This Friday night will feature the Chargers and Saints battling for their first NFL preseason win in 2022. This is the last time teams will see their players in action before the start of the regular season and before making their final cuts to reduce their rosters to 53 players at the August 30 deadline.
Both NFL teams are hopeful their final rosters are strong enough to make deep playoff runs after the regular season ends.
Los Angeles Chargers vs. New Orleans Saints
The Chargers had high hopes in 2021 but failed to make the playoffs after finishing third in the AFC West with a 9-8 record.
Their high-powered offense finished fourth in the NFL in total yards, averaging 390 per game behind the play of second-year Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert. They were also fifth in the NFL, scoring 27.9 points per game.
Chargers Performance Recap
The problems for LA came on the defensive side, where they finished 23rd in the league, giving up 360 yards per game, and were 30th in points against at 27 per contest.
As a result, they made a few moves during free agency to shore up their defense, such as acquiring Pro Bowl LB Kalil Mack from the Chicago Bears and CB J.C. Jackson from the New England Patriots.
New Orleans also came up short in 2021 after getting off to a 5-2 start. They then lost five straight games but turned things around in their last five games by going 4-1.
They finished the season 9-8 and in second place behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South but failed to secure a wildcard spot in the playoffs.
Saints Performance Recap
The New Orleans Saints had difficulty generating enough offense last season, finishing 28th in the league with 304.5 yards per game.
NFL Stats
They were also last in the league in passing yards per game with 187.4. However, NFL stats show the defense for New Orleans ranked seventh overall and finished fourth in rushing, giving up 93.5 yards per game.
Jameis Winston is back at quarterback after re-signing with the team and should be ready for the start of the regular season after tearing his ACL in Week 8.
As long as he’s healthy and stays off the NFL injury report, the team should get consistent offensive production in 2022.
Teams Previous Scoreboards
Saints Scoreboard
The last time these two teams matched up was in 2020, with New Orleans winning an exciting overtime contest, 30-27. The Saints vs. Chargers best bet is that this game will also be a close matchup.
These were two completely different teams the last time they faced each other, as Drew Brees led the Saints with 325 yards passing and threw one touchdown.
Chargers Scoreboard
Justin Herbert was in his rookie season with the Chargers but had one of his most productive games, throwing for 264 yards and four touchdowns in the loss.
The Chargers and Saints have met 13 times, with the Los Angeles Chargers leading in the series with seven wins. These teams have been very competitive in their most recent matchups, with just 16 points separating them in the last four games, in which the Chargers have won three.
Chargers vs. Saints Betting Analysis
Considering the Saints vs. Chargers Best Bet, both teams are 0-2 this preseason, with starters for both teams not expected to see much action.
Chargers Analysis
The Chargers have scored 40 points in the two losses against the Dallas Cowboys and LA Rams, with Herbert not seeing any action in either game.
Winston also hasn’t seen action this preseason and is questionable for this game. He’s still recovering from off-season surgery but has been participating in practice.
Saints Analysis
The Saints have continued to have problems scoring in the preseason and won’t be one of the consistent NFL expert picks this season if they can’t average more than 11.5 points per game.
Odds Breakdown
- Los Angeles opens at +1.5 as underdogs on the spread, and the Moneyline for the Chargers is +105.
- New Orleans opened at -1.5 as favorites on the spread and -125 on the Moneyline.
- The Over/Under for this matchup is 36.5.
Chargers vs. Saints Betting Pick and Prediction
The Chargers likely will have their two backup QBs under center for this matchup after they led the offense to just 18 points in their loss against Dallas.
The New Orleans offense scored just ten points last week against the Packers and hasn’t done much in the preseason to show they can put more points on the board than last year’s disappointing season.
NFL betting odds indicate that the Saints vs. Chargers best bet is to take over 36.5 points on the total in this matchup.
The Chargers still have problems on defense this preseason, giving up 61 points in the first two games.
This will be their only preseason game on the road, where they didn’t fare well last season after finishing 4-4. The Saints vs. Chargers best bet on the spread is to take the Saints to cover as 1.5-point favorites.
NFL Pick: Chargers 36.5 (-110)
NFL Pick: Saints -3 (-105)
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