New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Odds & Game Pick (2021)

Sep 17, 2021 - 10:46 AM

There are several divisional battles on the NFL slate for Week 2. One of them features two NFC South teams coming in off of wins in their respective season-openers. The New Orleans Saints have drawn the respect of the NFL betting market after their convincing Week 1 victory. They’ll go off as road favorites against the steadily improving Carolina Panthers. This game is big for both teams as they look to gain an early upper hand within the division.

Bet $10, Win $200 if Your Team Scores a TD >>

Details

Opening Lines: Pick’em; O/U 44.5
Current Lines: Saints -3.5; O/U 44.5
Location: Bank of America Stadium — Charlotte, NC
Start Time: 1 p.m. EDT
TV: FOX
Last Meeting: January 3, 2021 — The Saints defeated the Panthers 33-7 in Charlotte.

Overview

With a new starting quarterback and the loss of a true home-field advantage in their Week 1 contest, not many people expected the Saints to put on the performance they did. The NFL betting market swung a full 6.5 points through a pick’em for New Orleans’ showdown against the Green Bay Packers last week. Not only did the Saints win outright as underdogs, but they also destroyed a team that many believe to be a Super Bowl contender. QB Jameis Winston threw five touchdown passes and immediately saw his futures odds to win Comeback Player of the Year drop like a rock. 

Even without longtime top wideout Michael Thomas, the Saints had no issue capitalizing on numerous short fields in Week 1. Tailbacks Alvin Kamara and Tony Jones Jr. combined for over 130 yards rushing. Deonte Harris led all receivers with 72 yards and score while tight end Juwan Johnson caught a pair of TDs. Many felt the Saints’ defense was due to regress this season after leading their top pass rusher from a year ago. Against Green Bay, that was hardly the case. Despite not having the rowdy Superdome faithful behind them, New Orleans completely shut down the reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers and the Packers’ offense.

The Panthers ushered in a new beginning at quarterback in their own right last week. Former No. 3 overall draft pick Sam Darnold exacted some revenge on his former team, the New York Jets. Although it wasn’t always pretty, Carolina led throughout and held on to win by five. Darnold finished with 279 passing yards and a touchdown. Do-it-all running back Christian McCaffrey was busy right away. He totaled 98 yards rushing and 89 yards receiving on 30 total touches. His presence alone could prove huge in helping Darnold resurrect his career.

The Panthers were solid on the defensive side of the ball as well. A young unit took advantage of horrendous offensive line play on the part of the Jets to fluster rookie QB Zach Wilson. The Panthers got home for a whopping six sacks in the game. Shaq Thompson had one of those and also recorded an interception.

Check out all of our NFL game previews and picks for the week >>

Trends

• Saints are 1-0 ATS and 0-1 to the over this season.
• Panthers are 0-1 ATS and 0-1 to the over this season. 
• Saints are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
• The total has gone under in four of the Panthers’ last five games.
• Saints are 8-2 SU but only 4-5-1 ATS in their last ten head-to-head meetings against the Panthers.

Bottom Line

After exposing the Packers in a matchup that set up very well for them in terms of personnel, the Saints have been moved up to field goal favorites for this Week 2 matchup. The fact that this game was listed as a pick’em on the lookahead lines is worth noting. It’s a very real tendency of the NFL betting public to overreact to what they saw in Week 1. While the Saints’ defense does certainly appear to be better than advertised, the Panthers have the offensive firepower to score some points and make this a ball game. 

Even in recent seasons when New Orleans has been viewed as the much better team, Carolina has managed to cover several point spreads and keep the series competitive. Look for more of the same on Sunday. A few Jameis Winston interceptions and the Panthers could very easily score an outright upset.

Pick: Panthers +3.5

Bet $10, win $150 if the Saints Win or Lose Against the Panthers >>

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts

Whether you’re new to sports betting or a betting pro, our How To Bet and Sports Betting Strategy and Advice pages are for you. You can get started with our 101 section — including How to Bet on Sports — or head to more advanced strategy — like 10 Tips to Become a Sharper Sports Bettor — to learn more.

Henry John is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Henry, check out his archive.

The post New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Odds & Game Pick (2021) appeared first on BettingPros.