When the Jaguars (4-2) travel to face the Saints (3-3) to open Week 7 on "Thursday Night Football" (8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon Prime Video), they will look to stay hot and win their fourth consecutive game. The Saints, meanwhile, will try to get back above .500 after losing to another AFC South team, the Texans, on Sunday.
The Jaguars are battling key injuries, however. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence (knee) is expected to play through his ailment, but starting guards Walker Little and Brandon Scherff are hurt. Wide receiver Zay Jones (knee) also is set to miss another game, and defensively, top cornerback Tyson Campbell is hamstrung.
Saints quarterback Derek Carr will keep playing through his right shoulder and chest injuries. Chris Olave (toe) also will be out there to help him as a No. 1 wide receiver, but New Orleans is set to be down two tackles, as James Hurst and Ryan Ramczyk are injured. Furthermore, linebacker Demario Davis, their defensive leader, may miss the game with a knee injury.
MORE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Props | Start-sit | Lawrence update | Williams update
Considering all of that with the personnel, here's breaking down a true tossup game between Jacksonville and New Orleans:
Jaguars vs. Saints odds, spread, over/under
(All odds courtesy of BetMGM)
Spread: Jaguars +1 (-110) | Saints-1 (-110)
Over/Under: OVER 39.5 (-110) | UNDER 39.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Jaguars -105 | Saints -115
This is essentially a pick 'em, with Saints getting the slight lean as the host team at night on a short week. With more confidence about Lawrence's health, the Jaguars would have likely remain favored.
Should you bet the Saints against the spread?
The Jaguars are playing well, and Lawrence has been overall better than Carr when healthy. Perhaps most important, after a slow start, Doug Pedeson is coaching the team very well. The Saints are inconsistent, and their old reliables of offensive line and defense are no longer consistent strengths. The Jaguars have handled the challenges of playing in London twice in a row and came back and crushed the Colts at home in Week 6.
Every eye test says the Jaguars, playing in the tougher AFC, are a much better team, so let's go that way, even in a tough spot away.
Our Pick: Jaguars +1 (-110)
Should you bet the Jaguars on the moneyline?
The Jaguars come in hobbled, but the Saints match them with key injuries. Had Lawrence been ruled out, it would be hard to pick them, but even with him playing through injury, he has more reliable and versatile weapons than Carr. Plus Jacksonville's defense can continue to have a big impact even without Campbell.
Our Pick: Jaguars (-105)
Should you bet the Jaguars-Saints OVER?
It's a Thursday game, and the Chiefs and Broncos did underwhelm last week, but this number is too low with some of the offensive firepower on the field., led by running backs Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara's dual-threat production.
Our Pick: OVER 39.5 (-110)
Final score prediction: Jaguars 23, Saints 20
Best Jaguars-Saints prop bet on SuperDraft
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Travis Etienne, RB, Jaguars — OVER 65.5 rushing yards
Etienne is looking powerful and explosive, and the Jaguars should keep leaning on him for rushing bursts. He settled for only 55 yards in two of the past three weeks, but in between, broke out for 136 yards vs. the Bills.
This game will mean a lot for the red-hot youngster, a Jennings, La., native coming back home to play down the road in New Orleans. He won't disappoint his family or his OVER bettors. The Saints wilted a lot vs. an anemic Texans running game last week, allowing 58 rushing yards on 12 carries to Devin Singletary and another 34 yards on 13 carries to Dameon Pierce. Etienne is leading the league with 113 carries, so he'll get plenty of opportunities.
