Panthers vs. Saints Prediction
NFC South rivals meet in the Big Easy this Sunday when the New Orleans Saints host the Carolina Panthers at 1:00PM ET. Let’s preview the matchup and hand out a prediction for this weekend’s game.
Before handing out a prediction for this game, let’s take a look at the current point spread.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Saints 13-point favorites over the Panthers in Week 4. The over/under total for this game has been set at 44.5 points.
The Saints will be looking to take out some frustrations after losing to the Falcons last week at home thanks to a blown chip shot field goal by Garrett Hartley. They signed John Carney earlier this week in hopes that he’ll bring stability to the kicking position.
The Panthers offer a perfect pasty for the Saints to get back on track because they’re completely inept offensively. Rookie Jimmy Clausen was brutal in his first NFL game last week against the Bengals and could find life difficult again this weekend in New Orleans.
The Prediction:
That said, there’s something wrong with the Saints and that certainly factors into this prediction. The Falcons exposed the interior of their defensive line and it’s apparent that they don’t have enough playmakers on defense. They’ll be fine this weekend against the punchless Panthers, but Carolina can still run the ball with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Look for John Fox to keep the ball on the ground and pound the Saints up the middle. He has to keep Drew Brees and Co. off the field, just as the Falcons did last week and the only way to do that is to run the ball and eat up the clock. It’s always a dangerous proposition to lay double-digit points in a NFL game, which is why my prediction is to take the Panthers +14.
2010 NFL Week 4 Prediction: CAROLINA PANTHERS +13