Free Picks: New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers

Kevin Luna
By: Kevin Luna
10/25/2020
NFL Free Picks - Best Bets of the Week
Panthers vs Saints
New Orleans Saints vs Carolina Panthers, NFL, Mercedes-Benz Superdome

The New Orleans Saints return from their Bye week to take on the Carolina Panthers in what figures to be a high-scoring game. 888sport has the Over/Under set at 51 (1.91) and the Saints favoured by -7.5. The Panthers have been sneaky good this season and may cause unexpected trouble for the Saints.

The Saints are Back

The Carolina Panthers are a strange team. They’re 3-3 and have had a tough schedule to start the season, but they were riding a three-game winning streak before falling to the Chicago Bears in Week 6. They currently rank 11th in yards per game at 383.5 and are sixth in total passing yards at 600. The Panthers weren’t supposed to be very good this season, but that’s not too shabby, especially when you consider that RB Christian McCaffery has been out for most of the season.

But as good as they’ve looked at times this season, I just don’t think that there’s any way they can beat the Saints this weekend. The Saints are a different team at home and are coming off a bye week. They also get star wide receiver Michael Thomas back in the fold, which will only open up the offense even more.

Most of the damage New Orleans has done this season has been through RB Alvin Kamara, who is basically a wide receiver/running back hybrid. He’s ranked first in receiving yards among all running backs with 395. Second place? It’s the Panther’s Mike Davis with 209. He’s performed admirably in McCaffery’s stead, but Kamara is a freak of nature.

The Panthers are overachieving in a lot of ways this season. They’re going to put up points, there’s no doubt about that. New Orleans ranks in the bottom third in nearly every major defensive statistical category. It’ll be a shootout, but I think New Orleans ends up taking this one by more than one score. I give it a 34-23 final score.

FREE PICK: THE TOTAL POINTS 51 WILL HIT OVER (1.91)

FREE PICK: NEW ORLEANS SAINTS WILL COVER THE POINT SPREAD -7.5 (1.94)

Stats

  • Carolina is 3-3 ATS in their last 6 games
  • The OVER has cashed in 8 of Carolina’s last 10 games against New Orleans
  • New Orleans is 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games
  • New Orleans is 15-5 SU in their last 20 games

Kevin Luna is passionate about sports and specializes in the NBA and NFL. He provides useful information for online sports bettors, and casual fans looking for quality content. Although he lives in Toronto, he's more of a Celtics guy than a Raptors fan, but he still roots for the home team too

NFC Standings

TeamWLPCT
1Packers1340.765
2Buccaneers1340.765
3Cowboys1250.706
4Rams1250.706
5Cardinals1160.647
649ers1070.588
7Eagles980.529
8Saints980.529

 

AFC Standings

TeamWLPCT
1Titans1250.706
2Chiefs1250.706
3Bill1160.647
4Bengals1070.588
5Patriots1070.588
6Chargers970.563
7Raiders970.563
8Steelers970.559