NFL Handicapping – Texans vs Jaguars Betting Spread / Matchup
Both the Saints and Panthers lost their season openers and one of these NFC South teams will be in a 0-2 hole early in the season. After breaking the passing yardage record last season he struggled in his first game not completing 50% of his passes after completing over 70% last season.
Venue/ Stadium: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Time/Date: 1 PM EST Sunday, September 16, 2012
NFL Odds From: TopBet
Moneyline: Saints -140 / Panthers +120
Spread: Saints -2.5
Over/Under: 51
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Preview
Cam Newton passed for over 300 yards in the opening game, but he was picked off 3 times and Carolina only scored 10 points. NFL ines have the Saints as 2.5-point away favorites with a total of 51.
In their opening games the Saints lost to the Washington Redskins 40-32 and the Panthers lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 16-10.
In the first game the Saints failed to cover the spread with the total going Over and the Panthers also did not cover with the total going Under.
Brees passed for over 330 yards against the Skins and he has a great WR corps and TE Jimmy Graham, but he was picked off twice last week. The Panthers played decent pass defense last week, but that was against the Bucs. Last season Graham and Marques Colston combined for 28 catches and 440 yards against Carolina last season. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The Saints could not get the ground game going against eh Skins, but there is a good chance Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram will get back on track facing a Panthers’ run D that gave up 130 yards on the ground last week.
Cam Newton needs to be more careful with the ball since he was picked off multiple times last week. The offensive line also must play better, as Newton was sacked 3 times in their opening game. RG3 torched the Saints weak secondary and Newton may do that same, but he cannot turn the ball over.
The Panthers rushed for a grand total of 10 yards against Tampa Bay and DeAngelo Williams had -1 yards. The Saints’ run defense really struggled against the Redskins and they need to keep Williams and Newton from peeling off big runs.
The Saints beat the Panthers twice last season and they have not lost to them since the 2009 season.
In some betting trends for this NFC South match up the Saints are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 games overall, 5-11 ATS vs. a team with a losing record, and they have an Over record of 6-0 in their last 6 games.
Jason’s Pick: This one’s easy, as I think Brees will bounce back and the Saints will spank the Panthers and cover the spread.
