New Orleans Saints prepare for Warner, Cardinals
Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers put on quite a show Sunday in Arizona in their wild card matchup. In the end a defensive score in overtime ended a very offensive day with Warner and his Cards moving on in the playoffs with their 51-45 win. Arizona will now travel to New Orleans for a Saturday showdown with the high-octane Saints in a game that could provide even more scoring between the two strong offenses.
Word out of the desert is Kurt Warner is going to retire at the end of the season. If the reports prove to be true, talk about a guy that’s going out with a bang.
It’s saying something that Warner is finishing up on a high note. After all, Warner has appeared in five Pro Bowls, has two NFL MVPs, and has cashed a Super Bowl title – while getting to the big game on two other occasions.
After his performance on Sunday in the Cardinals’ 51-45 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers as 2 ½-point home underdogs, Warner now has six 300-plus yard passing games in the postseason to tie Peyton Manning and Joe Montana for the most all-time.
What were Warner’s numbers against the Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round? He was an incredible 29-of-33 for 379 yards with five touchdowns. Warner can’t retire soon enough for the Saints with the Cardinals coming to town in the first of two Divisional Round matchups on Saturday.
Arizona at New Orleans (-7, 56½)
Saturday – 4:30 PM ET, FOX
Early consensus data shows strong public support for the Cardinals (11-6, 10-7 ATS) heading into their battle with the Saints (13-3, 8-8 ATS) on Saturday afternoon at the Superdome.
Oddsmakers opened New Orleans as seven-point chalk at the completion of the Arizona-Green Bay game on Sunday night, and money poured in on the underdogs. Into early Monday morning, about 65% of wagers on the spread had come in on the Cards according to market reports. If the trend continues, expect sportsbooks to adjust accordingly.
The Saints ended the regular season with the best offense in the NFL (403.9 yards per game) despite scoring only 44 total points in their final three games. New Orleans dropped all three of those contests both SU and against the number to finish the season on a dismal 2-8 ATS (7-3 SU) run for bettors.
Sean Payton’s team ranks only 25th in defense (357.8 YPG), so we could be in for a shootout on Saturday considering what Warner and the Cards are capable of doing offensively. That said, the under is the sharp play if you were siding with the trends.
The Saints are 1-6 O/U (4-3 SU, 2-5 ATS) in their last seven games, while the Cards have played under in six of their last eight (5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS) after going over the 48-point total against the Packers in the highest scoring game in NFL playoff history.
Baltimore at Indianapolis (-7, 44½)
Saturday – 8:15 PM ET, CBS
Only 25th in the league against the run, the Colts (14-2, 10-5-1 ATS) face the Ravens (10-7, 9-7-1 ATS) and their powerful rushing attack at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
Bob Sanders (knee) went down for the season long ago, and Indianapolis could sure use him against Baltimore. The Ravens came into the postseason fifth in rushing (137.9 YPG), and they showed handicappers why in their 33-14 upset at New England on Sunday afternoon. Baltimore racked up 234 yards on the ground against the Patriots to cash easily as 3 ½-point underdogs.
The Ravens need to run the ball to have any chance of covering against the Colts, because Joe Flacco is playing his worst football of the season. Baltimore’s running game was rolling on Sunday, and lost in the shuffle was Flacco’s poor showing against New England. Flacco went 4-of-10 for 34 yards with an interception and a 10.0 passer rating in the Wild Card Round.
Because of that, it’s hard to lay down money on a Ravens team that couldn’t score a touchdown in their 17-15 loss to the Colts (-1) at M&T Bank Stadium on November 22.
Baltimore did a reasonably good job of holding Manning in check – he went 22-of-31 for 299 yards with a TD pass and two interceptions – but it’ll be harder in front of a sold out crowd in Indy. The good news for Ravens backers? Flacco had a decent game in the loss to the Colts, going 23-of-35 for 256 yards with a pick.
Like in the Cards-Saints matchup, the 'under' is the smart wager on the total. The teams have played 'under' in six of their last seven meetings, during which the Colts are 6-1 SU and ATS. Indianapolis is also 2-6 O/U in its last eight playoff games, while the Ravens are 2-7 O/U in their last nine against the AFC.
