NFL 'TNF' Week 7: Best bets and preview for Saints vs. Jaguars
Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season begins this Thursday with a cross-conference matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars on "Thursday Night Football." This is a battle between two teams going in opposite directions, as the Jags have won three games in a row, and the Saints have dropped three of their last four.
So, which team has the advantage on "TNF" this week? Let's break it down.
New Orleans Saints vs. Jacksonville Jaguars betting preview
Betting odds: Saints -2, over/under 40.5, Saints -136 ML | Jaguars +118 ML
You don't normally think of defense when you see these two team names, but this is a matchup between two of the hottest defenses in the NFL. The Saints are allowing the fourth-fewest yards per play and the sixth-fewest points per game this season, while the Jaguars are surrendering just 15.7 points per game over the last three weeks.
The uncertainty heading into "Thursday Night Football" resides on the injury report. Trevor Lawrence is still questionable to play due to a knee sprain, but he's expected to tough it out barring a pregame setback. Jacksonville will, though, be without cornerback Tyson Campbell, defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, wide receiver Zay Jones and tackle Walker Little. Right guard Brandon Scherff is questionable.
As for the Saints, they'll be without tight end Juwon Johnson, guard James Hurst, defensive back J.T. Gray, and tackles Landon Young and Ryan Ramczyk. Linebacker Demario Davis, safety Tyrann Mathieu, cornerback Lonnie Johnson and running back Jamaal Williams are all listed as questionable.
'Thursday Night Football' best bets
Saints team total under 20.5 (-105 DraftKings)
The Saints are synonymous with the word under. New Orleans is 6-0 to the under through six weeks, and the offense has scored more than 20 points just once this season.
The Jaguars found something defensively against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4, and they followed that performance up with 40 total points allowed and six total forced turnovers against the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts. This has all the makings of a low-scoring, defensive struggle.
Tank Bigsby over 11.5 rushing yards (+100 FanDuel)
Bigsby saw 15 snaps and recorded seven carries in Week 1, but he started to fall off in the following weeks. The rookie didn't surpass 13 snaps or three carries in any of the Jaguars' next four games. That changed in Week 6.
Last week, Bigsby notched a season-high 17 snaps (27 percent) against the Indianapolis Colts. He should see a similar snap count on "Thursday Night Football" considering it's a short week and Lawrence will be playing through a knee injury. Jacksonville will likely bring a run-heavy approach to New Orleans to help Lawrence avoid getting hit, and the Saints have been much worse against the run than they've been against the pass this year.
All we need is Bigsby to get three or four carries in this game, and he'll have a good chance of cashing this over.
More must-reads: