Saints, NFC South, 2021 Preseason Games, and Regular-Season Odds

The NFC South teams 2021 preseason games preview, odds, wins, and regular-season outlook.

New Orleans and Atlanta are the two NFC South teams with nationally televised preseason games in 2021.

In Week 2 of the preseason, 2021's overall No. 1 draft choice QB Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars will visit the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. ESPN will broadcast the event on Monday, August 23, at 8 PM ET.

In Week 3 action, QB Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns will travel to Atlanta and face Matt Ryan and the Falcons. NBC will provide the televised gameplay from Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, August 29 at 8 PM ET.

Credit: USA Today Sports

Intriguing preseason matchups include:

1. Week 1 will have WR Julio Jones returning to Atlanta since his trade to Tennessee.
2. Week 2's action will include New Orleans traveling to Baltimore's M & T Bank Stadium to battle QB Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. This game could be the final audition for quarterbacks Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill before the close of the preseason in Week 3.
3. Also, in Week 2, the Bucs will host 2020's No. 1 overall pick and LSU alum QB Joey Burrow to face QB Tom Brady and the Super Bowl LV champions at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
4. Week 3's contest will have Big Ben of the Steelers visiting the QB Sam Darnold in Carolina. Also, 2019's No. 1 overall draft selection QB Kyle Murray returns to the Superdome against the Saints.

Nov 8, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) runs the ball against Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting (23) in the first quarter of a NFL game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

WEEK 1

Friday, August 13

• Tennessee at Atlanta, 7:00

Saturday, August 14

• New Orleans at Baltimore, 7:00
• Cincinnati at Tampa Bay, 7:30

Sunday, August 15

• Carolina at Indianapolis, 1:00

WEEK 2

Saturday, August 21

• Baltimore at Carolina, 7:00
• Atlanta at Miami, 7:00
• Tennessee at Tampa Bay, 7:30

Monday, August 23

• Jacksonville at New Orleans (ESPN), 8:00

WEEK 3

Friday, August 27

• Pittsburgh at Carolina, 7:30

Saturday, August 28

• Tampa Bay at Houston, 8:00
• Arizona at New Orleans, 8:00

Sunday, August 29

• Cleveland at Atlanta (NBC), 8:00

(All times Eastern/PM)

Nov 8, 2020; Tampa, Florida, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) looks on against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

ODDS TO WIN THE NFC SOUTH IN 2021

NFC SOUTH TEAM	DRAFTKINGS' ODDS
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	-200
New Orleans Saints	+300
Atlanta Falcons	+800
Carolina Panthers	+1100

• Super Bowl LV champions are the favorites to win the NFC South.
• SI Gambling and FanDuel Sportsbook have the NFC South odds slightly different but in the same order at Draft Kings.  Bucs (-190), Saints (+310), Falcons (+700), Panthers (+1200)
• Drew Brees officially retired from the NFL on Friday, June 11.
• Carolina has 3 consecutive losing seasons.
• In Atlanta, Calvin Ridley becomes WR 1 and Russell Gage WR2 after the Julio Jones trade to Tennessee.
• Who will be WR2 in New Orleans?  Tre'Quan Smith is primed for the position, but could he be pushed by second-year pro Marquez Callaway?
• ESPN's Marcus Spears sees the Saints as a playoff team with Jameis Winston as the starter.

Credit: USA Today Sports

NFC SOUTH 2021 PROJECTED WIN TOTALS

1. Tampa Bay: 11.5 (-130)
2. New Orleans: 9.5 (-115)
3. Atlanta:  7.5 (-130)
4. Panthers: 7.5 (+110)

NFC SOUTH AND NFL POINTS OF INTEREST

• New Orleans completed the 2020 regular season with a 12-4 record. The NFL expanded the league's slate of games to 17 for 2021-22.

• Las Vegas' oddsmakers project the Saints to win 9.5 games and Jameis Winston to earn the starting quarterback role versus the Green Bay Packers at home in Week 1.

• Louisiana lawmakers passed legislation to allow live sports betting in the fall for professional and college sports. Governor John Bel Edwards has not signed the bills into law as of June 13, 2021.