Kurt Warner and Aaron Rodgers put on quite a show Sunday in Arizona in their wild card matchup. In the end a defensive score in overtime ended a very offensive day with Warner and his Cards moving on in the playoffs with their 51-45 win. Arizona will now travel to New Orleans for a Saturday showdown with the high-octane Saints in a game that could provide even more scoring between the two strong offenses.
Word out of the desert is Kurt Warner is going to retire at the end of the season. If the reports prove to be true, talk about a guy that’s going out with a bang.
It’s saying something that Warner is finishing up on a high note. After all, Warner has appeared in five Pro Bowls, has two NFL MVPs, and has cashed a Super Bowl title – while getting to the big game on two other occasions.
After his performance on Sunday in the Cardinals’ 51-45 overtime win over the Green Bay Packers as 2 ½-point home underdogs, Warner now has six 300-plus yard passing games in the postseason to tie Peyton Manning and Joe Montana for the most all-time.
What were Warner’s numbers against the Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round? He was an incredible 29-of-33 for 379 yards with five touchdowns. Warner can’t retire soon enough for the Saints with the Cardinals coming to town in the first of two Divisional Round matchups on Saturday.
Arizona at New Orleans (-7, 56½)
Saturday – 4:30 PM ET, FOX
Early consensus data shows strong public support for the Cardinals (11-6, 10-7 ATS) heading into their battle with the Saints (13-3, 8-8 ATS) on Saturday afternoon at the Superdome.
Oddsmakers opened New Orleans as seven-point chalk at the completion of the Arizona-Green Bay game on Sunday night, and money poured in on the underdogs. Into early Monday morning, about 65% of wagers on the spread had come in on the Cards according to market reports. If the trend continues, expect sportsbooks to adjust accordingly.
The Saints ended the regular season with the best offense in the NFL (403.9 yards per game) despite scoring only 44 total points in their final three games. New Orleans dropped all three of those contests both SU and against the number to finish the season on a dismal 2-8 ATS (7-3 SU) run for bettors.
Sean Payton’s team ranks only 25th in defense (357.8 YPG), so we could be in for a shootout on Saturday considering what Warner and the Cards are capable of doing offensively. That said, the under is the sharp play if you were siding with the trends.
The Saints are 1-6 O/U (4-3 SU, 2-5 ATS) in their last seven games, while the Cards have played under in six of their last eight (5-3 SU, 4-4 ATS) after going over the 48-point total against the Packers in the highest scoring game in NFL playoff history.
Baltimore at Indianapolis (-7, 44½)
Saturday – 8:15 PM ET, CBS
Only 25th in the league against the run, the Colts (14-2, 10-5-1 ATS) face the Ravens (10-7, 9-7-1 ATS) and their powerful rushing attack at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday night.
Bob Sanders (knee) went down for the season long ago, and Indianapolis could sure use him against Baltimore. The Ravens came into the postseason fifth in rushing (137.9 YPG), and they showed handicappers why in their 33-14 upset at New England on Sunday afternoon. Baltimore racked up 234 yards on the ground against the Patriots to cash easily as 3 ½-point underdogs.
The Ravens need to run the ball to have any chance of covering against the Colts, because Joe Flacco is playing his worst football of the season. Baltimore’s running game was rolling on Sunday, and lost in the shuffle was Flacco’s poor showing against New England. Flacco went 4-of-10 for 34 yards with an interception and a 10.0 passer rating in the Wild Card Round.
Because of that, it’s hard to lay down money on a Ravens team that couldn’t score a touchdown in their 17-15 loss to the Colts (-1) at M&T Bank Stadium on November 22.
Baltimore did a reasonably good job of holding Manning in check – he went 22-of-31 for 299 yards with a TD pass and two interceptions – but it’ll be harder in front of a sold out crowd in Indy. The good news for Ravens backers? Flacco had a decent game in the loss to the Colts, going 23-of-35 for 256 yards with a pick.
Like in the Cards-Saints matchup, the 'under' is the smart wager on the total. The teams have played 'under' in six of their last seven meetings, during which the Colts are 6-1 SU and ATS. Indianapolis is also 2-6 O/U in its last eight playoff games, while the Ravens are 2-7 O/U in their last nine against the AFC.
The wins they had in the first 4 weeks was just an extension of preseason
