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The Carolina Panthers travel to Louisiana to take on the New Orleans Saints on 12/30/18 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
These teams have nothing to play for in this game really as the Panthers are already out of the playoffs and the Saints have clinched home court advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Out Of the Race
The Carolina Panthers started the season looking like serious contenders to take the NFC South with their 6-2 record. But since then, the Panthers have lost seven games in a row, including a loss to the Atlanta Falcons last week where they scored only 10 points and committed four turnovers. With this historic collapse, the Panthers are officially out of the playoff race.
The Panthers lost their top two quarterback options due to injury and that’s one of the big reasons why their season ended in disaster. Without the two, the Panthers had to let their ground game take over and carry their offensive load. Christian McCaffrey has starred on the ground with 1,080 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns on the season. But not only has he been the lead man on the ground, McCaffrey has also been the Panthers’ top receiver with a record 106 receptions for a total of 845 receiving yards and six touchdown catches.
Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints 12/30/18
Moneyline Odds: Panthers +285, Saints -370
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/27/18
Home Field Advantage Secured
The Saints own the best record in the league with 13 wins. They have not only won the NFC South Division but they have secured home field advantage throughout the entire NFC playoffs. With their regular season mission already accomplished, it’s interesting what New Orleans’ motivation will be for this game.
Drew Brees has thrown for 3,992 passing yards with 32 touchdowns and 5 interceptions while completing 74.4% of his passes. Because Brees is already 38, he isn’t expected to play meaningful minutes in this game. In that case, the Saints are going to roll with Terry Bridgewater who will still be better than who the Panthers are going to put behind center for this game.
Who Wins?
The Panthers are 0-5 SU in their last five games played. Carolina is 1-9 SU in their last 10 games on the road. The Saints are 13-1 SU in their last 14 games played. New Orleans is 5-0 SU in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Saints are 6-4 SU in their last 10 meetings.
Likewise, Carolina is out of playoff contention and has nothing to play for except pride and padding their statistics. Cam Newton is injured and the Panthers turned to the undrafted Taylor Heinicke who threw for 274 yards in Week 16 but left the game with an injured elbow. Heinicke’s status isn’t clear yet and if he is a no-go, then Carolina will have to go to another undrafted quarterback in Kyle Allen, who has a total of four pass attempts in his NFL career.
Carolina has lost seven in a row, is out of playoff contention and their quarterback’s status is uncertain. With so little time to prepare and nothing to play for, you’ve got to think twice about backing them in favor of a New Orleans team which may be resting its starters but playing to keep momentum. And yes, the Saints play at home where they have won five in a row. I’ll take the home team in a toss-up.
We’re picking the New Orleans Saints to beat the Carolina Panthers on 12/30/18.
Other Bets To Make
Carolina is 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games. The Panthers are also 1-7 ATS in their last seven games on the road. New Orleans is 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games played. The Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played at home. Head to head, the Saints are 6-3-1 ATS in their last 10 games against the Panthers.
Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints 12/30/18
Spread Odds: Panthers +9 (-114), Saints -9 (-104)
Odds from getbets.eu as of 12/27/18
The Panthers are 1-8 in their last nine December games on the road. They are also 0-4 ATS in their last four road games overall. On the other hand, the Saints are 5-0 ATS in their last five games after amassing 250 passing yards in their previous game and 6-1 ATS in their last seven games after scoring at least 30 points in their previous outing. If the Saints play at full strength, then I don’t see how the Panthers win, given their recent form.
Prediction: Saints -9
The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by Carolina. The under has also hit in 5 of the Panthers’ last six road games. On the other hand, the total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Saints. New Orleans has seen the over hit in 8 out of their last 12 home games. The over is also 7-2 in the last nine meetings between these two teams and 5-0 in their last five meetings played in New Orleans.
Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints 12/30/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 44.5 -109, Under 44.5 -109
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 12/27/18
The over is 13-5 in Carolina’s last 18 road games after consecutive home games. The total has also gone over in seven out of the last nine meetings between these teams with an average combined score of 53.11 points.
Prediction: Over 44.5
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