MINNESOTA vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 12/25/2020 4:30 PM
Where:

TV: 4:30 PM
LINE: -7
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , MINNESOTA

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -7 point favorites versus the MINNESOTA, while the game’s total is sitting at 51.

The New Orleans Saints are in the playoffs.

But they’ve lost two games in a row after winning nine straight. They have failed two weeks in a row to clinch the NFC South title. They have dropped from the No. 1 seed to the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

And now they get a reminder of the disappointing end to last season as they host the Minnesota Vikings in the penultimate game of this season on Christmas afternoon.

It was 51 weeks ago that the Vikings went into the Superdome and upset the Saints 26-20 in a wild-card game.

“Last year, we were flat and we played poorly,” Saints coach Sean Payton said.

New Orleans (10-4) is hardly panicking though. It’s still the No. 2 seed in the conference and can pass Green Bay with some help. It needs just one win or one Tampa Bay loss to clinch its fourth consecutive division title.

Nonetheless, Payton said, “this has got to be a bounce-back week.”

The Saints lost to Philadelphia two weeks ago to drop to 3-1 in the games that Drew Brees missed because of rib and lung injuries.

Brees returned last week and showed plenty of rust in the first half before finding some rhythm. Despite the slow start, the Saints stayed with the Super Bowl champion Chiefs before narrowly losing, 32-29.

“You want to be playing your best football going into the playoffs,” Brees said. “We understand that we’ve sealed a playoff spot. But, the most important factor right now is for us to win and win the division, and then, continue to kind of build on and ascend, going into the playoffs.”

New Orleans has lost back-to-back games for the first time since the first two games of the 2017 season, which also included a 29-19 loss to the Vikings.

“It’s been a long time since we lost back to back,” said safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, who was a sophomore at Florida when it last happened. “We’re not going to let that happen again.”

One thing the Saints likely don’t have to worry about happening again is a playoff game against Minnesota.

The Vikings (6-8) need to win their last two games and see Arizona lose its last two and Chicago lose at least once to qualify.

Minnesota’s injury-plagued defense had nine players on the injury report Tuesday, including star linebacker Eric Kendricks, who has missed the last three games because of a calf injury.

“I have seen some strides from the guys we’re playing with (on defense),” coach Mike Zimmer said.

The Vikings allowed the Bears’ David Montgomery to rush for a career-high 146 yards and two touchdowns last week in Chicago’s win.

With Brees less than 100 percent and All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas on injured reserve, New Orleans might be inclined to emphasize the run with Alvin Kamara and former Viking Latavius Murray.

Kamara has gained nearly 800 yards both rushing and receiving yards and has scored 15 touchdowns.

“We didn’t play very well against the run (against the Bears). We didn’t tackle very well,” Zimmer said. “Kamara’s obviously a great back. He’s got really, really good feet. He’s hard to tackle. They use him in more variety of ways. We’re just going to have to do a better job in some of the cutback and power runs than we did last week.”

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook, who had 132 yards and a touchdown against Chicago, and rookie wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who had eight catches for 104 yards, were both Pro Bowl selections this week.

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NEW ORLEANS vs CAROLINA
When: 1/3/2021 1:00 PM
Where:

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: 6
PREDICTION: CAROLINA , NEW ORLEANS

Oddsmakers currently have the CAROLINA listed as 6 point favorites versus the NEW ORLEANS, while the game’s total is sitting at 55.5.

There were moments this season when Tennessee played with such force and vigor that a playoff berth seemed all but assured, something akin to a foregone conclusion given their offensive weapons.

But with five teams vying for four AFC playoff spots all sporting the same record, there are no guarantees for the Titans (10-5) on Sunday when they face the host Houston Texans at NRG Stadium.

“I think your approach is that you just have to do things that help you win,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of the pending sense of urgency. “You have to play complementary. You’ve got to take care of the football. You’ve got to try to get some turnovers, be sound in the kicking game. Not trying to do too much but go out and make plays and make plays to win the football game.”

The Titans rank third in the NFL in points (450) and fifth in yards (5,851) behind the imposing collective of quarterback Ryan Tannehill, running back Derrick Henry and receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis.

