The NFC South has placed a team in the Super Bowl each of the past two years, and have half of the playoff field in the conference this year. One team is guaranteed to make the Divisional Round but another will be out when the New Orleans Saints host the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
The Panthers made it to the Super Bowl two seasons ago and played well again this year. But it was the surprising Saints who captured the division title and will be the home team in this one. New Orleans has an explosive offense and its defense has made huge strides this season.
The Panthers can be enigmatic, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing since they have the talent to pull this upset if everything comes together nicely.
Kickoff for this NFC wild card game is set for Sunday, January 7, 2018, at 4:40 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Opening NFL Odds at BookMaker.eu
Carolina Panthers +6.5
New Orleans Saints -6.5
Over/Under 48.5
Odds Analysis
The Saints are nearly touchdown favorites in this one, which seems a bit high considering they finished with identical records. However, New Orleans had a much better point-differential and handled Carolina in the regular season, so it’s not a big surprise.
The bettors are on board with the Saints early on as more than 60 percent of the action is on them to cover the spread. The scoring total is high as both teams can put up points in a hurry. The “over” is still the more popular choice as bettors see a shootout coming.
The Panthers are listed as +245 underdogs on the moneyline to win this game outright, while the Saints are -300 favorites.
Injury Report
Jonathan Stewart— The Panthers running back woke up with a stiff back prior to the season finale and didn’t play against the Falcons. His status should be watched closely this week. It seems likely he plays, but it’s not a sure thing. Rookie Christian McCaffrey would be in line for more touches if Stewart cannot go.
Kurt Coleman — The Panthers safety also missed the regular season finale due to an ankle injury. He has 76 tackles and a fumble recovery on the season and is a nice veteran presence in a secondary that is young overall. Coleman will assuredly want to get back for this one.
Kenny Vaccaro — The Saints safety was recently placed on injured reserve after undergoing core muscle surgery. It’s a big loss as Vaccaro was one of the key members of the secondary.
Previous Meetings
The Saints are 2-0 against the Panthers this season, but Sunday is the only one that really matters. New Orleans defeated Carolina 34-13 on September 24th and 31-21 in the most recent meeting on December 3rd.
Drew Brees threw for 489 yards and four touchdowns in those first two games. Cam Newton finished with 350 passing yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in those two losses to the Saints and
also had 61 yards rushing and one touchdown on the ground.
Newton really struggled in the first matchup against the Saints in September. He threw all three interceptions in that meeting and was also sacked four times.
Free ATS Pick
The Panthers are hard to peg. Newton is always inconsistent but can be masterful when he is on. The Saints are the more well-rounded team and get this one at home, so they are the correct choice.
Carolina hasn’t shown enough consistency to be chosen in a tough game like this. The spread is pretty high but take New Orleans to take control of this game in the second half and eventually pull away for the cover.
The “under” is the choice as the Panthers’ offense will not be able to get on track against an underrated New Orleans defense.
NFL Odds: Saints 27, Panthers 17
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