.twitter.com/MWfjNEkHnA
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 13, 2019
The Saints have recovered four fumbles. They made three interceptions, including one by Marshon Lattimore on the first series of the second half Sunday that led to a field goal. New Orleans has also sacked the QB 18 times.
Divine Intervention For Saints?
The way the Saints have risen up without Brees is big news but it’s not that big.
Some Saints fans misunderstood a welcoming message to new Saints issued Sunday by Pope Francis as being directed toward the gridiron Saints.
Screengrabbing for when this is inevitably changed by Twitter: The Pope tweeted about new saints and Twitter took it as a New Orleans football reference and the replies are incredible. https://t.co/pVkYBJ3bFF pic.twitter.com/PL7eLbGHkU
— Caroline McCarthy ? (@caro) October 13, 2019
Even so, what the Saints are doing is impressive. Minus Brees, the NFL’s all-time passing leader, they were being counted out.
How people in Louisiana are imagining Pope Francis is today after his tweet about the #Saints (via @trey1920) pic.twitter.com/ImctPLd20W
— Fr Matthew Schneider LC? (@FrMatthewLC) October 13, 2019
Instead, they are standing up and being counted. Including playoffs, since the start of last season, New Orleans has lost an NFL-low four games.
Hopefully, you got action on the Saints when they were +1800.
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
