NFL betting lines action will include a phenomenal matchup to begin the NFL sports betting preseason as perennial contender New England hosts world champion New Orleans Saints.

SBG Global Sportsbook opened with the New England Patriots as a 1.5-point home favorite over the New Orleans Saints with an over/under number of 36.

This matchup will draw considerable interest from gamblers and fans as it could very well be a preview of the Super Bowl in February at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. The Saints finished last year at 13-3 straight up and 8-8 against the spread with 9 games going under the total. New Orleans prolific offense was the best in the NFL for yardage and points.

Their defense still needs work as it ranked 25th in yards allowed, 26th against the pass, 21st against the rush, and 20th for points permitted. The Saints have gone 8-5 against the spread in preseason action the past 3 years including 3-1 against the board in 2009.

The New England Patriots won the AFC East Division with a record last year of 10-6 straight up and 7-7-2 against the spread with just 5 of their games going over the total.

New England was ranked 3rd in the NFL for total yards on offense, as well as 3rd in passing. The running game needs work, however, as they were ranked 12th for rushing yards. New England’s offense ranked 6th overall for scoring.

The defense slipped somewhat last year as it ranked 11th overall for yards allowed, 12th against the pass, 13th against the rush, but 5th in points permitted. The Patriots will be working new players into the lineup and will be making a lot of adjustments in preseason to tighten up and improve the defense.

New England has gone 4-8 against the spread in exhibition action over the past 3 seasons although they were 3-1 last year.

The Patriots have been working a lot of different combinations in their young and revamped defensive backfield and will have a good battle brewing for the starting tight end position.

The Saints will be working on the mental aspect of being the defending Super Bowl champion and on becoming only the 9th team in NFL Betting history to repeat in that role.

“You hear some of the recurring themes that it starts from within, the challenge of staying hungry,” said New Orleans coach Sean Payton. “Having that same hunger and paying attention to detail.”