New Orleans Saints
vs.
San Diego Chargers
Week 4
NFL Pick
10/2/16
Talk about lack of defense. There should be plenty of opportunities for points to be put on the board when the Saints visit the Chargers in Week 4. New Orleans is 0-3; San Diego is 1-2. Both teams give up an average of over 400 yards per Game, ranking in the bottom third of the NFL in that category. San Diego is favored by 4 with a total of 53.5
Drew Brees is the NFL’s leading passer with 1,062 passing yards. He’s still one of the most dangerous passers in the Game. Brees has thrown for eight touchdowns versus only one interception on the season. He’s throwing for just over 350 yards per Game. Combine that with the fact that he’s going up against one of the worst pass defenses in the league in San Diego. They’re allowing 322 passing yards per Game and have recorded a league-worst one sack through three Games. Watch out for big numbers for New Orleans’ offense.
Brees is difficult enough to stop. Then you have to ACCount for all the weapons surrounding him. Willie Snead. Brandin Cooks. Michael Thomas. They are all averaging over 50 yards receiving per Game. Brees has six different targets that he has connected with 10 or more times. He’s also thrown at least one touchdown pass to each of those six receivers.
Then there’s Mark Ingram that must also be ACCounted for. He’s only running the ball an average of 12 times per Game, but he’s running for over 50 yards per Game on a strong 4.6 yards per carry.
Philip Rivers has also been good to start the season. He’s completed nearly 70% of his passes, thrown five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Travis Benjamin and Tyrell Williams have been good weapons on the outside. Each has recorded over 200 yards through the air.
On the ground the Chargers are led by Melvin Gordon who has nearly 200 yards on the ground through three Games. Then there’s Danny Woodhead who is averaging the NFL’s second-best yards per carry at 6.1.
The San Diego offensive attack will be going against the NFL second-worst defense as a whole and worst rushing defense. The Saints surrender nearly 450 yards per Game, while giving up almost 150 on the ground.
The combination of two quarterbacks that take care of the ball, good weapons surrounding them and poor defensive play should give you a high expectation of a shootout.
Prediction: The Saints are winless and the defense is terrible, but Drew Brees should keep them very competitive in this one. The Chargers should also have plenty of success. Look for points to be scored early and often. If you like the sight of no defense, watch this Game. Chargers -4