Two of the top teams in the NFC clash when the Green Bay Packers take on the New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football. Green Bay (2-0) won the NFC North last year with a 13-3 record, including 6-2 on the road, and went all the way to the NFC Championship Game before losing to San Francisco. New Orleans (1-1) took first in the NFC South at 13-3 in 2019, going 6-2 at home, before losing to Minnesota in the Wild Card round. The Packers have made the postseason in 20 of the past 27 seasons, while the Saints have been playoff bound in seven of the past 11 seasons.
Kickoff from New Orleans is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. New Orleans is tied for second in the NFL with a plus-3 turnover differential, while Green Bay is tied for fourth at plus-2. The Saints are favored by three-points in the latest Packers vs. Saints odds from William Hill, while the over-under for total points scored is 51.5. Before making any Saints vs. Packers picks, you need to see the latest Sunday Night Football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up over $7,300 for $100 players on its top-rated NFL picks since its inception five-plus years ago. It's off to a strong 5-2 roll on top-rated NFL picks this season. The model enters Week 3 on an incredible 101-67 roll on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch in three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 95 percent of CBS Sports office pool players three times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has set its sights on Packers vs. Saints. You can visit SportsLine now to see the picks. Here are the NFL odds from William Hill and trends for Saints vs. Packers:
- Saints vs. Packers spread: Saints -3
- Saints vs. Packers over-under: 51.5 points
- Saints vs. Packers money line: Packers +155, Saints -175
- GB: LB Rashan Gary had a career-high 1.5 sacks against Detroit in Week 2
- NO: Coach Sean Payton is 4-1 all-time vs. the Packers
Why the Saints can cover
New Orleans has an explosive weapon in tight end Jared Cook, a former Green Bay Packer. Cook is second on the Saints in receptions with seven for 93 yards (13.3 average) and one touchdown this season. He has one explosive play and has converted five first downs. In 2016, Cook had 30 catches for 377 yards and a touchdown for the Packers. He has three TD receptions in his past four home games.
With Michael Thomas (ankle) out of the lineup, the Saints will turn to wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith, who is third on the team in receptions with six for 90 yards (15.0 average). He has two explosive plays of 20 or more yards and has converted four first downs. Last week against the Raiders, Smith had five catches for 86 yards, the third game of his career with five or more catches. For his career, Smith has 52 receptions for 751 yards and 10 TDs.
Why the Packers can cover
Green Bay enters the game on a seven-game regular-season winning streak, the longest such streak in the NFC and the longest by the Packers since 2016-17. One of the reasons for the Packers' fast start has been the play of their offensive line, which has dealt with a number of injuries. The Packers have allowed just one sack through the first two games and is tied for the fewest sacks allowed through two weeks in team history. The last time Green Bay allowed just one sack in that span was 2008.
Defensively, the Packers have been led by linebacker Christian Kirksey, who has been a tackling machine. Kirksey leads the team with 23 tackles, including 15 solo. Kirksey previously played six seasons for the Cleveland Browns. In 75 career games, including 56 starts, he has recorded 492 tackles, including 304 solo. He also has 11.5 sacks, 16 pass breakups, two interceptions for 17 yards, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
How to make Packers vs. Saints picks
SportsLine's model is leaning over the total. In fact, it says Rodgers and Brees will combine to throw four touchdowns. It also says one side of the spread hits more than 50 percent of the time. You can only get the pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Saints vs. Packers on Sunday Night Football? And which side of the spread hits more than 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Packers vs. Saints spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up more than $7,300 on its top-rated NFL picks, and find out.
