New England Patriots vs. New Orleans Saints Odds, Analysis, NFL Betting Pick

The betting public cannot wait to see whether or not the New England Patriots (0-1) will rebound in Week 2 on Sunday against the surprisingly offensively challenged New Orleans Saints (0-1) as solid road favorites.

New England's defense was abysmal in a 42-27 home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs to open the season, as the defending Super Bowl champs disappointed backers as eight-point home favorites. New Orleans is coming off a 29-19 road loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

NFL point spread: The Patriots opened as four-point favorites; the total was 53.5 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL betting pick, via OddsShark computer: 28.8-21.6 Saints (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Patriots can cover the spread

The Patriots, the +450 favorites (bet $100 to win $450) to win the Super Bowl, can cover the spread against the Saints because they are the Patriots, plain and simple. They went 16-3 against the spread last season and ride an eight-game road winning streak (7-1 ATS) into the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

This is also the return of New England wide receiver Brandin Cooks to New Orleans, where he played the first three seasons of his career. Cooks made an impact in his debut for the Patriots with three catches for 88 yards.

Why the Saints can cover the spread

The Saints do not really have many favorable betting trends for this matchup, but they will have home-field advantage and can use that in their favor.

In a battle of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, you can never count Drew Brees out for New Orleans, especially when it comes to covering the spread. Brees has the potential to come through with a backdoor cover even when the deficit hits double digits. His showdown with New England's Tom Brady should be fun to watch.

Smart pick

It would be surprising to see the Patriots fall to 0-2 with a second consecutive loss to the Saints. Not so much with New Orleans, as Brees does not have the same offensive weapons he once did and the 38-year-old is starting to show signs of aging despite being two years younger than Brady.

That said, the Saints are 7-2 ATS in the past nine meetings despite losing four of the previous five, so look for them to lose yet again but pull off the cover.

NFL betting trends

The Patriots are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games against the Saints.

The total has gone over in seven of the Patriots' last nine games against the Saints.

The total has gone over in 10 of the Saints' last 13 games at home.

All NFL odds and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report's official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.