Saints vs Bills Preview: Predictions and Best Bets | NFL Week 4

Saints vs Bills Preview: Predictions and Best Bets | NFL Week 4

There have only been five players in the NFL that have ever won back-to- back MVPs, but Josh Howland could very well become the sixth this season. The reigning NFL MVP already proving and maybe even more so than last season. We’re going to ask Charles Davis about that here in a second. He’s showing just why he is so elite, leading the Bills to a 3-0 start this weekend, taking on the Saints. The Bills favored by 15 and a half in that one. Taking a look at the odds to win NFL MVP brought to you by our fans, our friends at FanDuel. Josh Allen right now at the top at plus 220 followed by Lamar Jackson. Justin Herbert though, keep an eye out for him shooting up the leaderboard if you will. So, let’s welcome in Charles Davis uh who is going to be on the call for Bills and Saints this weekend. Talk to us about Josh Allen. I mean, every time he takes the field, Charles, it looks like he finds a new way to win. And do you think he is better this season than he was last? I do, Amanda. And the reason I say that is he’s got a thirst for getting better. I think all just about all of us who are involved in the NFL, of course, we watch hard knocks, right? Because it’s a way of gathering information. and he saw I’m working with the biomechanics and you know what’s my platform and how should my feet be and what’s my arm angle and all those sorts of things that he is trying to do to make sure he gets one degree better every single day in certain ways. So this is what he’s about. But the biggest thing is went into last season, I had a strong feeling and he proved me and so many others right that he was at that stage of his career where he wanted the team on his back where he was going to carry them farther than what was predicted. And boy did he do that in a big way. Now he has ascended to what I call the apex level of quarterbacking. Amanda, he wakes up every day and of course he’d like to be 34 for 38 and five touchdowns and no picks. But what he really thinks about every day is what does my team need from me in this ball game so that we come out with a win? That’s the apex level of quarterbacking. When the bottom line is, did my team win on Sunday? I may not have the gaudy stats, but I will give them what they need in order to win. And that’s exactly where Josh Allen is. He is better this year than he was last year. and he’s just so calm. I mean, we saw it in preeason and to watch it carry over into the regular season is phenomenal. Uh, talk to me about James Cook. Look, finally got the payday he wanted. Maybe that’s why he’s doing so well right now. Seven regular season games with a rushing touchdown. If he scores a rushing touchdown uh this weekend, that will be a Bills record. How much more has he contributed to this offense? A great deal. And he was already on the path. We know Amanda, that’s why he got the new contract and they signed him to keep him around and and become and still be a Buffalo Bill. But his ability to run the football, catch the football, that’s what you want from a running back. But it’s his ability to go from zero to 100 so quickly. It’s his ability to swing out of the back field and catch a pass. It’s his ability to step in there and help with pass protection. It’s his ability to run the ball inside with authority. When James Cook came out of Georgia and and I was evaluating Manda, I’m not ashamed to say, I was wondering, is he a full-time back or is he going to be much more of a specialty back? He has proven conclusively as a full-time back. And his percentage of play is up this year. Now, they’re going to be careful about the odometer and how much they want to turn it over because they want him ready for the playoffs, but at this stage, he is locked in in a full groove. And it doesn’t hurt that that offensive line came back intact from last year and they’re one of the best ones in the league. Go to the other side of the ball for me here and let’s talk about the defense. I mean, Charles, you have covered this team so many times uh losing count probably and they’ve been so close to the Super Bowl and and something just doesn’t get him there. When it comes to the defense, have you seen enough from this unit to think, okay, maybe they can get to that point? Amanda, I’ve seen enough to know that by the end of the year, barring catastrophic injuries, they will be even better than where they are right now. Obviously, the Baltimore game was a shootout, right? And Josh Allen had to be Mr. Miracle down the down the stretch. And well, I guess he’d be Mr. Bright Side, wouldn’t he? If