The Carolina Panthers face New Orleans in Week 17, a matchup between the bottom two teams in the NFC South. As the regular season approaches an end, let’s break down the Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints battle and make an NFL betting pick and prediction.
Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints pick, prediction | Week 17
- Spread: Saints -6.5 (Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook)
- Moneyline: Saints -280, Panthers +225
- Over/Under: 39
Week 17 brings us a matchup between two NFC South sides who have no idea who their franchise quarterback will be moving forward.
[bet-bonus id=”164810″ ]Let’s start with the Carolina Panthers, who have quite frankly made a mess of a season that had a lot of potential. Yes, there have been injuries, most notably to franchise star running back Christian McCaffrey. Still, coming into the season, this Panthers team had a high-performing defense, one of the best running backs in the league, and the upside to challenge for a playoff spot.
As it turns out, they’ve mightily regressed. Matt Rhule invested in QB Sam Darnold, bringing him in from the New York Jets, which has not worked out the way they wanted. The Panthers then brought Cam Newton back in. It’s a fun story, and he brings great energy back to the locker room — but what he hasn’t brought is a single win. He’s been pulled from games more than once. Ultimately, the Panthers find themselves in QB purgatory once again.
Sean Payton feeling effects of a Brees-less Saints offense
The Saints are in a similar situation, as they try desperately to recover from the retirement of Saints legend Drew Brees. Sean Payton has now had four starting quarterbacks in this season alone. Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian, and Ian Book have all gone under center for the Saints offense.
Players testing positive for COVID-19 meant the Saints got a chance to look at what they had in Book on Monday Night Football against the Dolphins.
Unfortunately, he didn’t look great, and Miami’s front didn’t give him time to get much done at all. They forced him into a pick-six on his very first drive as an NFL starter. Sadly, it didn’t get much better from there, as the Saints failed to find the end zone all evening.
Questions are mounting as both of these franchises struggle to correct the issues at the position. They will both need to have pivoting offseasons to get their playoff hopes back on track.
Panthers vs. Saints betting trends
The Panthers have lost five games in a row against the spread (ATS), suffering a 32-6 defeat to Tom Brady and his second string of receivers over the weekend. They’re 5-10 ATS for the season. Carolina has really tailed off as the season has gone on. There’s a feeling that the coaching staff is losing control, and fast. The loss to Tampa Bay marked the first time in six games that the Panthers have failed to cover the over in a game, a category in which they’re 7-8 this season.
The Saints have scored less than 10 points in three of their last five, and as a result, have not covered an over in five games now either. New Orleans is 6-9 on over/unders and 7-8 ATS.
Panthers vs. Saints prediction
These two teams have had a tough year, and they both look exhausted. The Saints could still steal second in the division. New Orleans will be uplifted by the return of several players likely clearing COVID protocols before Sunday’s game. The 6.5-point spread seems fair, and oddsmakers are obviously expecting a low-scoring affair with a 39-point over/under total.
I would be surprised to see the Panthers score more than 10 points on the Saints’ defense. So, I’ll take New Orleans to cover, and I will still bet the under despite it being in the 30s.
Panthers vs. Saints Prediction: Saints 24, Panthers 10