Saints & Rams Both See Playoff Odds Drop on the Eve of Week 1

• The Los Angeles Rams have won 24 games in their first two seasons with Sean McVay as head coach.
• The New Orleans Saints have also won 24 games over the last two seasons.
• Both teams should be playoff-bound absent of injuries to their quarterbacks.

As the NFL season is about to get underway for the other 30 NFL teams, we’ve seen an interesting change in the futures. The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams – the two teams that played in the NFC – have seen their odds to make the playoffs drop. Are either actually a good bet to miss the playoffs in 2019?

2019 Odds To Make The Playoffs

*Odds taken 09/06/19  

Will The Rams Miss The Playoffs?

There seems to be a last-minute, cold feet feeling with the Rams among some bettors, but it’s unclear why at this point. With head coach Sean McVay at the helm, the team has won at least 11 games in each of the last two seasons, including the 13 last season along with the trip to the Super Bowl.

They appear to have what should be one of the best offenses in the NFL once again. Jared Goff is the ideal triggerman for their attack and virtually the rest of the entire cast returns – including rookie running back Darrell Henderson, who should help if there’s anything still lingering with Todd Gurley’s knees.

The Rams did make big changes on defense where guys like Ndamukong Suh and Lamarcus Joyner are out while Clay Matthews and Eric Weddle are in. I, personally, rarely worry about defenses coordinated by Wade Phillips as they often overachieve.

Also, this unit still has Aaron Donald, the Defensive Player of the Year, a pair of elite corners in Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, and a pair of solid veterans in Dante Fowler Jr. and Michael Brockers. There’s a lot of talent here.

So how do the Rams miss the playoffs? In my view, you’re mostly looking at an injury. Regardless of what the defense does, this offense should be good enough to deliver 10 wins – at least four that will come from the division. If the defense is halfway decent, this will again be an 11, 12 or 13-win team.

Will The Saints Miss The Playoffs?

I find it odd to see someone betting against the Saints at this point. Like the Rams, this is a team that has a lot of consistency without any visible holes. The often was awesome last season and should be even better in 2019. They beefed up their offensive line with Eric McCoy, added tight end Jared Cook and should have better depth at wideout behind Michael Thomas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yin4hJV8vNA

On defense, you’re looking at one of the league’s better units that’s loaded with quality talent. Marshon Lattimore is one of the top corners in the NFL and Cameron Jordan was Pro Bowler last season. With guys like Eli Apple, Marcus Williams, the return of Marcus Davenport, and additions like Kiko Alonso and Malcolm Brown, there’s no reason to expect a drop-off.

The Saints concern me more not because of their roster but because of who is in their division. The Carolina Panthers could be a 10-win team and the Atlanta Falcons could be in that range too. Could they really send three teams to the playoffs? That’s exactly what happened in 2017, so why not again in 2019?

What’s The Best Bet?

There’s a lot of turnover from year-to-year in the NFL playoffs but in these two cases, you’re mostly only betting on an injury. If Drew Brees or Jared Goff go down, of course both teams’ 2019 playoff odds take a big shot.

Absent of that, these two teams should be back in the playoffs. There are very few visible flaws and given their consistency and carryover from year to year, there’s no reason to expect less than 10 wins and a playoff berth for both.