The undefeated Carolina Panthers (11-0) travel to play the New Orleans Saints (4-7) this week. The NFL’s fifth-leading passer, Drew Brees (3,200 yards, 20 TDs), and third-leading rusher, Jonathan Stewart (832 yards, 4 TDs), will be on display in this contest. It will begin Sunday, Dec 6 at 4:25 p.m. ET and can be seen on FOX.
Carolina beat New Orleans 27-22 in a Week 3 meeting between these two teams. Mark Ingram had a solid outing in the last game against the Panthers, racking up 99 total yards and a TD. He was a force as both a runner (50 yards) and receiver (49 yards). Brandin Cooks contributed with 79 yards on seven receptions. Greg Olsen had a big performance for Carolina, totaling eight catches for 134 yards and two TDs. Cam Newton had a big game as well, totaling 315 yards and two TDs through the air.
Carolina is a six-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 49 points.
The Saints enter the game with records of 4-7 Straight Up (SU) and 4-6-1 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. In the past five games, New Orleans is 2-3 SU and 1-3-1 ATS. The Saints are averaging an impressive 419.4 total yards per game over their last five.
As for their opponent, the Panthers have a record of 9-2 ATS and 11-0 SU. Offensively, they average 28.8 points per road game, which is third in the league. Based on earlier games, the Panthers’ offense will look to control the clock with a stellar run game. They average 138.9 rushing yards per game, good enough for fourth in the NFL. Switching gears to the Carolina defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Saints. The Carolina defense has allowed 88.7 rush yards per game this season, third in the league. The Saints need to recognize the importance of ball security against the turnover-minded Panthers. Their defense leads the league in forced turnovers with 2.5 per game. The Panthers don’t waste time early in the game, averaging 5.8 points in the first quarter this year. Don’t be surprised to see lots of calls against the Saints when they take the field. New Orleans is among the most penalized teams in the league, receiving an average of 8.4 penalties per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Car, ATS Winner – Car, O/U – Over
Notes
New Orleans is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games.
New Orleans is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games at home.
New Orleans is 14-7 SU in its last 21 games at home.
New Orleans is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
New Orleans is 5-10 ATS in its last 15 games when playing Carolina.
The total has gone OVER in 6 of New Orleans’s last 9 games when playing Carolina.
New Orleans is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Carolina.
New Orleans is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Carolina.
New Orleans is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Carolina.
Carolina is 10-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. New Orleans is 3-1 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
The Carolina defense has forced an average of 2.5 turnovers per game this season, but New Orleans is a perfect 3-0 SU when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
The New Orleans passing attack is ranked third in the league, while the Carolina pass defense is only ranked fourth. The Panthers’ passing game is ranked 29th, compared to the 31st-ranked pass defense of the Saints.