Tannehill ranks fourth in passer rating (106.7) and seventh in touchdowns (32) while Henry is threatening to claim a second consecutive triple crown for running backs by pacing the league in attempts (344) and yards (1,777) while sitting one touchdown shy of co-leaders Dalvin Cook and Alvin Kamara (with 16 apiece).

Brown and Davis both have 60 receptions for 900-plus yards while Davis is tied for sixth in the league with 10 receiving touchdowns.

Yet Tennessee has been undone by its defense, which ranks 29th in yards allowed, and is now in need of relying on past playoff experience to navigate the potential landmines in Houston. In theory, the run to the AFC Championship Game last season should serve the Titans well on Sunday, but in a season where guarantees have been few and far between, nothing is certain.

“I don’t know that,” Vrabel said. “We’ve got to focus on the Texans and the challenges that they present and our ability to prepare. I think you try to take from the games that you’ve played and past experiences and try not to think that it’s going to guarantee success because it doesn’t. Each week and each play doesn’t mean anything about the next one. It’s just about finding a way to get there.”

The Texans (4-11) are aiming to get Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson through the season finale. Watson has taken his lumps in recent weeks yet has remained a dynamic force. But the blow he took to his throwing arm in the fourth quarter last Sunday against the Bengals was worrisome enough to lead some to suggest that Watson should sit and call it a season Sunday.

Watson has made it clear, however, that if he is healthy he will play. And by all accounts, he will.

“As far as I know, he’s doing pretty good,” Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel said. “I haven’t heard that he’s not doing well, and so since I feel like he’s doing good, I hope he does good on Sunday, too.”

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TAMPA BAY vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 9/13/2020 4:25 PM
Where:

TV: 4:25 PM
LINE: -4
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , TAMPA BAY

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -4 point favorites versus the TAMPA BAY, while the game’s total is sitting at 49.5.

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NEW ORLEANS vs ATLANTA
When: 8:20 PM ET, Thursday, November 28, 2019
Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

TV: 8:20 PM
LINE: 6.5
PREDICTION: ATLANTA , NEW ORLEANS

Oddsmakers currently have the ATLANTA listed as 6.5 point favorites versus the NEW ORLEANS, while the game’s total is sitting at 50.

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NEW ORLEANS vs LA RAMS
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, September 15, 2019
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Rams -2.5. O/U: 52
PREDICTION: Rams 30, Saints 28

Oddsmakers currently have the LA RAMS listed as -2.5 point favorites versus the NEW ORLEANS, while the game’s total is sitting at 52.

Nearly nine months after they were done in by one of the more controversial no-calls in NFL history to help the Rams advance to the Super Bowl, the New Orleans Saints seek a measure of revenge when they visit Los Angeles on Sunday. The Rams defeated the Saints 26-23 in overtime in last year’s NFC Championship Game, but it was blatant pass interference on cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman late in regulation that was missed by referees and is still being discussed.

“I didn’t expect it to get that much pub, but it is what it is,” Robey-Coleman told reporters of the play which forced New Orleans to settle for a field goal and later caused the league to change the rule such that pass interference could be reviewed. “They made it into what it is and the league made it a rule. Just got to live with it now and it’s a rule that the whole league is going to have to adjust to.” The top two teams in the NFC last year are on that path again after both picked up narrow victories last week to open the 2019 season. Drew Brees threw for a pair of touchdowns and picked up 36 of his 370 passing yards on a brilliant last-gasp drive that led to the Saints’ game-winning field goal in a 30-28 triumph over Houston at home Monday night. Los Angeles raced to a 13-0 lead in Carolina before hanging on for a 30-27 victory.

ABOUT THE SAINTS (1-0): Brees stressed the company line about treating this as just another game, but he admitted the sting of the NFC title game loss will never go away. “Still haven’t, never will,” Brees told reporters when asked how long it took to forget the blown call and OT loss. “But, when you say forgotten about you have to find a way to compartmentalize it to the point where you can move on in a positive way. I found a way to do that, but as far as just the events, you live and learn and sometimes things don’t go your way and you’ve got to find a way to come out better on the other side.” Star running back Alvin Kamara ran for 97 yards and had 72 receiving yards in Week 1, while Michael Thomas was Brees’ top target with 10 catches for 123 yards.

