Tonight’s matchup features two playoff hopefuls and preseason Week 1 winners in the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Chargers.
The Saints’ starters played last week against Kansas City, with Derek Carr taking snaps for the first drive of the game before sitting out for the remainder of the game. The Chargers held their starters out in a 34-17 win over the Rams’ backups.
Who will be playing tonight, and how will the game play out? We break it down with the betting odds, a pick, and more.
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New Orleans Saints (-3.5) vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Blewis:Â After Chargers head coach Brandon Staley’s decision to play the starters in a meaningless Week 18 game last season backfired tremendously, will he ever make that mistake again?
A little-known fact is that Justin Herbert hasn’t played a single preseason snap in his short NFL career. The preseason was canceled during his rookie year due to the pandemic, and Staley didn’t want to put him at risk the previous two years.
I’m expecting that to still be the case and not see Herbert tonight, despite having a new scheme under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to get acclimated to.
The Saints played all of their starters last week, and they looked impressive. Carr looked sharp, leading the Saints to a touchdown on the opening drive, and the defense held Patrick Mahomes scoreless in his one series. That makes me confident that they won’t see many starters, if any, tonight.
I’m expecting both coaches to be conservative in this one, which makes me think this will be a low-scoring game. Give me the under.
Pick: Under 37.5 points (-110)
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New Orleans Saints Roster and Injury Report
If Carr sits this one entirely, then we’ll see Jameis Winston and rookie Jake Haener take snaps under center. Winston was 11 of 13 for 92 yards and a touchdown last week, while Haener completed 10 of 17 passes for 105 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
In last week’s game, rookie RB Kendre Miller suffered a knee sprain but eventually returned to practice on Thursday. Miller might not suit up tonight but will be ready to go for the start of the regular season.
Taysom Hill left practice this week with a strained oblique, and OL Cesar Ruiz also left practice after hurting his shoulder. Both injuries don’t appear to be serious, according to Saints head coach Dennis Allen.
On the defensive side, CB Marshon Lattimore sat out Friday’s practice due to an apparent knee injury. LB Demario Davis suffered a calf injury early in training camp, but he returned to practice this week in a limited capacity.
Los Angeles Chargers Roster and Injury Report
For once in Charger-land, it is rather quiet on the injury front. CB Kemon Hall was placed on injured reserve this week, and S Alohi Gilman has been out due to a knee contusion.
Last week at quarterback, former fifth-round pick Easton Stick got the majority of the snaps, going 14 of 21 for 109 yards and a touchdown. We should expect to see more of the former TCU star, rookie QB Max Duggan, this week under center. In his debut, he only threw the ball three times for 19 yards but showed off his athleticism with a 19-yard run.
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First-round pick WR Quentin Johnston showed flashes of what’s to come with a touchdown catch in his debut last week. It’s unconfirmed if they’ll have him play again this week, as he’s important insurance for Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, who missed a combined 11 games last season.
On defense, the Chargers’ Day 2 draft picks should continue to get snaps again this week: edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu and linebacker Daiyan Henley.
