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In one of two Sunday matchups to wrap up NFL preseason Week 2, the New Orleans Saints travel to face the San Francisco 49ers with kickoff scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
The 49ers are 1.5-point favorites to beat the Saints across our best sports betting sites, which also have San Francisco as the NFC favorite by the Super Bowl odds.
However, our Saints vs. 49ers prediction is focused on the underdog and an intriguing rookie passer likely to see extended run on Sunday.
Battle of backup QBs to decide Saints vs. 49ers
Odds via our best NFL betting sites; NFL picks confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale.
As we wrote about in our NFL preseason betting guide, exhibition football often comes down to backup quarterbacks. And that'll be no different on Sunday.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan sa id Friday that he'll play some starters – including NFL MVP odds contender Brock Purdy – for “a series or two” after injuries derailed these teams' joint practices. That group still won't include Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams, who are mired in contract disputes with the 49ers.
We'll likely see the same from the Saints, who also missed valuable reps with this week's cancelled practices but aren't nearly as banged-up as San Francisco.
That could lead to a starters vs. backups scenario late in the first quarter, though this game will likely still come down to the second and third units. And that's where things get interesting … especially for New Orleans.
The Saints might really have something in Rattler, the fifth-round selection who was once regarded as a potential No. 1 overall pick and Heisman Trophy favorite. Clearly, those lofty goals were premature, though Rattler rema ins a talented quarterback who could swing the balance of Sunday's contest.
His stats from last week don't jump off the page (70 passing yards, rushing TD), but the former Oklahoma and South Carolina star led the Saints on a game-winning drive in his debut, which came after he ran for his team's lone TD in the third quarter.
Rattler has also been a standout in training camp and is pushing Jake Haener – AKA the most beautiful QB alive – for the backup role. He's even a dark horse (albeit unlikely) to eventually overtake starter Derek Carr, who is expected to start and play sparingly as he did a week ago.
The 49ers' defense is seriously depleted right now, and this feels like a quintessential opportunity for Rattler (or Haener) to make a statement on Sunday night and seize the QB2 role ahead of Week 1.
Best odds: -112 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 52.83%< /p>
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Players to watch
| Career stats | Spencer Rattler (NO) | Joshua Dobbs (SF) |
|---|---|---|
| Preseason | 70 yards, rush TD (1 game) | 1,377 yards, 7 TD, 7 INT (15 games) |
| Regular season | N/A | 2,920 yards, 15 TD, 13 INT (21 games) |
Saints vs. 49ers odds
See our full NFL odds here.
Saints vs. 49ers game info
- When: Sunday, Aug. 18
- Kick off: 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.
- How to watch: FOX
- Favorite: 49ers -1 (-110 via BetMGM)
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