PRIME TIME PICK: New Orleans Saints potent 'D' poised to snap Jacksonville Jaguars streak

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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (4-2) at NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (3-3)

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LINE: New Orleans by 1

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CHEWABLE: It sounds very much like Trevor Lawrence is going to be able to play through the knee injury he suffered last week but, if not, C.J. Beathard will be Jacksonville’s starting QB and Canadian Nathan Rourke will be elevated from the practice roster to serve as backup.

Beathard, who is in his third season with the Jags, would be making his first start for the team. He started 12 games with a record of 2-10-0 over three seasons with the 49ers before signing in Jacksonville.

Should Beathard get the call, Jaguars OC Press Taylor says he is very confident the 29-year-old former Iowa Hawkeye can run the offence at a high level and lead the team to victory.

— The Jaguars lead the NFL with 15 takeaways (eight interceptions, seven fumbles) after picking off three Gardner Minshew passes last week.

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— Along with winning their past three games, three of the Jaguars’ four victories overall have been by double digits.

— Nobody in the league has had more rushing attempts than Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne Jr., who has carried the ball 113 times for 451 yards, which is an average of four yards per. The Saints defence ranks ninth best against the run.

— The Saints’ Top 5 defence has allowed opponents an average of just 182 passing yards per game.

— The Saints are 1-5 ATS and, in each of the losses, they were the favourites.

— Saints scored just 13 points in last week’s loss to the Texans despite Derek Carr completing 32-of-50 passes for 353 yards.

— This is the first time these teams are playing each other since Oct. 13, 2019. The Saints have won the past four meetings.

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— The  Jags are a very good, well-coached team, but they are expected to be missing key players in CB Tyson Campbell and WR  Zay Jones, and, if Lawrence plays, he won’t be 100%, which is a red flag against such a good defence. They’ve also played only one other defence that is ranked in the top six and they lost that game, 17-9 to the Chiefs.

— Expect Alvin Kamara to build off his first 100 total yards game (68 rushing, 36 yards receiving) last week, his third outing of the season after serving a three-game suspension.

— If you’ve never been to Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, you’re just going to have to trust me — its rating as one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL is well-deserved. For this prime-time matchup and with the Saints having a chance to at least temporarily move into top spot in the NFC South, “Who Dat Nation” is going to be a factor.

TAKING: NEW ORLEANS -1 

SCORE (O/U 40): Saints 23, Jaguars 21

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