ABOUT THE RAMS (1-0): Todd Gurley was hampered by a knee issue at the end of last season and managed only four carries in the NFC title game, but he looked pretty good in Week 1 while mostly sharing the touches out of the backfield with Malcolm Brown. Gurley finished with 97 yards on 14 carries while Brown added 53 yards and scored twice, and both will be taking aim at a New Orleans defense that allowed Houston to pile up 180 rushing yards on only 23 carries. Quarterback Jared Goff followed up his difficult Super Bowl performance with an uneven opener, completing 23-of-39 passes for 186 yards with a TD and an interception against Carolina.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Rams S Eric Weddle (concussion, laceration) is expected to play Sunday.

2. Saints WR Ted Ginn Jr., who is questionable due to an illness, caught all seven balls thrown his way in Week 1 for 101 yards.

3. The Rams have won the last three meetings at home, two of which took place when the franchise was in St. Louis.

PREDICTION: Rams 30, Saints 28

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HOUSTON vs NEW ORLEANS
When: 7:10 PM ET, Monday, September 9, 2019
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

TV: 7:10 PM
LINE: -7
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , HOUSTON

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -7 point favorites versus the HOUSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 53.

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NEW ORLEANS PELICANS vs BOSTON CELTICS
When: 7:30 PM  ET, Monday, December 10, 2018
Where: TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts

TV: 7:35 PM
LINE: -6.5
PREDICTION: BOSTON , NEW ORLEANS

Oddsmakers currently have the BOSTON listed as -6.5 point favorites versus the NEW ORLEANS, while the game’s total is sitting at 230.5.

The Boston Celtics seemed to figure things out offensively when they visited New Orleans just after Thanksgiving and spanked the Pelicans. That kicked off a five-game winning streak for the Celtics, who try to keep the run going when they host New Orleans for a rematch Monday night.

Boston is averaging 126.2 points during its winning streak and set a record for the largest margin of victory in team history with a 133-77 rout of the Chicago Bulls on Saturday. “I think since the last five games, we’ve been moving the ball very well, probably average 30 assists in every game we won,” forward Daniel Theis told reporters after producing a career-high 22 points in the victory. “That’s the way we should play – just fast.” The Pelicans have exchanged wins and losses since the meeting with Boston and opened their two-game road trip with a 116-108 win at Detroit on Sunday. Jrue Holiday scored a season-high 37 points in the victory as New Orleans survived a limited effort by superstar forward Anthony Davis, who missed a portion of the game due to a hip issue and finished with just six points.

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS New Orleans, NBCS Boston

ABOUT THE PELICANS (14-14): Davis had his lowest point total since he had two points in an injury-shortened affair on Oct. 24, 2017, but the 25-year-old still managed nine rebounds, five blocks and four assists in his 26 minutes. “It will be evaluated later,” coach Alvin Gentry told reporters of his best player’s hip. “A lot of times it’s the next day where the pain is. We’ll have to wait and see. If he’s not ready to go (Monday), we’re not going to press the issue – not less than 30 games into the season.” Holiday made 14-of-22 shots in Sunday’s win and is averaging 26.5 points and 9.5 assists over his last four games.

ABOUT THE CELTICS (15-10): Jaylen Brown returned from a back injury two games ago and has thrived in his new bench role, producing an average of 22 points while shooting 15-for-21 in those two contests. Fellow reserve Terry Rozier chipped in 15 points and backup Semi Ojeleye had 13 in Saturday’s win as coach Brad Stevens continues to get good production from his non-starters. “It’s something we’ve had to figure out, what was going to work best,” Stevens told reporters of the bench. “If all things being equal, as we went back to our lineup at the start of the year, we’d be a little bit better, because we’re more comfortable with each other, we’d know a little bit more about how guys coexist. But clearly it’s been a good couple of groups, so we’ll see what happens from here.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Celtics F/C Al Horford (knee) missed Saturday’s game and is day-to-day.

