The winless New Orleans Saints travel to Carolina to take on the unbeaten Panthers in Week 3 NFL action. The lines maker opened this game with the Panthers a -5.5 point spread home favorite over their NFC South rivals. The total line is as high as 46.5 on some NFL betting boards. Kickoff for this match at the Bank of America Stadium is scheduled for 1:00pm.
New Orleans fell to 0-2 for the 4th-straight year with a 36-20 loss to New England last week. QB Drew Brees was 27-45 for 356 yards and 2 TDs. While he was sacked just once, he was pressured often. The ground game produced 81 yards on 17 attempts. Not the balanced attack HC Sean Payton was promising for this season. The defense was gouged for 436 passing yards and 3 TD passes. They did manage 2 sacks. They also gave up 119 yards on the ground. That’s 555 total yards for anyone that is counting.
Carolina held their 2nd-straight opponent to only 3 points in an uninspiring 9-3 win over Buffalo last Sunday. QB Cam Newton was 20-32 for 228 yards. He was sacked 6 times for 50 yards, an average of better than 8 yards per sack. The ground game stalled, gaining only 77 yards on 28 carries. As you would expect from the score, the defense came up aces in this contest. They yielded a mere 107 passing yards, notched 3 sacks (2 by DE Julius Peppers) and held the NFL’s top ground game over the past 2 years to only 69 yards on 23 carries. A great day by the defense!
New Orleans at Carolina Betting Trends
- New Orleans is 9-0 ATS vs. an NFC opponent with a winning pct. of .666 or better.
- The Saints are 8-0 ATS as divisional underdogs of 3+ points in the last 2 years.
- Carolina is 2-12 ATS in the second of back-to-back home games.
- The Panthers are 5-1 ATS as favorites of more than 5 points after allowing 10 points or fewer in their previous game. The one loss happened last week.
Injuries of Note
New Orleans: The Saints have an abundance of injuries this week with Left Tackle Terron Armstead and Right Tackle Zach Strief are both out again this week. They will also be a tad thin in the secondary without starting Cornerback Marshon Lattimore and Nickleback Sterling Moore. Carolina: Tight End Greg Olsen, Cam’s security blanket has been placed on Injured Reserve and Center Ryan Kailil is once again a no go.
Public Money Consensus
The underdog Saints are taking most of the public’s money with 67% of the point spread bets landing on New Orleans. The total wagering has been as is the norm primarily on the OVER with a hair under 60% wagering on that side of the line.
Last Matchup
2016, Week 11, Panthers 23-20
