Will the Saints get their act together in the London Game?

The NFL comes to Europe for the first time in 2022 – more precisely to London at Tottenham Stadium. Then two real London specialists will meet, as both the Saints and the Vikings are still unbeaten outside the USA.

One of those streaks will thus come to an end on Sunday, and it’s not easy to predict which one. The Saints have rather stumbled into the season, sitting at the bottom of their NFC South with 1-2 wins. Despite their star-studded squad.

The Vikings are 2-1, but after their surprising win over the Packers in their opener, they have been anything but convincing in their next two games. A defeat against Philly was followed by a very lucky win against the Lions.

For Saints vs. Vikings, our forecast is therefore a typical London Game. Both teams will have problems with jetlag at first and the total score will therefore not go up. In the end, we see New Orleans slightly ahead due to their slightly better defence.

Kickoff of this first London Games 2022 is on Sunday at 15:30 in the English capital. The match can be watched live on ProSieben and at ran.de.

New Orleans Saints – Statistics & current form

The Saints just can’t get any rhythm or momentum this season. Not even the narrow win on game day one against the Falcons helped, although that could have actually released new forces.

But what followed in weeks two and three was a revelation, especially offensively. They scored just ten and 14 points in their two losses to the Bucs and Panthers, and the first half against Carolina in particular should be cause for concern.

Saints miss too many chances

Against the Panthers, the Saints were actually clearly ahead in all stats. 19:12 first downs, 426:293 total yards, but also 3:0 in turnovers. This shows once again how dependent all NFL teams are on ball control.

First and foremost, Jameis Winston has to hold his nose here, a situation he is already used to from previous years. His susceptibility to turnovers not only cost him his job in Tampa Bay, it could soon do so again in New Orleans.

With 5 interceptions, he already leads this statistic again in 2022, together with Mac Jones and Matthew Stafford. If he doesn’t manage to get a grip on this, then it could end up being tight again with a play-off participation despite this strong squad.

Matchup suits New Orleans

Now in London on Sunday, however, they could turn the tables. After all, the Vikings suit them from a matchup standpoint. They have a strong wide receiver duo in Jefferson and Thielen, but the Saints are the fifth-best team in the NFL against the pass.

They allow just 183.7 yards per game, and if they can get a handle on their turnovers, we’ll see them ahead this weekend. For Saints vs. Vikings, a bet on New Orleans with great value is our favourite betting option.

Key Players:
QB: Jameis Winston
RB: Alvin Kamara
WR: Michael Thomas
TE: Taysom Hill
K: Wil Lutz

Minnesota Vikings – Statistics & current form

Against the Lions, the Vikings have once again gone off the rails. But similar to the Saints, the season of the northern lights is not yet running smoothly. Even the grandiose opening win against Green Bay can’t hide that fact.

They allowed 416 yards against Detroit, 277 of them against the pass. Now they face a Saints pass-first offense that ranks in the top 8 through the air – not necessarily the best matchup for Minnesota.

Vikings’ O-line holds

One part of the team that has worked very well in their game so far is the O-Line. They have allowed just four sacks in the first three games, protecting Kirk Cousins like few other quarterbacks in the league. Only Mahomes, Lawrence and Herbert were sacked less often by the starters who played all the games.

With the Saints only generating four sacks to date, the Vikings O-Line should be able to protect their quarterback again on Sunday. For that, it has to be said honestly, Cousins has been rather mediocre so far.

Who can cope better with jet lag?

On Sunday in London, there will also be another unfamiliar situation for both teams – jet lag. We’ve seen it very often in recent years where one team couldn’t cope with it at all and the International Series saw very clear results as a result.

Since 2017, there have already been nine games outside the USA that ended with at least a ten-point difference, and in London even two games in which a team scored zero points (Dolphins and Cardinals both in 2017). Both the Vikings and Saints, however, are 2-0 in London.

However, assuming a defensive-heavy game, as is often the case in London Games, we see Minnesota slightly behind. With 413.3 yards conceded per game, they still rank third to last in the NFL in this statistic.

For New Orleans vs. Minnesota, the odds on the Saints are therefore a little better to take advantage of, as they are even seen as underdogs by the bookmakers. For us, this favourite status for the Vikings doesn’t add up.

Key Players:
QB: Kirk Cousins
RB: Dalvin Cook
WR: Justin Jefferson
TE: Irv Smith Jr.
K: Greg Joseph

New Orleans Saints – Minnesota Vikings Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Six of the last ten meetings have gone to the New Orleans Saints, with the last one in 2020 a relatively clear 52-33 win. The Vikings’ last two wins have also come in the playoffs, not the regular season.

With the Saints’ backs against the wall, we also assume a significant improvement in their performance, otherwise both head coach Dennis Allen’s and starting quarterback Jameis Winston’s jobs are on the line.

Their stronger defence and Alvin Kamera should do the trick in the end, which is why the betting odds for New Orleans against Minnesota favour a Saints win. A bet on halftime/final score per Saints is also still a possibility here with strong odds.

New Orleans Saints – Minnesota Vikings Tip

The Vikings are allowing fewer points so far, but are conceding significantly more yards than the Saints (413.3 to 323). That’s because they’re making fewer mistakes so far. However, if both teams get by with the same number of turnovers, the Saints will be the better team.

We now expect this for Sunday as well, which is why a bet on New Orleans at higher odds is our No.1 betting recommendation for Saints vs. Vikings. We can even give them a +2 or +3 handicap and still get good value.

Alternatively, as always with London Games, bets on sub-points are also a good option. Why? Because there is often a bit of fatigue due to jet lag, which keeps the scores in the lower range. For example, the 50 punt mark has only been exceeded once in the last 14 games.