Betting lines published by VegasInsider.com have first-seed Saints winning the conference title game against second-seed Rams and proceeding to the Super Bowl.
Brees, who holds the NFL record for career pass completions, will lead the team in this year’s NFC championship game—only the third to be played by the Saints in its franchise history. However, the Saints’ victory in this rematch against the Rams will be a team effort.
And the odds are in the Saints’ favor.
While the Rams held the Cowboys to 50 yards rushing in their advance to this weekend’s NFC championship, the Saints’ running game—led by Kamara and Mark Ingram who made runs integral to drives in the fourth quarter of their win against the Eagles—should shine in the January 20 game against the Rams.
On January 13, the Saints rebounded from 14 points down to win the divisional round against the Eagles, who were blocked from scoring past the first quarter, ending the game with an interception by the Saints and a final score of 20-14. Before advancing to the 2019 Super Bowl, the Saints defense is tasked with squashing the Rams’ running game, which this year is top in the league at 273 yards per game.
In November the Saints handed the Rams their first loss of the season in the Mercedes Benz Superdome, closing with a 45-35 win. Who Dat Nation is an indomitable force, and home-field advantage means the Rams will hear their roar—and struggle to hear anything else.
Sean Peyton—who placed in the Saints’ locker room last week, as motivation, the Vince Lombardi Trophy from the 2009 Super Bowl and the cash equivalent of the bonus each player who wins the NFL championship receives—and many others agree: In their rematch against the Rams, the Saints have a betting chance to win.