New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers Betting Preview
Sunday afternoon features a NFC South showdown as the New Orleans Saints (1-1) take on the Carolina Panthers (0-2). The Panthers will host this one at Bank of America Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 1:00 pm ET.
The Saints come in as the favorite despite playing on the road. They are -148 to win, while the Panthers’ moneyline sits at +126. The spread features Carolina +2.5 (-105), and the over/under for total points is 40.5.
Saints Look To Bounce Back From Week 2 Loss
After beating the Atlanta Falcons 27-26 in Week 1, the Saints could not replicate their success in Week 2 as they lost 20-10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the loss, Jameis Winston struggled, throwing for 236 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions. Michael Thomas had six catches for 65 yards and a score, but it wasn’t enough to make up for the turnovers.
On the ground, Mark Ingram Jr. led the way with ten rushes for 58 yards. Unfortunately, the team managed just 100 total yards on the ground in the loss to Tampa Bay.
On the positive side for New Orleans, the defense was able to hold Tom Brady to just 190 yards passing, and the Buccaneers’ run game only managed 72 total yards. If they can keep that up against the Panthers and get any production from the offense, they could be in good shape.
Panthers Looking For First Win
In two games, the Panthers have only lost by a combined five points, but that still puts them at 0-2 heading into a Week 3 matchup against a division rival.
Last week, they lost on the road to the New York Giants 19-16. Christian McCaffrey had a relatively solid day, going for 102 yards on 15 carries and had four receptions for 26 yards.
Baker Mayfield also added 35 yards on the ground, but he was relatively ineffective through the air. He went 14 for 29 for just 145 yards and a single touchdown to D.J. Moore.
Unfortunately, just like in Week 1, it was a last-second field goal that did the Panthers in.
Take Carolina And The Points
While Carolina comes in winless Sunday, they were on the brink of winning both games. Obviously, the final score is all that matters, but losing by three or less in both gives some indication of how competitive they have been through two weeks.
Expect more of the same on Sunday. The Panthers’ defense has the potential to create some havoc, and Jameis Winston has more than shown he is capable of turning the ball over.
Offensively, if Christian McCaffrey can continue to do work on the ground, it could eventually open up things for Baker Mayfield in the passing game.
Looking at the trends, the Saints are just 3-6 against the spread in their last nine against Carolina. While the Panthers have been a tough team to have confidence in over the last couple of years, there is value here in taking them and the points.
Take Carolina +2.5 (-105).