2. Boston PG Kyrie Irving had 26 points, 10 assists and five steals in the earlier win at New Orleans.

3. Pelicans PF Julius Randle is averaging 29.5 points and 11.3 rebounds over a four-game span.

PREDICTION: Celtics 121, Pelicans 110

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MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES vs NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
When: 8:00 PM  ET, Friday, December 7, 2018
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, Louisiana

TV: 8:05 PM
LINE: -4.5
PREDICTION: NEW ORLEANS , MEMPHIS

Oddsmakers currently have the NEW ORLEANS listed as -4.5 point favorites versus the MEMPHIS, while the game’s total is sitting at 217.

Opposing styles are set to clash when the high-scoring New Orleans Pelicans host the defensive-minded Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. The Pelicans enter play on Thursday second in the NBA in scoring offense at an average of 118.7 points while the Grizzlies are second in scoring defense at 102.3 points allowed.

New Orleans showed off its firepower on Wednesday in a 132-106 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, shooting 55.4 percent from the floor while knocking down 17-of-29 from beyond the arc and placing six scorers in double figures. “I think we started the game with a lot of energy,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “We moved the ball and we got out and ran. We did everything we had to do to try and replicate everything we did early in the season.” Memphis found its way into the win column on Wednesday by holding the Los Angeles Clippers to 33.8 percent shooting in a 96-86 triumph. “The whole thing we were worried about was just grinding it out,” Grizzlies forward JaMychal Green told reporters. “We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game, and we knew they were going to come to play. Everybody stepped up tonight, we got the game won, playing defense and moving the ball as a team.”

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS South (Memphis), FS New Orleans

ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (14-9): Veteran center Joakim Noah made his team debut on Wednesday and collected four points and three rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench while providing the team with an energy jolt. “He’s added energy from the moment he walked into this building,” Memphis rookie forward Jaren Jackson Jr. told reporters of Noah. “You can just feel it. He’s always hyped about whatever it is. Screaming, yelling – you saw it. All that. He’s doing everything. We love that.” Noah was playing in his first game since Jan. 2, when he went scoreless in two minutes for the New York Knicks.

ABOUT THE PELICANS (13-13): New Orleans continues to be led by MVP candidate Anthony Davis but is getting solid production from fellow forward Julius Randle, no matter what his role happens to be. Randle found himself in the starting lineup with Nikola Mirotic (illness) sidelined on Wednesday and contributed 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting and 18 rebounds. “My mindset doesn’t really change (starting),” Randle told reporters. “I just focus on what I can control, which is energy and effort. Any time you can share the floor with a guy like (Davis) it makes the game easier. It’s a different dynamic that teams have to adjust to.”

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Davis blocked five shots on Wednesday and is second in the NBA at an average of 2.82.

2. Memphis C Marc Gasol was held to four points on 1-of-13 shooting Wednesday.

3. The teams split four games last season, with each protecting homecourt.

PREDICTION: Pelicans 110, Grizzlies 96

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NEW ORLEANS SAINTS vs TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
When: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, December 9, 2018
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

TV: 1:00 PM
LINE: 9
PREDICTION: TAMPA BAY , NEW ORLEANS

Oddsmakers currently have the TAMPA BAY listed as 9 point favorites versus the NEW ORLEANS, while the game’s total is sitting at 56.

The New Orleans Saints will have nine full days off to diagnose what went wrong in a rare loss last Thursday before continuing their march toward a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs. The Saints will try to avenge a Week 1 loss when they visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

New Orleans, which dropped a 48-40 decision to Tampa Bay in the opener before ripping off 10 consecutive wins, put up its worst offensive performance last week in a 13-10 loss at the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 22. “We would love to be perfect. But that wasn’t the plan. And that’s OK,” Saints offensive lineman Jermon Bushrod told reporters. “Our goals are still in front of us. We’ve got four more weeks to do what we need to do. It’s not gonna be easy. Nobody’s gonna sit back and wait for us to punch ’em in the mouth. They’re gonna punch us, and we gotta punch back. That’s just what it is.” The Buccaneers are in third place in the NFC South but are starting to play well with wins in the last two contests and are getting solid performances from the defense, which held the last two opponents to a total of 26 points. Veteran defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul recorded at least one sack in each of the last three contests and leads the team with 11.5.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Saints -8. O/U: 55.5.

