New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers NFL Betting Odds & Spread

Written December 25, 2008 by Jason Lowry

Panthers Saints Football

The Carolina Panthers are in the playoffs, but after losing to the Giants last week they could go from being the possible No.1 seed to the No.5 seed, as another Panthers loss and a Falcons win against Rams, means Atlanta wins the division and the Panthers are stuck as a wild card. This week the Panthers travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints, who have only lost once all season at home, but the Panthers did beat them pretty bad earlier this season, as Carolina took home a 30-7 win on their home field. Now for those of you looking to do a little NFL betting this weekend, the oddsmakers have the Panthers 3 point favorites over the Saints at Bookmaker.com.

It’s going to be real interesting to see just how much the Panthers have left in the tank after the effort they gave on the road last week against the Giants. The Panthers looked like they had complete control early, as they took a 21-13 lead into halftime, but the offense stalled scoring just 7 points in the final 2 quarters of play. DeAngelo Williams had another outstanding day on the ground, as he ran for 108 yards and 4 scores on 24 carries. Jake Delhomme had an average day throwing the football, as he had just 185 yards on the game, but was pretty efficient completing 11 of his 19 attempts. The offense will have to find a way to put points on the board in this one, as the Saints offense really seems to come alive in their home stadium.

The Panthers defense has a big concern going into the playoffs after their game against the Giants last week, as they let Derrick Ward bust a number of big runs. Ward needed just 15 carries to rack up 215 yards, and the Giants ran for over 300 yards in this one. The Panthers did a great job shutting down the Saints passing attack earlier this season, but you have to expect the Saints to air it out big time in this one, as Drew Brees is just 402 yards away from breaking Dan Marino’s single season record for passing yards in a season. Bet Carolina Panthers -3 at Bookmaker.com.

Just how good is the Saints offense at home this season, so far in 7 games they are averaging 33 points a game, and have scored a combined 80 points in their last two home games against the Packers and Falcons. Last week against the Lions Drew Brees threw for 351 yards and 2 scores, but the damage was done on the ground, where 4 different Saints players had a rushing touchdown, and Pierre Thomas and Deuce McAllister combined to lead the way with 138 yards on the ground. This all came against a pretty pathetic Lions team, and you have to think the Panthers will put up a much better fight, as they are playing for a division title this weekend.

The Saints defense is where the concern comes into play, as they have to find someway to slow down the rushing attack of not only DeAngelo Williams, but rookie Jonathan Stewart as well. Last time these two teams hooked up the duo combined to run for 134 yards and a score, but that wasn’t all the Saints troubles as they let Delhomme throw for 195 yards and 2 scores as well. Stopping the run has to be priority number one, and if the Panthers beat them by the pass they just have to live with it. Bet New Orleans Saints +3 at Bookmaker.com.

Lowry’s Lean on this Game: Saints +3
I like the way the Panthers can run the football, and I think it will really benefit them come playoff time, but I just don’t know that this defense has enough left in the tank to run around the field and chase the Saints receivers for 4 quarters, as it was pretty easy to see just how worn down this defense was in the 2nd half of last week’s game. This entire division wins at home on a regular basis, and I don’t see any reason why that trend won’t keep in the final week of the season.

Predicted Score: Saints 34 Panthers 31

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