The Carolina Panthers just want to see their losing skid end, and that’s their top mission in the final week of the 2018 NFL regular season. However, standing in their way are the New Orleans Saints, who just locked up the top seed in the NFC. Will the Panthers end their catastrophic season on a positive note? Or will the Saints show no mercy and beat the Panthers – again? Atlanta is not just a strong favorite in this week’s uneven matchup, the remain the be the sportsbook’s odds on leader to win Super Bowl 53.
The Panthers have one last chance this year to their losing streak which got extended to seven games after losing to the Atlanta Falcons at home last Sunday, 24-10. Panthers can’t say they didn’t entirely expect their team to go up in smokes in the Atlanta game, considering that Carolina was quarterbacked by Taylor Heinicke instead of Cam Newton. With Newton having been shut down for the final two weeks of the season, Heinicke took over as stater in Week 16 and got smothered by the Falcons’ relatively weak defense. Heinicke completed 33-of-53 passes for a touchdown with three interceptions. Overall, the Panthers committed four turnovers, which all helped doom them. With a second-rate quarterback under center, the Panthers need their defense to step up. The Panthers did a good job of containing Drew Brees in their 12-9 home loss to the Saints in Week 15, as they held the future Hall of Famer down to only 203 passing yards and zero touchdowns with an interception.
The Panthers are 2-0 ATS in their last two meetings with New Orleans.
Betting on the New Orleans Saints (13-2)
In the penultimate week of the regular season, the Saints scored a huge 31-28 home win over the Pittsburgh Saints, thanks in large part to Drew Brees’ clutch performance. With the Saints down late in the fourth quarter, Brees threw a touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Thomas and finished the contest with 326 passing yards with zero interceptions on 27-of-39 completions. Brees is a known commodity for the Saints, and though he was contained in the first meeting with Carolina, the Panthers doing it again – this time in New Orleans – seems like a long shot. Plus the Saints’ passing attack looked even more dangerous than the last time Carolina dealt with it, as veteran wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. has finally made his return from a recent trip to the injured reserve. He had 74 receiving yards on five catches against Pittsburgh. There’s also a probability for the Saints to rest their star players in Week 17, so that’s something to watch out for.
The Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last five home games.