he’s in Buffalo, okay, and he had to pull that off down the stretch to put to get them a win. But since then, the points have been more limited by people. They want to be better on third down. You know, last week against Miami, they were 11 for 15. The Dolphins were on third down. But here’s where I think it’s encapsulated. Cornerback position. Tradavius White is healthy for the first time in three years. And he played 61 snaps against Miami. If he can continue to play at that level opposite Christian Benford, that’s a huge help for them because they’ve been trying to find that second corner for a long time. And at pass rusher. Remember when they signed Von Miller? He’s supposed to be the game record to help close out ball games, get big sacks, all those things. Didn’t quite go the way that they wanted it. Guess what? They went out and took another swing with Joey Bosa. Keep him healthy. He’s a double- digit sack guy. He could be the guy that you need come playoff time that can finish off drives and put the Bills over the top and back in a Super Bowl. So, the Bills in a very good spot. Charles, the Saints, they’re one of six teams right now that are sitting at 0 and three. My my best friend, her husband, is from New Orleans. He’s a huge Saints fan and things are just bad. They’re not they’re not good in the household. We need to make it better. Is there any sort of hope or maybe a glimmer of hope, a silver lining of some sort that you could find with this team right now? I’ll give you a number of them, Amanda. And I know that it may sound like a little polyianaish, but when you watch the when you look at this roster and you start to see the pieces that are there, I’ll start on the offensive side of the ball at wide receiver Brandon Cooks, Rasheed Shahed, right? You’ve got guys who can make plays for you downfield. And of course, Chris Olive, who’s a back-to-back thousand-y receiver his first two years in the league. At tight end, Jawan Johnson is second in tight end, second in the league in tight ends in yardage and catches right now. So, he can play. Alvin Chimera is a running back who can catch it, run it, do everything that you want. They have the pieces in place, but the offensive line hasn’t been intact. Their projected starters have not played together as a unit of five this season yet. That has to come together and Spencer Rattler is making progress at the quarterback position. On the defensive side of the ball, Cam Jordan, Carl Granderson up front, Dear Deario Davis at the linebacker and Pete Warner’s playing really well next to him. And then you get into the secondary with Alante Taylor and and Justin Reed. They have players. It just needs to all come together. And I do like their staff. Brandon Staley, a defensive coordinator, and Kell Moore we know can coordinate an offense right now. Now, they can make a case, Amanda. Two drives away from being two- one this season. The last two drives of their first two ball games, they didn’t get it done, but if they had, they’d be two and one, and we’d be having a different conversation after the wipe out in Seattle last week. Charles, I figured it out. It was something you said. They have the right pieces. It’s like a gumbo. They have all the right ingredients. They need to figure out how to make the rue and then you’re going to have a really good gumbo. That’s going to be the Saint. Look at you going with that jamballayia. So good, Charles. We appreciate it. Have fun this weekend. We’ll talk to you soon. Uh those are the games you got coming up on CBS this weekend. Bills and Saints again. Bills a 15 and a half point favorite. How about Ravens and Chiefs? Chiefs a rare home underdog yet again with the Ravens coming to town. When you need your sports news all the time, we’ve got breaking news to bring to you. CBS Sports HQ gives you a snapshot of all the sports that matter to you. Big news coming out of the NFL. A lot of movement in the rankings this week with highlights. What a finish at the final round of play and in-depth analysis. Can they three Tony Romo joins the conversation? What can you say about this game? When you need your sports in a snap, we’re bringing you that breaking news right here on HQ. Find it on CBS Sports HQ streaming free anywhere you are.

Charles Davis joins CBS Sports HQ to preview a Week 4 NFL matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Buffalo Bills.

[00:00:00] Is Josh Allen an even better QB this year?
[00:02:23] James Cook’s fast start in 2025
[00:03:40] Is the Bills’ defense good enough to get them to the Super Bowl?
[00:05:19] Is there any hope for the Saints?

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