Thursday Night Football odds, spread, line: Jaguars vs. Saints picks, NFL predictions by expert on 35-16 run

The Jacksonville Jaguars will try to stay perfect on the road when they battle the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football. With wins already posted at Indianapolis and in London against the Buffalo Bills, the Jaguars (4-2) are hoping that trend continues. One issue they face, however, is the prospect of not having standout quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who banged up his left knee in the win over Indianapolis and is questionable. The Saints (3-3), who have lost three of four, are 1-1 on their home field, including a 16-15 win over Tennessee in the season-opener.

Kickoff from Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. New Orleans is a two-point favorite in the latest Jaguars vs. Saints odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 40. Before you make any Saints vs. Jaguars picks or Thursday Night Football predictions, you need to see what proven SportsLine expert Mike Tierney has to say, given his mastery of picks involving Jacksonville. 

A veteran sportswriter whose work appears periodically in The New York Times and Los Angeles Times, Mike Tierney has covered the NFL for decades and reported from seven Super Bowls. He is coming off a typically strong 2022 NFL season in which he went 68-54-6, returning $815 to $100 players.

In addition, he is an amazing 35-16 on his last 51 picks in games involving the Jacksonville Jaguars, returning $1,773. Anyone who has followed him is way up.

Now, Tierney has locked in on Jaguars vs. Saints from every angle and just locked in his picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Saints vs. Jags: 

• Jaguars vs. Saints spread: New Orleans -2
• Jaguars vs. Saints over/under: 40 points
• Jaguars vs. Saints money line: Jacksonville +110, New Orleans -130
• JAC: Jaguars are 4-2 against the spread this season
• NO: Saints are 0-2 ATS in home games this season
• Jaguars vs. Saints picks: See picks at SportsLine

Why the Saints can cover

Although listed as questionable, second-year wide receiver Chris Olave is expected to see action. He is New Orleans’ top receiver and in six games has registered 32 receptions for 414 yards (12.9 average) and one touchdown. He has six explosive plays of 20 or more yards, including a season-high 45 yards. He has also converted 22 first downs. He was targeted 10 times last Sunday at Houston, making seven catches for 96 yards (13.7 average).

Helping power the receiving corps is seventh-year veteran Michael Thomas. He has 31 receptions for 329 yards (10.6 average), and is looking to get back to the form that saw him post four 1,000-yard receiving seasons before missing much of the past two years with injuries. Last season, he played in just three games, but scored three touchdowns. For his career, Thomas has 557 receptions for 6,450 yards (11.6 average) and 35 TDs. See which team to back here.

Why the Jaguars can cover

After starting the season 1-2, Jacksonville has won three consecutive games, including twice in London. A major reason for that success has been quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was banged up last Sunday. For the season, Lawrence has completed 67.1% of his passes for 1,439 yards and seven touchdowns with just three interceptions. If he can’t go, the Jaguars will turn to sixth-year veteran C.J. Beathard. Since being drafted by San Francisco in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, he has played in 27 games, completing 59% of his passes for 3,546 yards and 18 touchdowns with 14 interceptions.

Running back Travis Etienne Jr. powers the ground attack. His best game so far was in a 25-20 win over Buffalo in London on Oct. 8. In that game, he carried 26 times for 136 yards (5.2 average) and two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 48 yards. In last Sunday’s win over Indianapolis, he rushed 18 times for 55 yards and two scores. For the season, Etienne has registered 451 yards rushing, and 172 yards receiving with five total touchdowns. See which team to back here.

How to make Jaguars vs. Saints picks

Tierney has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.

Who wins Saints vs. Jaguars on Thursday Night Football, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Saints vs. Jaguars spread hits hard, all from the expert who is on an impressive 35-16 run on picks involving Jacksonville, and find out.