On the road, the Carolina Panthers have a 5-1 record both straight up and against the spread. The New Orleans Saints are 4-1 straight up and 2-3 against the spread this season. The Panthers are seeking their fifth straight win while the Saints hope to bounce back after seeing their eight-game winning streak snapped in Week 13.
The Panthers are surging right now and look to be a prime threat to the Eagles in the NFC. Since trading former first round pick Kelvin Benjamin it seems that the offense has taken off. During the 4 game winning streak Cam Newton hasn’t had to put up amazing passing numbers, but has been a major threat on the ground. He is averaging over 60 rushing yards per game during the win streak and I expect him to have another good dual-threat game.
The last meeting he played extremely poorly, throwing 3 interceptions and for less than 200 yards, so expect this to be a bounceback performance. Christian McCaffrey hasn’t been the threat running the ball as advertised coming out of Stanford, but he has been a playmaker in the receiving game. He is averaging nearly 45 yards per game receiving, and is a threat to take any reception to the house.
If he can find a few holes in the 2nd level of the defense he may be able to take one to the house. Jonathan Stewart has struggled all season running the ball, so it was no surprise to see him struggle against the Jets strong defensive line. The defense made great plays against the Jets, scoring a pair of defensive touchdowns as they shut down the Jets offense for most of the afternoon. The Saints will struggle early in the game but should be able to get into a rhythm in the second half.
After surging during their 8 game winning streak, the Saints offense was slowed down by a very good Rams defense. Drew Brees was accurate for most of the game, but threw for under 250 yards and had just 1 touchdown pass. The bright spot for Brees is that he did not throw an interception, so that should be something to watch against an opportunistic Panthers defense.
Alvin Kamara has been a big surprise this season coming out of Tennessee, and he had almost 200 yards of total offense against the Rams. He ran the ball 5 times for 87 yards and a score, while also grabbing 6 passes for 101 yards and another score. Kamara can be a game changer when he gets his hands on the ball, and I expect him to have another good game against Carolina.
After two back to back games with 130+ yards on the ground, Mark Ingram was shut down by the Rams stout defensive line. He ran the ball 11 times for just 31 yards and did not find the end zone. He should find the end zone in this game and rush for over 75 yards.
Writer’s Prediction
Cam Newton and the Saints will showcase that they are a clear contender for the NFC, and will put in a good performance this week. The running game will lead the Panthers attack, and they will get a close victory. Pick: Carolina (+4)
