The second week of the preseason concludes Monday night with the Jacksonville Jaguars taking on the New Orleans Saints. Both teams opened up preseason play with losses, the Jaguars falling 23-13 to the Cleveland Browns and the Saints defeated by the Baltimore Ravens, 17-14.
Monday’s game time is at 8 p.m. EST inside Caesers Superdome in New Orleans, LA. The game will be televised on ESPN. According to oddsmakers, the Saints are a 4-point favorite with a score total over-under at 40.
What to Know – Jacksonville Jaguars
Head coach Urban Meyer made his NFL debut last week after years at the collegiate level and most recent time spent as an analyst for FOX Sports. The three-time national champion coach is marking his first-ever stint in the NFL in his three-decade-long coaching career.
The Jaguars played four quarterbacks against the Browns, including the 2021 #1 overall pick, Trever Lawrence. Lawrence got the start and finished 6-or-9 for 71 yards. The expectation is you’ll see more of Lawrence on Monday night. Backups C.J. Beathard (13-of-16, 102 yards, 1 TD) and Jake Luton (8-of-13, 53 yards, 1 TD) saw a majority of the action under center for Jacksonville.
With the Jaguars’ game plan to attack the air, the run game took a back seat, with Jacksonville churning out only 46 yards on the ground. Running back, Dare Ogunbowale carried the ball eight times for 24 yards.
Wide receivers Josh Hammond (six receptions, 55 yards), Tavon Austin (four receptions, 52 yards, 1 TD), and Marvin Jones Jr. (three receptions, 52 yards) all tallied over 50 yards receiving. Fourteen players caught one pass or more in the opener for Jacksonville.
What to Know – New Orleans Saints
The Saints opened the preseason for the first time in 15 years without the services of future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees. Head coach Sean Payton already stated that Jameis Winston will start for the Saints on Monday night.
Taysom Hill got the starting nod last week, completing 8-of-12 passes for 81 yards with one interception. Winston chipped in 96 yards through the air on 7-of-12 throws with a touchdown and pick. Rookie quarterback Ian Book added 126 yards on 9-of-16 passes with an interception.
Star running back Alvin Kamara didn’t suit up in the opener and is likely to not see any action in the preseason. Tony Jones Jr., fighting for a spot in the 53-man roster, carried the ball seven times for 82 yards and a touchdown and hauled in five passes for 38 yards. Jones was on the Saints practice squad in 2020.
The Saints’ top two wideouts, Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith, remain sidelined as both deal with injuries. Marquez Callaway and Juwan Johnson should again be the primary targets for New Orleans’ quarterbacks.
The Pick is In
With Monday Night Football back and a pair of teams with quarterback competition taking place, this should be an entertaining exhibition contest even if the star players don’t dress. This is one of the higher score totals we’ve seen this preseason, so oddsmakers project points to be scored. Expect a back-and-forth game with the Saints scoring a late touchdown to cover.
The Pick: New Orleans Saint -4.0