ABOUT THE SAINTS (10-2): New Orleans can clinch the NFC South with a win on Sunday and did some self-scouting after the loss to the Cowboys, which quarterback Drew Brees believes will get the team going in the right direction again. “Sometimes you have to lose a battle to win the war,” Brees told reporters. “You learn a lot from something like that. I do not think we were getting ahead of ourselves or anything like that. I just think we honestly just had a bad day and you turn on the film and it’s glaringly obvious where we failed and (we need to) make sure that that doesn’t happen again.” Brees is up to 30 TD passes and three interceptions on the season but posted a season-low 71.6 rating last week.

ABOUT THE BUCCANEERS (5-7): Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 417 yards and four touchdowns in the Week 1 win over the Saints, but Tampa Bay is back to Jameis Winston under center. Winston guided the team to wins in each of the last two games by playing turnover-free football with a total of four TDs and zero INTs. “Jameis’ production — when we don’t turn the ball over, when he doesn’t turn the ball over — his production is always going to be there,” Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told reporters. “(He’s) a fantastic player, and sometimes that gets negated by turnovers. But you could see the last two weeks, when we don’t turn the ball over, we’re a lot harder to beat.”

EXTRA POINTS

1. Saints veteran WR Brandon Marshall could make his team debut on Sunday.

2. Buccaneers S Andrew Adams recorded three INTs last week.

3. New Orleans LT Terron Armstead (pectoral) returned to practice this week after missing the last three games and is questionable.

PREDICTION: Saints 35, Buccaneers 27

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NEW ORLEANS PELICANS vs CHARLOTTE HORNETS
When: 5:00 PM  ET, Sunday, December 2, 2018
Where: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina

TV: 5:05 PM
LINE: -3
PREDICTION: CHARLOTTE , NEW ORLEANS

Oddsmakers currently have the CHARLOTTE listed as -3 point favorites versus the NEW ORLEANS, while the game’s total is sitting at 234.5.

The New Orleans Pelicans nearly recovered from a 31-point deficit on Friday thanks to the heroics of Anthony Davis, but they would prefer to stop playing from so far behind. The Pelicans will try to put 48 minutes together and earn a rare road win when they visit the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

New Orleans, which is 2-10 on the road, fell behind 37-17 after the first quarter and continued to lose ground in the second period before turning things around after the break and making it interesting in a 106-101 setback at Miami. “We have to start the games better, attitudes wise, intensity wise, execution wise,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. “We just have to do better. Onto the next setting. No one is going to feel sorry for us and the only way we are going to get out of this is we have to work ourselves out of this.” The Hornets are trying to clinch a winning four-game homestand and took the first two games before falling 119-111 to the Utah Jazz on Friday. Shooting guard Jeremy Lamb led Charlotte in scoring in each of the first three games with opposing defenses focusing on point guard Kemba Walker.

TV: 5 p.m. ET, FS New Orleans, FS Southeast (Charlotte)

ABOUT THE PELICANS (11-12): Davis led the comeback effort on Friday and finished with 41 points on 15-of-23 shooting, nine rebounds and four blocks in the loss. “He played well and shot the ball well,” Gentry told reporters of Davis. “He plays well most nights, though. That’s not anything new, but just from a team standpoint we need to do better. And as a coach I have to do a better job making sure that they come ready to play.” Davis is going after his first league MVP award and is averaging 27.8 points, 12.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.7 blocks.

ABOUT THE HORNETS (11-11): Charlotte had a plan to beat the Jazz on Friday, it just didn’t quite work out. “The biggest concern going into the game was the paint,” Hornets coach James Borrego told reporters. “They’re a very good paint team. They were not shooting the 3-ball as well. This is not a team that was thriving at the 3-point line and they got 30 points from Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver at the 3-point line. We won the paint by 23 points, 70-46. Most nights that’s in our favor. Most nights you win that game. It’s just the 3-point line. They made 18. We made nine.” Walker went 1-of-6 from beyond the arc in the loss and is 4-of-18 over the last three contests.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Hornets C Cody Zeller (ribs) was limited to seven minutes on Friday but is expected to play Sunday.

2. The Pelicans went 6-of-28 from beyond the arc in Friday’s loss.

3. New Orleans took the last four meetings, though all four were decided by five or fewer points.

PREDICTION: Pelicans 123, Hornets 121

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