Chiefs vs. Saints: Picks, best bets for Week 1 NFL preseason

The New Orleans Saints will host the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1 of the NFL preseason. This is one of two matchups set for Sunday wrapping up Week 1 of the preseason. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET from Caesars Superdome and will air on NFL Network.

We can expect to see most of the Chiefs starters getting some playing time in this preseason opener. Andy Reid said he believes in his starters playing in the preseason, so Patrick Mahomes and the rest of their healthy players will play “roughly a quarter” in the matchup with the Saints. Rashee Rice is a name to watch for as he should get a ton of work especially with some other receivers out with injury.

Just like the Chiefs, Dennis Allen announced that Saints starters would play as well, including Derek Carr. This will be our first time seeing Carr in the black and gold. It should be fun to see what he can do with Chris Olave, who’s due for a breakout season.

Here, we’ll take a look at our picks for best bets for Chiefs vs. Saints in Week 1 of the NFL preseason.

All odds come courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.

Chiefs vs. Saints odds

Spread: Saints -1
Point total: O/U 37.5
Moneyline: Saints -120, Chiefs +100

Our picks, best bets

Pick against the spread: Saints -1

The public is all over the Chiefs. They will probably win the first quarter given their edge among starters, but it’s important to look at who will be playing a large portion of the game. Jameis Winston and Jake Haener are the Saints QB2 and QB3 and that’s much better than what the Chiefs have. Winston is a proven veteran, while Haener is a rookie who some viewed as the most underrated quarterback in this draft. Blaine Gabbert and Shane Buechele are the backups for Mahomes. Among the current NFL coaches, Reid is the worst against the spread in the preseason as he’s 33-37-1. I like the Saints to control the second half and win this game.

Over/under: Over 37.5

The over/under in the preseason is hard at times because you don't really know what teams will show. However, we at least know that both teams offensive starters will play the first quarter. Neither one of these defenses has had a ton of success recently. The Chiefs defensive line will face some questions as Chris Jones is still holding out. We know about the Chiefs offenses’ ability to score points and Mahomes should have success in his 2-3 drives that he plays. I think we see a good portion of points scored in the second half from the Saints as well.