The streaking Carolina Panthers head to New Orleans with a chance to take over the NFC South lead against a Saints team coming off a humbling loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
Drew Brees and the Saints were clobbered, 34-7, at Seattle on Monday night and must regroup after a long plane ride and a short week. New Orleans began the week as 3.5-point favorite.
The Panthers have won eight straight games, going 7-1 against the spread in those games. Cam Newton and Carolina won both meetings with the Saints last season and have covered the spread in eight of the last 10 meetings between the division rivals.
The Panthers have covered the spread in 11 of their last 12 games at New Orleans. The Saints are 21-8-1 against the spread in their last 30 home games.
More trends of note include Carolina is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games; the Panthers are 6-1 ATS past seven games as underdogs; the Saints are 7-2 ATS past nine December games.
Backers of the Saints have seen them go 9-3 and 6-5-1 ATS so far this season, while the Panthers are at 9-3 and 8-4 ATS. In totals betting, the Panthers are 4-8, while the Saints are 5-7.
View Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints Odds and Stats.
The visitors opened as 4.5-point underdogs in this one at most sportsbooks tracked here at OddsShark (including Sportsbook), while the total was hovering around 44.5 at most shops, including Sportsbook.
The power rankings show a disparity between these teams, with the Saints rated this week at No. 4 and the Panthers sitting at No. 2. It may or may not play a role in OddsShark score prediction models that turned out a 29-25 result in favor of the Panthers this week.
Last time out for Carolina, they were a 27-6 Sportsbook as they battled the Buccaneers at home. The Panthers covered in the match as a 7-point favorite, while 33 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up New Orleans's No. 7-ranked offense (26 PPG) against a Panthers defense that ranks No. 1 at 13.08 PPG. The Saints passing attack has averaged 302.83 yards per game, more than the Panthers give up through the air (209.58 YPG on average).
In comparing defenses, the Panthers own the league's No. 2-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 86.5 yards per game when on the road. New Orleans, on the other hand, rates No. 20 this week in generating rushing yards at home.
A few Panthers at Saints trends to consider:
Carolina is 7-1 ATS in its last 8 games
Carolina is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Carolina's last 5 games
Carolina is 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
New Orleans is 1-3-1 ATS in its last 5 games
New Orleans is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games
New Orleans is 5-0-1 ATS in its last 6 games at home
New Orleans is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Next up:
Carolina home to New York, Sunday, December 15th
New Orleans at St. Louis, Sunday, December 15th
