The Saints hope that another year of Derek Carr in their system can lead them back to the playoffs, but the oddsmakers are skeptical that'll happen.
Here's everything you need to know about the Saints this season.
2024 Saints Odds
Odds via FanDuel and as of Aug. 2.
| Market | Odds |
|---|---|
| Super Bowl | +10000 |
| NFC Champion | +4000 |
| NFC South | +430 |
| Make/Miss Playoffs | +186 / -235 |
| Win Total | 7.5 (-130/ +106) |
2023 Saints Betting Records
- 6-10-1 against the spread (+0.9% ROI)
- 6-11 to the over (-32.5% ROI)
Past Saints Win Totals
| Season | Win Total | No. of Wins |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 | 9 |
| 2022 | 9 | 7 |
| 2023 | 9.5 | 9 |
Important Saints Betting Stats
Derek Carr is 74-83-3 in his career against the spread, while head coach Dennis Allen is 27-41-2.
Can Carr Lead the Saints?
Stuck in perennial salary-cap hell, the Saints had another underwhelming offseason that was mostly about keeping the team’s core together.
Offensively, there are a few key question marks for New Orleans.
We’ll start on the coaching staff, where Klint Kubiak takes over as the offensive play-caller. This will Kubiak’s second stint as an OC, having led the Vikings offense during the 2021 season before head coach Mike Zimmer was fired.
Kubiak went from being the passing game coordinator for Russell Wilson’s disastrous first season in Denver to the same role with the 49ers last season. He’ll inherit an offense that has some intriguing weapons to potentially unlock.
Obviously, everything goes through running back Alvin Kamara and wide receiver Chris Olave. Kamara hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year, though, so it wouldn’t be a shock if Olave becomes even more of a focal point.
Olave is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his NFL career and is now undoubtedly the go-to receiver with Michael Thomas no longer in town. He’ll play opposite Rasheed Shaheed, who’s a potential breakout playmaker in a bigger role this season.
The biggest question for the Saints: How far can Derek Carr take them? Throwing 25 touchdowns to eight interceptions on paper last season seems decent, but Carr’s performance underwhelmed and left the Saints out of the playoffs in a weak NFC South.
This is a big season for Carr, who the Saints could move on from after the season if they were sure he wasn’t the answer at quarterback. It’s unlikely that would happen until after the 2025 season given the Saints’ cap situation, but his status as the franchise QB is firmly under the microscope.
How To Back the Saints This Season
The odds makers are big fans of the Falcons adding Kirk Cousins in the offseason, as they’re a -130 favorite to win the NFC South.
New Orleans is +390 to win the division and +180 to make the playoffs. Betting on the Saints could be seen as more of a fade of Atlanta than buying them.
The Saints have a high floor with Carr under center. He’s reliable enough that they shouldn’t be in the conversation for the first overall pick, but the ceiling is lower because he might not be a Super Bowl-winning QB, especially in this situation.
2024 Saints Schedule Info
According to Action Network's Sean Koerner, the Saints will face the third-easiest schedule in the NFL this season. All four teams in the NFC South, courtesy of getting to play each other twice, are in the top six in terms of easiest 2024-25 slates.
New Orleans' Week 1 Odds & Matchup
The Saints are 4.5-point favorites against the Panthers in Week 1 with a slate-low total of 40.5.
