Now that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have clinched the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints and a Carolina Panthers meet in a Week 18 showdown that can send neither of them to the postseason. The Panthers had a chance at the title last week, going up 14-0 on Tampa Bay on the road, but they lost, 30-24. New Orleans shut down Philadelphia, 20-10, winning on the road as a 6 ½-point underdog. The Panthers won the first meeting between the two teams, with a 22-14 victory back in September. Check out our NFL betting predictions on this 2022 finale for both teams.
NFL Preview: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints
(Sunday, January 8)
When: Sunday, January 8, 2023, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
TV: FOX
Radio: WRFX 99.7 FM Charlotte / WWL 870 AM New Orleans
Live Stream: Sling TV
NFL Odds: New Orleans -3.5 / O/U 42 // New Orleans -178 / Carolina +150
Why should you bet on the Panthers?
The Panthers have played much better football since firing head coach Matt Rhule and trading Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco. Restoring Sam Darnold to the quarterback position and giving D’Onta Foreman the ball on the ground have yielded surprisingly positive outcomes, but these changes just happened too late in the season. The defense has also been a problem, as we saw again in Week 17, as the Panthers permitted 478 yards of total offense and 25 first downs, and the three turnovers along the way didn’t help. Even so, there is plenty to look forward to for 2023.
Passing offense is still an area of growth, as Carolina ranks 28th with 185.3 yards per game. The running game is decent, ranking 12th with 127.4 yards per game. On offense, Sam Darnold has managed to throw for 1,100 yards and post a 7:1 TD:INT ratio, and he has also run for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Foreman has run for 846 yards to lead the team, and D.J. Moore is the top receiver with 62 catches for 878 yards and seven scores. The departures of McCaffrey and Robby Anderson have left holes in the offense, but the replacements have filled in nicely.
Why should you put your money on the Saints?
The Saints’ win in Philadelphia was all about the defense, as they moved out to a 13-0 halftime lead and held on the rest of the way; it was a pick-six from Marshon Lattimore that provided the final margin of victory. The running game helped the Saints control time of possession (37:04 – 22:56), although they average just 114.9 yards per game on the ground (19th overall). The offense only puts up 20.2 points per game (22nd overall), as the team plays at a grinding pace and likes to control the rhythm by keeping things from getting out of hand.
Andy Dalton has done a serviceable job filling in for Jameis Winston this season, throwing for 2,700 yards and a 17:9 TD:INT ratio. Once again, Taysom Hill has proven himself a valuable gadget player, throwing for two touchdowns, running for seven and catching passes for two more. Alvin Kamara is still the leading tailback with 790 yards, but he is definitely showing his age, as is Mark Ingram. For the future, Chris Olave looks like a star in the making at wide receiver, with 67 catches for 982 yards and three touchdowns. Olave (along with Jarivs Landry and Michael Thomas) has spent so much time on the shelf, though, that you have to wonder what he could do over a full 17 games.
Final Score and Prediction
The Saints seem like the more well-oiled machine, at least of these two teams, but the Panthers seem like the team with the higher ceiling, with youth at quarterback and tailback. With nothing on the line as far as the postseason, I see the younger team taking advantage. I predict a final score of Carolina 24, New Orleans 20.
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