Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater improved to 4-0 as a starter for the New Orleans Saints (5-1) after Pope Francis inadvertently included the Saints hashtag on Twitter while blessing a new batch of Catholic saints. Between Bridgewater and Pope Francis, bookmakers in Las Vegas adjusted the numbers, and the New Orleans Saints are now 8/1 odds to win Super Bowl 54.
In Week 6, Bridgewater won a tough and ugly road game against the Jacksonville Jags. Sean Payton and the defense expected a dogfight, and got one. The Saints D kept Gardner Minshew off balance. Meanwhile, Bridgewater made a big play in the fourth quarter to bust open the defensive quagmire. Bridgewater connected with TE Jared Cook in the end zone for the only touchdown of the game. The Saints held on to win 13-6, and team improved to 5-1.
The New Orleans Saints, without Hall of Fame QB Drew Brees, are the second-best team in the NFC behind the undefeated San Francisco 49ers (5-0). However, the Saints have better Super Bowl odds compared to the Niners, who are listed at 14/1.
SUPER BOWL 54 ODDS (As of 10.14.19):
New England Patriots 2/1
Kansas City Chiefs 6/1
New Orleans Saints 8/1
San Francisco 49ers 14/1
Green Bay Packers 16/1
The New England Patriots (6-0) are the big favorite to win the Super Bowl in back-to-back years. Despite a 3-3 record, the Kansas City Chiefs are high up on the board at 6/1 odds.
The Saints are now the highest NFC team on the futures board. The LA Rams were fairly high for the first quarter of the season, but their odds plummeted after three consecutive losses. Aaron Rodgers and the Packers keep humming along, but they’re just hovering in the second tier of teams with 16/1 Super Bowl odds.
The Niners have not fully convinced oddsmakers of their legitimacy. For now, the Niners are only 14/1 odds to win the Super Bowl. As the Niners kept winning, Jimmy G and company jumped from 20/1 to 14/1 odds over the last couple of weeks.
Saints Super Bowl Odds Spike
Before the season started, the experts in Las Vegas listed the Saints as 12/1 Super Bowl odds. The big concern was the rapid decline of Drew Brees in the second half of the 2018 season. There’s a reason not too many quarterbacks play past the age of 40. With Brees one year older, his durability was the biggest concern.
In Week 2 against the Rams, Brees injured his thumb. Bridgewater sprang into action, but the Rams prevailed. The Saints slipped to 1-1, and the future looked grim in the Big Easy.
Bookmakers didn’t feel so emo. Sure, the Saints Super Bowl odds fell a bit, but they didn’t exactly tumble. The Saints slipped to 16/1. Either the bookies had more faith in Bridgewater than the public did, or they felt the NFC was weak.
A month later, it seems like both those assertions were correct. Bridgewater guided the Saints for four straight wins. The Rams don’t look like a team that went to the Super Bowl last year. And the Cowboys just lost to the NY Jets.
Only the Niners have a better record than the Saints in the NFC, but no other NFC squad has better Super Bowl odds. What do the bookies know that we don’t, aside from the obvious? Brees is itching to play as soon as possible. The Saints initially wanted to keep him out through the bye week. Brees doesn’t want to wait until Week 10 to return.
Pope Bump
Pope Francis accidentally used the New Orleans Saints hashtag on Twitter, including the fleur de lis emoji. The pope inadvertently blessed the Saints instead of referring to newly canonized saints on twitter.
With the pontiff’s blessing, the Saints won, and covered, as a 3-point underdog.
Couldn't lose after this.#Blessed and highly favored ðŸ™Œâšœï¸ https://t.co/2BoE2oYGqF
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) October 13, 2019
If there’s a good excuse to take a flier on the Saints in the Super Bowl, it’s fresh off the tweet from Pope Francis. The bookies in Vegas factored in divine intervention, and the odds for the New Orleans Saints are now 8/1.
