The New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams meet at SoFi Stadium on Saturday for the second week of the 2026 NFL preseason, and the betting market treats it as a coin flip. New Orleans opened as a short road favorite and now sits at just a point, the moneyline barely separates the sides, and the total has already slipped to one of the lowest numbers on the board. Both teams held joint practices in Los Angeles this week, so much of the meaningful evaluation happened Thursday rather than Saturday. This preview breaks down the line, the public money, and where our best bet lands, starting with who is actually expected to play.
Last Updated: Saturday, August 22, 2026
New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams — Time & How to Watch
| Where | SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA |
| When | Saturday, August 22 – 4:00 PM ET |
| TV | FOX 8 (New Orleans) and CBS (Los Angeles); no national broadcast |
New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams Betting Preview
These teams enter the summer from opposite ends of the standings. Los Angeles went 12-5 in 2025 and reached the NFC Championship Game before a 31-27 loss to Seattle, powered by a Matthew Stafford season that produced a franchise-record 46 touchdown passes. New Orleans finished 6-11 and last in the NFC South in Kellen Moore’s first year as head coach. The gap in regular-season pedigree is wide, but preseason Week 2 rarely rewards the more talented roster. It rewards the team whose backups and rookies execute.
That is where the Rams held the early edge. Los Angeles beat Kansas City 20-12 in its preseason opener, and rookie first-round quarterback Ty Simpson was sharp, completing 21 of 25 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints dropped their opener 24-20 to Jacksonville, and the backup picture behind starter Tyler Shough stayed muddy. Zach Wilson graded out well, but Spencer Rattler went 8 of 11 for 42 yards and lost a fumble on a strip sack. Moore has not locked in a rotation, so snap distribution is still being sorted.
The joint practices matter here too. Both staffs spent the week working against each other in controlled settings, which often flattens the actual game plan on Saturday. Starters tend to see fewer live snaps after joint work, and coaches lean on situational reps they have already scripted. Stafford is not expected to carry a heavy workload, and Simpson is in line for significant playing time for Los Angeles. For New Orleans, the story is the same at the top and unsettled below it.
New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams Odds
| Spread | Moneyline | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saints | -1 (-110) | -120 | U 37 (-105) |
| Rams | +1 (-110) | +100 | O 37 (-115) |
Odds accurate as of Saturday, August 22, 2026 via TheSpread.com. Odds change, get the latest NFL Odds – Futures – Props
New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Rams — Who Is the Public Betting?
| Saints | 19% | 81% | Rams |
See the latest NFL Public Betting Splits and make smarter wagers!
Saints vs. Rams Prediction — Can the Home Rookie Tilt a Pick’em?
The spread opened with New Orleans laying 1.5 and has ticked down to a flat point, nudging value toward the home side. The public has piled on in the same direction. More than 80 percent of spread tickets sit on Los Angeles, so this is a crowded number rather than a hidden edge. When the market and the money agree this strongly, the price is already baked in, and there is no line value left to chase.
Still, the on-field case tracks with the ticket count. Preseason games are decided by depth, and the Rams’ depth looked cleaner in Week 1. Simpson’s efficiency against Kansas City stood out, the offense scored enough to win, and Los Angeles now plays at home off a full week of joint work it can build a plan around. The Saints counter with a backup quarterback competition that produced a fumble and a stalled second unit against Jacksonville. A short home number for the team with the steadier reserves is a reasonable spot.
The counterargument is real. New Orleans is the nominal favorite for a reason, Shough and the projected first-team snaps could outclass whatever the Rams open with, and a single point is small enough that one preseason possession decides it. Effort and scheme are also unpredictable in August, when coaches script drives and pull players on a schedule the box score never explains. This is a lean built on backup form and home reps, not a strong stance.
The Pick: Los Angeles Rams +1 (-110)
Saints vs. Rams Prediction — Will the Backups Move a Low Number?
The total opened at 37.5 and dropped to 37, a move that usually signals money on the under. That direction fits the setup. Starters play limited snaps in Week 2, joint-practice weeks tend to produce vanilla play-calling, and reserve offenses stall in the red zone far more often than they finish drives. The Rams-Chiefs opener landed at 32 combined points, comfortably under a number like this. A low, deliberate game script is the base case.
The over is not dead, though. Preseason sloppiness cuts both ways, and turnovers create short fields that turn into cheap points. The Saints-Jaguars opener hit 44 combined, a reminder that backups who cannot sustain drives can still gift the other side field position. In contrast, the line move and the format both favor a slower game. The lean is to the under, with an acknowledgment that a couple of giveaways would flip it fast.
The Pick: Under 37 (-105)
Final Thoughts and Bonus Angle
For bettors who prefer to skip the point entirely, the Rams moneyline offers a plus price on the same read. Los Angeles sits at even money at home, which pays a small premium to back the side with the sharper Week 1 reserves outright rather than laying juice on the spread. It carries more risk than the point-getting version, since a one-point loss cashes the spread but loses the moneyline, so treat it as an alternate rather than an addition. You can find more preseason breakdowns in our recent NFL best bets and latest NFL picks coverage.
This is a low-conviction card by design. August football is about evaluation, not results, and the market has priced that in with a coin-flip spread and a bottom-of-the-board total. The consolidated card: Los Angeles Rams +1 (-110) on the spread, Under 37 (-105) on the total, and Los Angeles Rams moneyline (+100) as the bonus alternate to the spread play.
NFL Saints vs. Rams FAQ: Saturday August 22, 2026
What time does the Saints vs. Rams game start?
Kickoff is set for 4:00 PM ET on Saturday, August 22, 2026, which is 1:00 PM local time in Los Angeles. The two teams meet in the second week of the 2026 NFL preseason.
What channel is the Saints vs. Rams game on?
This preseason game has no national broadcast and airs on local partners instead. New Orleans viewers get it on FOX 8 (WVUE), while Los Angeles carries it on CBS. NFL+ offers local streaming on phones and tablets for fans inside those markets.
Where are the Saints and Rams playing?
The game is at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, the home of the Los Angeles Rams. New Orleans is the designated road team for this preseason meeting.
Who is starting at quarterback for the Saints and Rams?
Tyler Shough is the New Orleans starter and Matthew Stafford is the Los Angeles starter heading into 2026. Snaps will be limited in this preseason game, and rookie first-round pick Ty Simpson is in line for significant playing time for the Rams.