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Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints NFL Odds & Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

panthers-saints

Last Sunday night, the Panthers blew an opportunity to secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC. This Sunday, they are playing to secure a No. 1 seed in their division. What’s at stake here is getting to during the opening round of the playoffs or having to go on the road. NFL lines makers predict that the Panthers will secure a first round bye with a win this week, but it will not be easy. The Carolina Panthers are just 3-point favorites with the total set at 52.5.

The Carolina Panthers have fallen on some difficult times since advancing to the Super Bowl in 2003, but now they feel that they have a team capable of getting back there. A win over Drew Brees and the Saints will give the Panthers their first NFC South title in four years and would be a nice piece of momentum heading into the playoffs. The 11-4 Panthers had won seven of eight games prior to last Sunday night’s loss and were assured a playoff berth when Dallas lost to Baltimore last Saturday night. It appeared the Panthers would emerge as the best team in the NFC, leading for most of the game against New York, but they went down in overtime to hand the No.1 seed over to the reigning Super Bowl champs.

Winning the NFC South title could be a good omen as the last time the franchise did so, it advanced to the Super Bowl for the lone time in the 14-year history of the team. A win over the Saints or a Falcons loss to the Rams would give the Panthers the NFC South title. However, if the Panthers lose and the Falcons win, Carolina would have to play a wild card game in Arizona next week. If you like Carolina to get the job done, bet the Panthers at -3 at Bookmaker and receive a 20% cash sign up bonus.

The Panthers are coming off their worst defensive performance of the season and they will need to get their defense in order in a hurry as they face Drew Brees and one of the NFL’s best offenses this week. The three-time Pro Bowl QB is just 402 yards shy of breaking Dan Marino’s single-season passing record of 5,084 yards set back in 1984. Brees has passes for more yards than what he needs in two games this season. While the Saints have nothing to play for except for pride, Brees has said that his personal accomplishments will not take precedence over his team trying to win. Even though the Saints will miss the playoffs for a second straight season since advancing to the NFC championship game in 2006-07, the Saints have an opportunity to post a winning record for just the third time in eight seasons and that is something worth playing for for this proud franchise.

QB Drew Brees has already set a career high with his league-leading 4,628 yards passing and his 30 touchdown strikes are only second to San Diego’s Phillip Rivers. The Saints proved last week that they would not sulk after being eliminated from playoff contention by burying a Lions team hungry to get its first win of the season 42-7. The Saints amassed a season-high 532 total yards as Brees finished 30 of 40 for 351 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints have been a good home team all season, winning 6 of their seven games, but they face a Carolina club which beat them 30-7 earlier in the year, and held Brees without a touchdown pass in a game for the only time this season. New Orleans has lost nine of 12 versus Carolina, including six straight at home since 2001, but the Saints will most definitely get up for this one at home where Brees has been at his best, totaling 19 touchdowns against four interceptions. If you like New Orleans to spoil a division title for Carolina, bet the Saints at +3 at Bookmaker.

Do your NFL betting with Jimmy Boyd this week as his NFL expert picks go after a fifth straight winning Sunday NFL card.

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