Panthers vs Saints preview, predictions, betting odds, live stream info

Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints

The Carolina Panthers travel to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday afternoon for a huge NFC South matchup. The Panthers and Cam Newton will look to keep their undefeated record in-tact for another week while the Saints hope that they can somehow remain relevant in the playoff picture by picking up a big win over Carolina.

Newton has been a legitimate MVP candidate for much of this season and running back Jonathan Stewart has silently been one of the better players at his position in the entire league. Against a Saints offense that’s always dangerous with the likes of Drew Brees, Mark Ingram, and Brandin Cooks involved, it will be the Carolina defense led by Josh Norman that will be in the forefront of everyone’s mind come Sunday afternoon.

Details for Sunday’s game are below:

Date: Sunday, Dec. 6
Start Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: New Orleans, LA
Stadium: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
TV Info: FOX
Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket
Radio: Here

Keys to Victory

Though it seems strange to say for a 12-0 team with one of the best defenses in the league, the Panthers defense is going to have to show up in the Superdome on Sunday. They’ve been consistently good for the majority of the season, but everyone knows what Brees and the New Orleans offense are capable of when they get clicking. Carolina’s defense has to prevent them from ever getting to that level and keep things manageable no matter what.

Meanwhile, the conventional thought about beating the Panthers would be to stop them in the rushing attack considering that their arguably the best running team in football. However, taking away Newton’s biggest weapon in the passing game in Greg Olsen is going to be vital for the Saints in this game. If New Orleans can negate the effects of the Carolina tight end, the Panthers offense could turn one-dimensional quite quickly and at least give the Saints a chance to sneak in and pick up a victory.

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Panthers -6.5
Moneyline: Panthers -280, Saints +235
O/U: 50

Prediction

While you’d have to assume that the Panthers are going to lose at some point this season, I just don’t see it being in New Orleans. Carolina looks like the better football team in virtually every capacity and should be able to walk out 12-0.

Final Score: Carolina Panthers: 28, New Orleans Saints: 20