New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers, 12/26/19 NFL Week 17 Predictions

Saints vs. Panthers Total Prediction

NFC South rivals clash in Charlotte this Sunday when the Panthers host the Saints at 1:00 p.m. ET. With the total dropping a full two points from 48 to 46, is the under the play for bettors when it comes to this matchup?

Game Snapshot

113 New Orleans Saints (-13) at 114 Carolina Panthers (+13); O/U 46

1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 29, 2019

Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC

Public Betting Odds

According to our NFL Public Betting Chart page, the Saints are drawing 58% of the betting tickets ahead of tonight’s game.

New Orleans Saints Fantasy Spin

Drew Brees (knee) was a limited participant for Wednesday's practice. O-line centerpieces Larry Warford (knee) and Andrus Peat (forearm) were also limited for Wednesday's walkthrough. New Orleans still has an outside shot of clinching the No. 1 seed (and thus home field advantage) in the NFC with a win over the Panthers, so Brees' status is certainly worth monitoring ahead of Sunday.

Carolina Panthers Fantasy Spin

Will Grier completed 27-of-44 passes for 224 yards and three interceptions in Carolina's Week 16 loss to the Colts. Grier flashed an ability to extend plays in his regular season debut and that's where the compliments end. The third-round rookie skyrocketed multiple throws to wide open receivers, including missing Jarius Wright in the corner of the end zone on first-and-goal in the second quarter for a would-be touchdown. He made a few commendable passes after avoiding pressure and biding time for receivers to break from their routes in the second half, but the game was well out of hand by that point. Grier will start in Carolina's regular season finale with the sole purpose of feeding Christian McCaffrey until he records 67 receiving yards to join the illustrious 1,000/1,000 club. The rookie himself, though, showed nothing worth chasing (even in SuperFlex leagues) against the Saints.

New Orleans

The over is 22-7 in the Saints’ last 29 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

Carolina

The over is 23-8-1 in the Panthers’ last 32 games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous contest.

NFL Week 17 Prediction

These two teams often cash the over, including in five of the last six times they’ve met overall. That said, the under has been highly profitable when the Saints and Panthers play in Charlotte, including 12-4 in the last 16 meetings at Bank of America Stadium. Grier struggled in his first NFL start, struggling to move the ball for the Panthers last Sunday in Indianapolis. I don’t expect a one-week turnaround for Grier, especially facing a stout New Orleans defense. On the other side, with Brees a little banged-up and Carolina struggling against the run (the Panthers have the worst run defense in the NFL), I look for the Saints to keep the ball on the ground. If the Saints largely play keep-away, I don’t think they’ll score enough to make up for the lack of scoring from Grier and Carolina.

NFL WEEK 17 PREDICTION: SAINTS/PANTHERS UNDER 46