Two teams struggling with consistency meet in New Orleans in the prime time finale to a three-game Thanksgiving Day set when the Buffalo Bills visit the Saints. The Bills (6-3) have looked elite in their six wins, including a 45-17 demolition of the New York Jets last week. However, in two of their losses (a Week 1 setback against Pittsburgh and a hideous 9-6 loss at Jacksonville in Week 9), they have simply failed to play well. Given that the New England Patriots are gaining fast on them in the AFC East (and given that the Bills and Pats still have to play twice), the Bills need to stack up all the wins they can. They face a New Orleans Saints team that, despite losing starting quarterback Jameis Winston for the season, is still 5-4 (although they have dropped two in a row). Can the Bills take care of business on the road, or will the Saints make the AFC East even tighter?
Check out our NFL betting preview before you lock in a wager.
NFL Thanksgiving Preview: Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints (Thursday, November 25)
When: Thursday, November 25, 2021, 8:20 pm ET
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
TV: NBC
Radio: Westwood One
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Buffalo -1.5
Why should you bet on the Bills?
When the Buffalo offense is clicking, it is hard for opposing defenses to do anything about it. This starts with quarterback Josh Allen, who (in the team’s two bad losses) has struggled with turnovers and decision-making. When he is clicking, the team puts up lots of yards and points; against the Jets last week, he went 21 of 28 for 366 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He finally found Stefon Diggs for a couple of big plays against the Jets as well.
The defense is elite in the league this season as well; against the Jets, they grabbed four interceptions, making things so bad that Joe Flacco came in off the bench — and Robert Sale named Flacco the starter next week over Mike White, as Zach Wilson is still not ready to return. The defense also held against Jacksonville; the only off day the defense has had came against Tennessee, when Derrick Henry basically steamrolled the whole team. If you like the Bills here, you see them getting all over Saints backup quarterback Trevor Siemian and forcing him to make enough mistakes for the Bills to roll.
Why should you put your money on the Saints?
After that dominating win over Tampa Bay (the night when Winston went down for the season), the Saints have lost to Atlanta and Tennessee. The loss to Atlanta was particularly disappointing, given how badly the Falcons have played all season long. The loss to Tennessee showed more signs of promise as the Saints mounted a late comeback, and it was just a late incompletion that was inches away from becoming a game-tying two-point conversion that helped the Titans preserve the win.
Trevor Siemian has his limitations as a quarterback, but he gets the ball out on time, and he does a good job with ball security. This means that, in the face of pressure, he will throw more short- and medium-length passes, but he also has solid accuracy. This makes it difficult to shake him with blitzes. The key is to mount sustained drives and keep the Saints’ offense off the field — which the Bills have the offense to do. If you like the Saints, though, you see traveling on a short week wreaking havoc on the Bills.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
I see Buffalo taking care of business here and delivering the win. I predict a final score of Buffalo 30, New Orleans 20.
Buffalo Bills at New Orleans Saints : Bet the Game Today
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