Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints (9-3) host Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers (9-3) in a battle for first place in the NFC South on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Coverage begins with Football Night In America at 6 p.m. CST on NBC.
After starting the season with a 1-3 record, the Panthers have won eight consecutive games and are tied with the Saints for first place in the NFC South. The Saints are coming off a road loss to the Seahawks, but New Orleans is undefeated at home this season and is looking to regain their lead in the division. The Panthers are riding the hottest defense in the NFL. The Panthers D doesn’t have a lot of overwhelming names, but it’s truly Gestalt. A lot more than the sum of its parts.
So who has advantage in this game? The Panthers or the Saints? Well, the bookmakers seem to have New Orleans as a 3.5 point favorite. Other houses have the Panthers as a 4 point underdog. The over/under shows 45 at some casinos. while other sportsbooks are placing the number at 46. So place your bets accordingly, but save some wagering money for the royaal casino fruitmachines. I like getting in on the action with the slots, as do many other football players. The slot machines often give me much better luck and more consistent payouts then when I bet on football.
So what do the experts think about the Panthers chances?
“They started taking chances, going for it on fourth down… they got bold and started making plays. Cam Newton has been fantastic. Steve Smith is one of the most gritty wide receivers out there. The defense has been the best in football so far.” – Cris Collinsworth on Panthers
“They are not going to be able to stop New Orleans, but they will hold them down…They have got enough fire power to hang in there with the Saints.” – Tony Dungy on Panthers
“They have a good defense, and Cam Newton has shown a lot of growth and maturity…We know they have a great front seven, but I still have some questions about that secondary.” – Rodney Harrison on Panthers.
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) and RSS Catch him Tuesdays talking Illini and Northwestern for KOZN 1620 The Zone, Fridays talking Chicago Bears for WAOR 95.7 The Fan