Saints vs. Seahawks Week 7 Picks: New Orleans Shines in Primetime

Mike Spector

Last Updated: October 23, 2021 1:34 PM EDT • 2 min 34 sec read. Twitter link Google News Link

New Orleans is a 4.5-point road favorite for its Week 7 Monday Night Football contest against Seattle. Find out why we're backing NO and the Over in our Saints and Seahawks picks.

The New Orleans Saints have a significant scheduling advantage in this game, as they are coming off a bye week while the Seattle Seahawks played on Sunday night in Pittsburgh. The month of October has been kind to the Saints recently, as they are 16-1 straight up in their last 17 October games while cashing the Over in their previous five.

Seattle fought valiantly in Geno Smith's first start last week against Pittsburgh. While the Seahawks came up short in an overtime loss, they did make money for bettors who backed them at +5 on the point spread. They have done well in an underdog role the last several seasons, going 13-5 against the spread in their previous 18 games as a dog. Seattle has also been one of the most profitable teams in the league to the Under, entering the week with a 1-5 O/U record, with the Under cashing in four consecutive games.

Here are my picks and predictions for the Monday Night Football NFL Week 7 matchup between the Saints and Seahawks (odds via FanDuel).

Saints vs. Seahawks Week 7 Game Info

Date/Time: Monday, October 25, 8:15 p.m. ETTV: ESPNLocation: Lumen Field, Seattle, WAWeather: 53 degrees, chance of rain

Saints vs. Seahawks Odds

The Seahawks are underdogs for the third consecutive week and their second straight game at home. The first two games in this span date back to when Russell Wilson was healthy, and they won outright as road underdogs against the 49ers but lost as home dogs to the Rams. Most sportsbooks are in unison with New Orleans -4.5, but you can find Saints at -4 or even -5 depending on where you shop.

The 42.5 Over/Under was the lowest of any game on the Week 7 slate before the Broncos/Browns total plummeted. The early indication from bettors is that they loved the Under, as many sportsbooks opened at 44 points, and oddsmakers have reacted to the betting market since with most books in lockstep with the 42.5 total.

Saints vs. Seahawks Picks

New Orleans -4.5 (-106)Over 42.5 (-112)

Saints vs. Seahawks Predictions

New Orleans -4.5 (-106)

We cannot overstate how important it is that the Saints are coming off a bye week while the Seahawks played on Sunday night last week. In addition, New Orleans survived the first five weeks of the season at 3-2 despite a litany of injuries at many positions. Stud wide receiver Michael Thomas is eligible to come off injured reserve this week, and the team has had seven other key starters play a combined six games. While Thomas won't return, the hope is that he won't be out for much longer.

Bettors will want to check the injury report for the status of wide receiver Tre'Quan Smith, left tackle Terron Armstead, center Erik McCoy, defensive end Marcus Davenport, linebacker Kwon Alexander, and defensive tackle David Onyemata. There are a lot of Pro Bowl players in that mix, and even if New Orleans gets half of them back this week, it will provide a big boost.

Either way, we like New Orleans to cover as road faves in our Saints and Seahawks picks for this Week 7 matchup.

https://twitter.com/SBRSportsPicks/status/1451322430639599637

Over 42.5 (-112)

Along with the Saints seemingly getting healthier, another reason we like the Over is that Seattle's Smith should be more comfortable in his third game of action.

The Seahawks were shut out in the first half of last week's contest against the Steelers, but Smith and the Seahawks found their rhythm in the second half and in overtime, scoring 20 points.

Seattle's defense is the worst in the league, allowing 433.2 yards per game. And New Orleans has a propensity for high-scoring games in primetime, as the Over has cashed in seven of their last nine Monday night games.