Saints vs Panthers NFL Week 15 Odds & Game Preview

It looked like the New Orleans Saints’ loss in Dallas two weeks ago was going to send the top team in the NFC into the ditch. In the early going of their Week 14 game against Tampa Bay, the Saints were trailing, and their offense looked like it was stuck in a Louisiana swamp. Then the Saints righted the ship and delivered a 14-point win to split the season series with the Buccaneers, and now they head to Carolina for a Monday night showdown with NFC South pride on the line — as well as implications for the Saints’ status as the top seed in the NFC. Can the Saints knock off a swooning Panthers team? Or will Carolina pull off a huge upset? We have your NFL betting preview right here.

Saints vs Panthers NFL Week 15 Odds & Game Preview

Referee for Saints at Panthers @ESPNNFL — Tony Corrente https://t.co/ckT6O24YxX #NOvsCAR

— Fᴏᴏᴛʙᴀʟʟ Zᴇʙʀᴀs (@footballzebras) December 11, 2018

When: Monday, December 17, 2018, 8:15pm ET Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC TV: ESPN Radio: Westwood One Live Stream: NFL Live NFL Week 15 Odds: New Orleans -6.5, O/U 54.5

Why should you bet on the Saints?

Drew Brees continues to put up historic numbers for the Saints, posting a 31:4 TD:INT ratio for 3,463 yards. Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram have combined for over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns — while Kamara has also made major contributions to the passing game, catching 70 passes for almost 691 yards and eight touchdowns. The Saints’ defense has remained an area of strength again this year, thanks to a pass rush led by Cameron Jordan, who leads the team with a dozen sacks. On the road, New Orleans has shaken its reputation as an inconsistent team, covering in 20 of their last 26 games outside The Big Easy. They have also covered in six of their last seven games against the Panthers — including four straight in Charlotte. The Saints should have some additional motivation this week, given that the Rams lost in Chicago on Sunday night, moving New Orleans back to the top seed in the conference. If you like New Orleans, you see their offense firing on all cylinders once again against a defense that has become quite vulnerable over the course of the year.

Why should you put your money on the Panthers?

The Panthers are in the midst of a five-game losing streak that started with a 31-point rout at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers and most recently resulted in a six-point loss to Cleveland last Sunday. Since the loss to the Steelers, none of the other Carolina losses have been by more than a touchdown, but Carolina is finding creative ways to come up short. Cam Newton still has a decent 24:12 TD:INT ratio, and Christian McCaffrey has had a breakout year, running for 926 yards and seven scores while also leading the Panthers in catches with 86, for 701 more yards and six more scores. The Panthers’ defense started out the year in solid fashion but has slipped as the season has worn on. Carolina hasn’t even covered the spread in each of these last five losses and has covered just twice in their last seven games in the NFC South. If you like the Panthers, you think that the Saints’ division-clinching win last week will cause them to take their foot off the gas a little bit, and that the Panthers will fix some of the problems that have caused their defense to fail to get stops late in games.

Expert Pick and Final Score Prediction

The Saints are one of the most dynamic teams on both sides of the ball, and they seem to have shaken off that Dallas loss. I see them imposing their will on the Panthers in this game and rolling to a 34-20 victory, putting the pressure back on the Rams to win to have a shot at the top NFC seed.