Perhaps the most intriguing matchup in the Wild Card round, Cam Newton and the Panthers will head to New Orleans to take on their division rival Sunday afternoon (4:40 PM ET). Both teams finished 11-5 on the season, but two of Carolina’s losses came at the hands of New Orleans, both of which were by more than 9 points including a blowout in week 3 (34-13).
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Despite the past results of their matchups, the Panthers have won seven of their past nine games and we’ve seen a return of Cam Newton’s rushing game. He’s averaged over 10 rushes across their last six games and that added dimension will be something the Saints will have to account for. Add in the fact that the Saints ranked 23rd in DVOA defense against the run while the Panthers finished 4th in team rushing yards, and they should have their hands full. Now the Saints themselves are no slouches in the run game. They finished fifth in total yards and have the best 1a/1b duo in Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. Metrics will tell you the Panthers are good at stopping the run, but that defense hasn’t shown up when facing the Saints. In their two games this season, the Saints racked up a combined 297 rush yards and 4 touchdowns. The experts think the Saints will make it three in a row, find out why below.
More Game Picks:
Titans at Chiefs (-8) | Falcons at Rams (-5) | Bills at Jaguars (-8.5)
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Carolina Panthers (+6) |
New Orleans Saints (-6) |
26%of Experts |
74%of Experts |
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“I have the Saints winning a close one here. Should be the best game of the weekend.”
– Andrew Ferris (Fantasy Hot Read) “It is never easy to take a team down for the third time in one year, but the Saints will be tasked with doing precisely that. I think Drew Brees and co. get the job done at home, but this time they’re going to get a hard fight from the Panthers. Cam Newton can still ball and Carolina’s defense isn’t a pushover unit. A field goal should decide this one.”
– Kevin Roberts (Breaking Football) “I think the Saints come away with a win but Carolina keeps it close in New Orleans.”
– Andy Holloway (The Fantasy Footballers) “Of all the Saints divisional opponents since 2010, the Panthers hold the best record against them in the SuperDome. I expect a game just as high scoring as they usually are between these guys, but down to the wire with the last possession winning the game. Which means that either way the Panthers cover.”
– Richard Savill (Fantasy Six Pack) “The Panthers are one of the leagues better road teams going 5-3 this year. Despite losing both their meetings against the Saints, one in a blowout, I feel this game will be a close grudge match. I like the Saints to win, but I’m taking the Panthers and the points.”
– Mike Rigz (Gridiron Experts) “Again, in a close one, I think the Saints pull this out. After facing each other twice already, it’s going to be hard for New Orleans to pull the trifecta and beat the Panthers for a third time, but this Saints squad is the best team in the NFC in my opinion. As long as they can get their dual-threat ground attack going, New Orleans should be able to squeak this one out.”
– Nick Raducanu (ProjectRoto) “While I project the Saints to win this game, six points is excessive for a matchup of divisional rivals. They’ve already played each other twice this season, so both likely knows what the other wants to accomplish.”
– Mike Tagliere (FantasyPros) “A formidable opponent at home, the Saints will rely on Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara to test the Panthers top 3 defense against the run. Cam Newton will do his best to put the Panthers on his back, and he should find a way to bring this game down to the wire. Win or lose, the Panthers should cover.”
– Robert Waziak (Pyromaniac) “I’m a homer, OK? I think the Panthers will keep things close, even if they probably won’t win. Think back to the Saints’ Week 13 win. The yardage, TOP, etc., suggested a decisive Saints’ victory, but two special teams turnovers changed everything for the Panthers. This should be the best game of the weekend.”
– John Halpin (RotoWire.com) “The Saints are going for the three-game season-series sweep after winning the first two meetings by a combined score of 65-34. Good news: They get it behind their monster RB tandem of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara. In terms of the spread, third time is the charm for Carolina.”
– Ben Standig (CSN Mid-Atlantic) |
“I can’t trust Cam Newton. He’s topped 60 percent passing nine times and totaled two scores seven times. I like the Saints defense to make things tough on him.”
– Dave Richard (CBS Sports) “Too many weapons for New Orleans and Cam has been so up and down this year, I just do not trust him.”
– Ken Zalis (Pressbox) “The Saints’ elite offensive line neutralizes what the Panthers do best: Stop the run and rush the passer. New Orleans RBs averaged 5.6 yards per carry vs. Carolina in 2 regular-season meetings. And they allowed just 3 total sacks.”
– Jared Smola (Draft Sharks) “This may be the most entertaining matchup of wild-card weekend. The Saints and Panthers obviously know each other well since they play each other twice each year. This game will simply come down to execution and will. I’ll give the advantage to Drew Brees and a much improved Saints defense. They bested the Panthers in both matchups this season by scores of 34-13 and 31-21. A balanced passing and rushing attack, a solid defense, veteran leadership and playoff experience make the Saints a legitimate Super Bowl threat.”
