49ers vs. Saints Prop Bets and Predictions: Defensive Slugfest on Tap for Preseason Week 2

• The Saints won their preseason opener with a late field goal last week.

• The New Orleans defense pitched a shutout in the first half of their preseason opener.

• The 49ers are dealing with a series of injuries that could limit playing time for some of their best players.

The second week of the NFL preseason tends to be when teams give their starters the most action. That should lead to a compelling game between the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints in the final preseason game of the week on Sunday night. We’ll take a deeper look at this matchup and offer a few NFL prop bets from bet365.

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49ers vs. Saints Predictions

Both teams gave little to no playing time to their starters last week, although that should start to change in Week 2 of the preseason. Every starter who is healthy should see the field for at least one or two drives with many of them playing most of the first half. However, this game will still likely be decided by backups and third-string players in the second half.

New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr played long enough last week to make six passes, albeit completing only two of them. He figures to be in line for extended minutes this week; he just has to play better. The good news for the Saints is that backup Jake Haener looked sharp last week, completing nine of his 13 passes, while rookie Spencer Rattler gained confidence by leading the game-winning drive. That should put New Orleans in good shape at quarterback.

On the other side of the ball, the Saints have a good collection of veterans and promising rookies among their defensive backups. It was mostly third-string players who allowed two long touchdown drives against the Cardinals last week. But the defensive starters and backups playing more of the game this week should be good for the Saints.

As for the 49ers, most of their key starters were completely absent during last week’s preseason loss to the Titans. Normally, that would change this week, although that may not be the case. The 49ers have canceled joint practices with the Saints this week because of a rash of injuries on the roster.

While some of these injuries are minor and may not impact San Francisco during the regular season, Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Fred Warner, and several offensive linemen are among the players who are reportedly dealing with injuries. Keep in mind Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams are also away from the team because of a contract dispute. That could deprive the 49ers of those players in Sunday’s game.

With the injury bug going around, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the 49ers play it safe with some other starters. That includes San Francisco’s biggest difference-markers on defense, as well as quarterback Brock Purdy. That figures to leave Josh Dobbs and Brandon Allen to take most of the snaps, likely without San Francisco’s best skill players.

49ers vs. Saints Best Prop Bets

Prop bets during the NFL preseason can be hard to track down. However, bet365 has a few for Sunday’s 49ers-Saints game that are checking out.

49ers Under 17.5 Points (-135) at bet365

Given all of the injuries, the 49ers aren’t set up for a good offensive performance this week. They’ll likely be more conservative than most teams the second week of the postseason with regard to playing their starters. After Brock Purdy didn’t play at all last week, he probably won’t play more than a drive or two. Without his top playmakers available, the San Francisco offense won’t go anywhere. That lack of playmakers will also hinder Josh Dobb and Brandon Allen. After finishing last week with 13 points, the 49ers probably won’t do much better this week.

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49ers Under 8.5 1st Half Points (-120) at bet365

Even if Purdy plays a little, the 49ers probably can’t expect much more than a single touchdown in the first half of Sunday’s game. To their credit, they scored on their opening drive last week. But they didn’t generate much after that, especially on the ground. The 49ers probably won’t risk playing Christian McCaffrey or Elijah Mitchell, nor will they have some of their more experienced offensive linemen playing in the first half. That should result in a sluggish first half offensively. Keep in mind that the New Orleans defensive starters contributed to a first-half shutout against the Cardinals last week. That’s another good sign that the 49ers won’t muster much offense in the first half with limited personnel.

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Saints Under 20.5 Points (-120) at bet365

A lack of scoring will continue to be a theme in this game. The Saints scored just 16 points last week, managing one touchdown, so it’s hard to project them topping 20 points this week. While Derek Carr should see plenty of action, the 49ers have enough defensively amidst a few injuries to keep him from finding a rhythm. Meanwhile, Spencer Rattler’s game-winning drive last week overshadowed the fact that he completed just nine of his 17 passes for a mere 70 yards. It’s not as if he’s likely to pick apart San Francisco’s backups and third-stringers, which will keep the Saints from surpassing 20 points.

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How to Watch 49ers vs. Saints

• What: 49ers vs Saints Preseason Week 2

• When: Sunday, August 18 at 8:00 PM, EST

• Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California

• How to Watch: FOX