Last Updated on November 3, 2010 7:33 pm by Anthony Rome
Saints vs. Panthers Preview
CHARLOTTE, NC – A matchup with the sputtering Carolina Panthers looks like an ideal send-off for the New Orleans Saints before their bye week, but nothing has come easily for the defending champs against opponents with losing records.
The Saints, coming off a solid win over a division leader, again try to shake their struggles against sub-.500 teams when they visit the Panthers on Sunday.
Oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com have made the Saints 6.5-point spread favorites for Sunday’s game against the Panthers. Current NFL Public Betting Information shows that 90% of more than the 3,493 bets for this game have been placed on the Saints –6.5.
After opening the season with back-to-back victories, New Orleans (5-3) has alternated wins and losses in its last six games. The results in the last four have been troubling, with the Saints beating 5-2 teams Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh by a combined score of 51-16 but losing to Arizona (3-4) by 10 points and Cleveland (2-5) by 13.
“We’re used to playing big in big games, prime-time games against opponents like Pittsburgh,” quarterback Drew Brees said a day after Sunday night’s 20-10 win over the Steelers. “Not to say that there’s any kind of a let up the week after, but I think that is an element of human nature. … To find a way to rally again, to have that same level of intensity and focus the following week is tough. And that’s why this business is tough, and it’s hard to win.”
New Orleans’ last victory over a team with a losing record came Oct. 3, when it defeated Carolina 16-14 at the Superdome, but that was far from easy.
The Saints, who haven’t swept the season series from the Panthers since 2001, managed one touchdown, relying on three field goals by John Carney – including a 25-yarder with 3:55 left in the fourth quarter.
Carolina (1-6) still had a chance to retake the lead, but Usama Young tackled DeAngelo Williams for a 4-yard loss and Malcolm Jenkins sacked Jimmy Clausen on consecutive plays to push the Panthers out of field goal range.
“We need to win the games that we’re supposed to win,” New Orleans safety Roman Harper said. “I don’t have an exact answer why we’ve been up and down, but we just have been.”
The Saints looked like Super Bowl contenders with their strong second-half play against Pittsburgh. Brees connected on 20 of 22 passes after halftime – including two fourth-quarter touchdowns – to finish with 305 yards, while the defense forced turnovers on the Steelers’ final two possessions.
“We have a special group,” Brees said. “I think we all knew that from the start. We just had to come out and prove it. It’s a long season. … You’re going to have your ups and downs.”
Brees has been in the center of New Orleans’ inconsistencies, having already matched last season’s interception total of 11, with nine coming in the team’s three losses.
The Saints’ defense, however, has been one constant – ranking third in total defense at 287.3 yards – and it could be primed for a big game against Carolina’s punchless offense.
The Panthers, last in the NFL in total offense at 271.0 yards and averaging 12.1 points, mustered just 201 yards in last Sunday’s 20-10 loss to St. Louis. Matt Moore threw three more interceptions, bringing his total to 10 in five games, and Jonathan Stewart was held to 30 yards on 14 carries.
“If it was that easy to say it was one thing it would be easier to fix, but in our situation it’s a combination of all of the above,” coach John Fox said.
Fox has decided to go with Moore at quarterback again this week over the rookie Clausen despite his struggles.
“I think right now Matt gives us our best chance,” Fox said.
Moore will face a New Orleans defense that ranks third against the pass at 178.6 yards and could get starting cornerbacks Tracy Porter (left knee) and Jabari Greer (left shoulder) back.
Turning to the ground might not be the answer, as Carolina’s run game – once a major strength of the offense – is in shambles.
Williams’ status is uncertain after he sat out last week with a foot injury and Stewart, who rushed for a team-best 1,133 yards last season, has only 178 yards with an average of 2.8 per carry. The team is 28th in rushing at 85.6 yards per game after ranking third in 2009 with 156.1.
“We’ve just got to keep going, keep plugging away, trying to get a win,” Moore said. “You just have to keep that attitude or you’ve got no shot.”
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