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NFL Football Preview | New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers
With each team possessing a quarterback on pace to finish the 2011 campaign ahead of Dan Marino’s record for yards in a single season, the New Orleans Saints will have other things in mind when they head to Bank of America Stadium to face the Carolina Panthers.
New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers
Venue/Stadium: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina
Time/Date: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 9, 2011 on FOX
Moneyline: Saints -290, Panthers +245
Spread (ATS): Saints -7, +105
Over/Under: 51, -110
Rookie quarterback Cam Newton has hit the league by storm, to say the least, but will face his biggest test of the year when he enters his first division game this Sunday against Saints quarterback Drew Brees and the 3-1 New Orleans Saints.
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Newton, along with Brees, is on pace to break Marino’s record, although that is likely to change as the season progresses. But Newton has done things that you must respect, as he has passed for 1,386 yards in just his first four game in the NFL.
Sunday’s matchup will be tough for Newton, though.
New Orleans’ defensive coordinator Gregg Williams loves to bring the heat, especially when facing a young quarterback. Newton hasn’t been able to beat the blitz consistently through his first four games, and the Saints could be the team to knock him back to reality.
Both offenses have put up similar numbers in terms of yards, but New Orleans are doing something that is way more important: scoring. The Saints are averaging 31.8 points, while the Panthers averaging just 22.3. In the same respect, Carolina tend to come up short in crucial third-down situations, converting just 32.7 percent on the season.
The last time these two teams met, the Saints thumped the kitties 34-3, but that was way back in November of 2010, and now Carolina is a completely different team.
Panthers’ receiver Steve Smith seems to be reborn with his new quarterback throwing his way, and he’s already caught 24 balls for 530 yards. Smith has always been the leader of the team, and Carolina and new head coach Ron Rivera needed Smith to come back and bring the intensity that he was known for playing with. Every time Smith makes a play, the whole team seems to feed off of the energy.
The odds makers have the New Orleans Saints as a -7 point favorite with an over/under of 51.
Matt’s Prediction: Saints 28, Panthers 27 – The game will no doubt be close, but it will be a shootout, and the Saints are one of the best at winning high-scoring games. I’d take the Panthers to cover the spread, but don’t expect Cam and the offense to score as many touchdowns as the Saints’ offense.
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