– Zach Greubel (Gridiron Experts) “The Panthers’ passing attack is a major problem for Carolina in this matchup.”
– Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports) “This should be the most exciting Wild Card game. The Saints are 2-0 this year against the Panthers. The Saints defense is definitely a better one this season and they are capable of stopping Cam Newton. The key is going to be the dynamic duo Kamara/Ingram and I don’t think Carolina has what it takes to stop them.”
– Mauricio Gutierrez (Estadio Fantasy) “Given how easily the Saints swatted aside the Panthers in two meetings this season, I’m a bit worried that Vegas seems to be begging us to take New Orleans. So that’s why I’m going to be bold and … take New Orleans.”
– Des Bieler (The Washington Post) “I hate taking the home favorite to cover in all of these games, but here we are. Carolina had a nice home win over Minnesota in December, but otherwise hasn’t done much to impress in recent months. The Panthers offense looked bad on Sunday in Atlanta and has produced 10% fewer yards and 15% fewer points away from home this season. The Saints outscored Carolina 65-34 across the teams’ two matchups in 2017 and I’m expecting more of the same this weekend.”
– Jason Willan (Gridiron Experts) “The Saints handled Cam Newtown and the Panthers twice so far this season and will complete the season sweep Sunday afternoon in New Orleans.”
– Wayne Bretsky (BretskyBall) “Cam may be the worst passer in the playoffs of late and it doesn’t help that their running backs are averaging just 3.5 yards per carry. Drew Brees should eat this crumbling secondary apart as well.”
– Bobby Sylvester (FantasyPros) “The Saints have won both games against Carolina by more than 10 points, and the Panthers will need a sterling performance from Cam Newton to change that in round 3. Don’t count on it.”
– Jon Collins (Fantasy Sports LR) “Cam Newton has completed 53.5% of his passes over his last six starts, averaging 6.29 yards per pass attempt over that stretch (which included games against the mediocre-to-terrible pass defenses of the Buccaneers, Packers and Jets). The Panthers’ don’t have a very good conventional running game, and their secondary is vulnerable. Carolina’s defensive front seven is magnificent, but I don’t think the Panthers have enough to beat the Saints, who could be Super Bowl-bound.”
– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl) “Cam Newton looked injured last week, so many throws off target. He’s never been the epitome of accuracy, but something looks wrong.”
– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo! Sports) “New Orleans is generally very good ATS at home and blew out Carolina twice this year. The Panthers’ defense has slipped quite a bit and the Saints dynamic duo of Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara combined for 246 total yards and three touchdowns when these two met in this stadium just one month ago.”
– Jody Smith (Gridiron Experts) “The Saints are so much more balanced this season. They have a solid running game, depend less on the pass, and their defense isn’t the train wreck it’s been in previous years. Meanwhile Carolina feels like it’s playing on fumes. New Orleans will win by at least a touchdown.”
– The FFGhost (Dynasty League Football) “The Saints defeated the Panthers by margins of 21 and 10 in their two previous meetings this season.”
– Jeff Ratcliffe (Pro Football Focus) “The Saints beat the Panthers by more than six points in both meetings this year, and there’s little reason to expect this one to come out differently. Cam Newton has played poorly in recent weeks, and the Saints and Cameron Jordan should be able to devote extra resources to contain Newton’s rushing ability. The Panthers excel at stopping the run but in the irresistible force of the Saints’ running game versus the immovable object of the Panthers rush defense, I’ll go with the Saints. They should cover the six-point spread.”
– Dan Harris (FantasyPros) “The Saints are a more balanced team than the Panthers and Brees is always better in the dome.”
– Staff Rankings (The Fake Football) “Expect the Saints to dominate on the ground with Ingram and Kamara en route to a 2 TD victory.”
– KJ (Fantasy Team Advice) “Saints at home with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram? 6 points is tempting, but give me the home team with the better quarterback, running back and #1 wide receiver. Plus the defense isn’t too bad either!”
– Rich Piazza (Fantasy Shed) “The Saints are dangerous at home and with their two-headed monster out of the backfield they should put up some points. This isn’t an indictment of the Panthers’ defense but rather a lack of confidence in their offense.”
– Adam Sutton (DraftStars) “The Saints own the Panthers, as Drew Brees eats up Carolina’s zone defense. If Trai Turner can’t suit up, the Panthers will have trouble protecting Cam Newton.”
– Walter Cherepinsky (WalterFootball) – Greg Smith (TwoQBs)
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* Lock symbols represent the expert’s most confident game pick.
Thank you to the experts for giving their against the spread picks. Enjoy the playoffs!
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