Thursday, May 17th, 2012
The New Orleans Saints will travel in a week 17 NFC South divisional NFL pro football game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Kick off time is scheduled for 1PM Eastern Time with regional television coverage provided by Fox.
The LVSC NFL odds makers have set the opening point spread in this game and the Carolina Panthers were opened as a 9 point favorite with the over under coming in at 42 ½.
The early money from the NFL betting public has come in on the road underdog New Orleans Saints, as the Carolina Panthers are currently a 7-point favorite. The total has seen early movement in the betting towards the under, as the over under is currently lined at 41 for the NFL bettors to play into.
NFL money line gamblers can make a play on the favored Carolina Panthers at –320 with the road underdog New Orleans Saints bringing back +260 to win without the need for getting points.
In their first meeting this season it was the New Orleans Saints rallying for a 30-20 win. The Saints overcame a 14-0 first quarter deficit for the victory. Drew Brees passed for 330 yards but completed on only 1 touchdown pass on the Panthers defense. The Panthers had success on the ground with 182 rushing yards.
The New Orleans Saints sit with a record of 13-2 and have clinched home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. Despite losing two straight games the team was fortunate that the Vikings lost two straight as well. Carolina sits with a 7-8 record this season and have been eliminated from the playoffs.
The team is coming off a bad 20-17 loss to hapless Tampa Bay last week. The Saints defense was torched for 176 yards on the ground and 263 through the air. They allowed a third string rookie quarterback in Josh Freeman to exploit their defense. This was not a good sign on the eve of the playoffs.
With a two game losing streak, Saints head coach Sean Payton sounds like a coach who wants to break this streak before heading into the playoffs. One would then expect the starters to play at least two series if not more for the team to find good form as they head into the playoffs. Drew Brees may be the exception as it has been announced that Mark Brunell will get the start.
Drew Bress has had a Pro Bowl type season hitting on over 70% of his passes with 34 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He has been accurate the past two weeks but has only passed for a combined 2 touchdown passes in this losing streak. Seventeen-year veteran Mark Brunell will start on Sunday. Brunell is a former starter in this league. He has hit on 59.6% of his passes for 183 touchdowns and 106 interceptions in his career. He has only thrown 1 pass this season. We may also see third stringer and rookie Chase Daniel in the second half of this game.
Lead running back Pierre Thomas is having rib problems and will not play in this game. Mike Bell most likely will see more carries in this game. The back is averaging 4.0 yards per rush attempt this season. But he has struggled big time down the stretch with no better than 2.9 yards a carry average in his past three games. Bell has had 27 carries for only 62 yards in that slump. Fourth string running back Lynell Hamilton may see some action in this game. He has 25 rushes this season with 77 yards and a touchdown.
Since seeing injuries to their secondary the New Orleans Saints defense has been a mess. The team has been exploited in the passing game. The Saints allow an average of 240 passing yards per game ranking 25th in the NFL.
The Panthers have played well down the stretch. They have won two straight beating Minnesota and the New York Giants. They outscored these two opponents by a combined score of 67-16. They have done this with great performances by their defense that has led them to a +6 turnover margin in these two games combined.
Backup quarterback Matt Moore has seen action with a season ending injury to Jake Delhomme way back in week 12. Moore has hit on over 61% of his passes this season with 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He has thrown for 6 touchdowns and no picks over his past two games. He will not be with wide receiver Steve Smith who broke his arm last week.
Second year back Jonathan Stewart had a great game last week with 206 rushing yards on 28 carries last week. He has been banged up with a toe injury and has been listed as questionable for this game. DeAngelo Williams has had a great season with 5.2 yards a carry average. He has missed practice with an ankle injury and is doubtful for this game. Third stringer Tyell Sutton is also hurt so we may see some action from fourth string Decori Birmingham who is on the Panthers practice squad.
On the defensive side the Panthers allow just under 20 points per game. They defend the pass very well this season. Carolina allows just 196 yards per game through the air ranking 4th in the NFL.
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NFL Trend: New Orleans Saints are 0-4 ATS in their past 4 games
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