Carolina @ New Orleans preview
Caesars Superdome
Last Meeting ( Dec 3, 2017 ) Carolina 21, New Orleans 31
The New Orleans Saints hope to disprove the notion that it’s tough to beat a team three times in the same season when they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in an NFC wild-card matchup. The rivals finished tied atop the NFC South standings, but the Saints earned their first division title since 2011 – and home-field advantage for the third meeting – by virtue of sweeping the regular-season series.
Both teams enter the postseason looking to bounce back from disappointing showings in Week 17. The Saints started 0-2 before a 34-13 victory at Carolina in Week 3 kicked off an eight-game winning streak, but they went 3-3 over their final six contests and their defense was gashed in a 31-24 loss at Tampa Bay last Sunday. Carolina could have captured the division with a win at Atlanta last week, but the offense sputtered in a 22-10 loss. It was only the Panthers’ second defeat in their last nine games, but the other was a 31-21 setback at New Orleans in Week 13.
TV: 4:40 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Saints -7. O/U: 48
ABOUT THE PANTHERS (11-5): Carolina’s offense has been fairly one-dimensional all season, but it has been a dynamic dimension with Cam Newton (754 yards, six touchdowns), Jonathan Stewart (680, six) and rookie Christian McCaffrey (435, two) leading the league’s fourth-best ground attack. Newton hasn’t thrown for 300 yards since Week 5 at Detroit and has done so only twice all season, but he tossed three interceptions last week. The defense ranks third in the league in sacks, with Mario Addison and Julius Peppers leading the way with 11 apiece, and will need to shut down the run and pressure Drew Brees in order to have success.
ABOUT THE SAINTS (11-5): New Orleans owns the league’s No. 2 offense, and it’s more balanced than in years past thanks to the rushing duo of Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara. The Saints even had success running the ball against Carolina’s third-ranked run defense, gaining 148 and 149 yards in the two meetings. New Orleans’ defense turned in two of its best performances of the season against the Panthers, holding them under 300 total yards in both games, but the Saints also have given up big yardage totals on a few occasions - including 455 total yards last week.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Since 1970, teams that swept the regular-season series also won the playoff rematch 13 out of 20 times.
2. The Panthers have forced 19 turnovers in their 11 wins but only two in their five losses.
3. Saints WR Michael Thomas ranked third in the league with 104 receptions this season and has caught three touchdown passes in four career games against the Panthers.
PREDICTION: Saints 23, Panthers 20