The LA Rams’ surprise defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles has given the New Orleans Saints a great chance of claiming top spot in the NFC as they line up for a divisional contest with the slumping Carolina Panthers.
Carolina have collapsed of late when losing five games on the spin and now, having seemed certain for a wild card spot are now clinging to life at 6-7 with this the first of two games against the Saints in their last three.
A packed intra-division scheduled could have decided the NFC South but such has been the Panthers’ slump and the Falcons’ struggles that the Saints have already wrapped up the division title.
Drew Brees and company now have the top NFC seed in their sights which not only gives them a week off but also home field advantage throughout the play-offs – which is a huge bonus when you have fans like New Orleans do at the Superdome.
After starring with a high-powered attack, the Saints have been leaning on a tight defence of late, with no more than 17 points allowed in each of their last five – and that unit will zero in on dual-threat running back Christian McCaffrey.
The diminutive rusher has scored 13 touchdowns this season and although the Saints have a top-ranked rush defence the elusive McCaffrey is a hard man to tie down.
The Saints have a couple of star running backs themselves though, with Alvin Kamara every bit as talented as McCaffrey catching passes out of the backfield, while Mark Ingram offers a more powerful option between the tackles.
Throw in Brees having an MVP-type season and having one of the best receivers in the league in Michael Thomas and it’s a really tough job on Carolina’s hands to try and save their season.
Verdict: New Orleans Saints (-6) at 10/11
Touchdowns: C McCaffrey & M Ingram to score at 13/8
RequestABet: Saints win, D. Brees to throw 2+ Touchdowns, McCaffrey & Ingram to score
