New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Odds, Prediction & Pick
Saints vs. Panthers Odds
| Saints Odds | -3 |
| Panthers Odds | +3 |
| Over/Under | 39 |
| Date | Mon, Sep. 18 |
| Time | 7:15 p.m. |
| TV | ESPN |
Monday’s NFL double-header will begin with a matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. The Saints are coming off of an opening week win with new quarterback Derek Carr under center. The Panthers lost their season opener 24-10 and are at risk of suffering back-to-back losses within the division to begin the year.
Ahead of kickoff, oddsmakers have priced the Saints as 3-point favorites on the spread in this matchup. The total for this contest is set at over/under 39 points.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where NFL bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr leads New Orleans offense
In Week 1, Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints led the entire NFL in Intended Air Yards (IAY), but struggled to complete those pass attempts. Nevertheless, the fact that Carr and company are trying to get the ball downfield for big gains is noteworthy in and of itself. In 2022, drives that had at least one play of 15 yards or more scored points 50% of the time, per Warren Sharp. When a drive did not have a play of 15-plus yards, it scored points only 6.3% of the time. Facing a beatable Carolina Panthers secondary unit on Monday, the Saints are well-positioned to put a healthy number of points on the board.
Healthy Saints defense
The biggest concern for New Orleans’ defense is their health. Though there is plenty of top-end talent on this side of the ball, there is minimal depth at key positions that are currently manned by stars Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Pete Werner. Entering play on Monday, the Saints have no notable injuries to report, leaving them in good shape for this NFC South battle.
Carolina Panthers
Young experiencing youthful struggles
In Week 1, Bryce Young struggled in every way imaginable, playing in his first career NFL game. From a clean pocket, he threw two interceptions and had only 4.6 yards per attempt. When under pressure, Young completed only 5-of-15 pass attempts for 40 total yards. New Orleans generated 23 pressures on Ryan Tannehill in Week 1, sacking him five times en route to a narrow victory. The Panthers offensive line was already in poor shape, but got even worse this past week after learning that their left guard suffered a season-ending injury. It could be difficult for this group to find the end zone on Monday.
Injury-plagued Carolina defense
Last weekend, Jaycee Horn played 21 snaps for the Panthers. The former first-round draft pick did not allow a single target or reception in the afternoon. His strong opening week performance was a continuation of the last two years in which he has allowed a 48.4 opponent quarterback back rating on throws targeted his way. Unfortunately for Carolina, he did not practice on Friday and is likely to miss multiple weeks with a hamstring injury. His absence forces CJ Henderson into a bigger role, which is far from a good thing for this secondary unit. Carolina is going to struggle to slow down New Orleans’ trio of wide receiver weapons on the outside.
Saints vs. Panthers – Picks & Predictions
Intra-division battles are notorious for surprises, but there is little doubt, on paper, that the New Orleans Saints are the better team in this matchup. The Saints have a better quarterback, better offensive line, better pass-catching options, and are much healthier on the defensive side of the ball. This game might turn out to be competitive due to the familiarity each team has with one another, but the Saints should find a way to emerge victorious by at least a field goal.
PICK: Saints -3 (-110, Fanatics Sportsbook)