Game Time:  4:25 PM ET, Sunday, January 2nd, 2022

Venue: Mercedes Benz Superdome, Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA

Where to Watch:  FOX

 

FanDuel: point spread: Saints -6.5; O/U 38.5

BetMGM: Saints -7; O/U 38 points

Caesars: Saints -7.5; O/U 38 points

 

Panthers: 5-10, last place NFC South

Saints: 7-8, 3rd place NFC South

A matchup of opponents who will not be making the playoffs.  They will however be playing for pride.  Dozens of guys on each squad will be playing for their jobs next season, be it with the Saints or someone else.  Injuries and quarterback insecurity derailed the hopes of both teams.

The Carolina Panthers last played December 26th against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and lost 32-6.  In that game the previously reeling Tom Brady got to get right.  He refound his form and slung the ball all over the field.  The Panthers lost the game, lost against the spread, and acted as the anchor to drag the final point total to Under.  That is nothing new however the Panthers lost their last 5 games and lost all five of those games ATS.  Three of those five losses were against other struggling teams:  the Washington Redskins, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Miami Dolphins (don’t believe the hype, the Dolphins aren’t good).  The Panthers season was a complete loss because they struggled at Quarterback so badly they eventually had to bring back Cam Newton… and the team’s star running back Christian McCaffrey has missed most of the year to injury.  Christian only suited up for 7 games… he combined rushing and catching for  785 yards, that’s a fantastic 112 yards per game in the games he played!  When he went out so did any chance of the Panthers winning games.  Christian was replaced in the lineup by 2021 4th rounder Chuba Hubbard who is doing fine in the job… but fine can’t rescue the offense.

The New Orleans Saints have had four starting quarterbacks this season…because of injury and because of some terrible play.  They started with Trevor Simien that didn’t work, then followed with Jameis Winston that didn’t work, they moved to Coach Sean Payton’s favorite football player Taysom Hill which really doesn’t work, and now they are stuck with their 2021 4th round pick QB Ian Book… In 1 game Ian had 135 passing yards with 0 TDs and 2 Interceptions.. Welcome to the league kid.  The absolute definitive answer is in… The Saints have to rid the roster of every single one of these guys.  If Sean Payton needs Taysom Hill, fine… use him as a halfback, fullback, and tight end (that is where he is most effective… that is why you gave him a dumb big money contract). The strangest part of the Saints being terrible this season is that they still beat Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers TWICE… and they opened the season with that mysterious win over the Green Bay Packers 38-3!  They play like the mayor character in Nightmare Before Christmas whose face spins around periodically to reveal entirely different characteristics.  The feeling is this is the type of team that if they got their hands on Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, they could be a dominant force… all the more reason to dump the QB room.

The games will look different from the last few weeks… the League has agreed to shorten the amount of quarantine time a player must sit out if they test positive for Covid… It goes from 10 days to 5 days… and they will be pulling back on the testing requirements by allowing players to return if they are asymptomatic.  This should help protect the upcoming cash cow that the NFL playoffs are.

Matt went 1-2 on Sunday and is on a 7-3 NFL run and he closes Week 16 with a BIG Winner! He is on a 24-16 NFL Run and going back, he is on a 34-21 NFL RAMPAGE! Fargo is a SWEET 21-12 with his Primetime Punishers while going 677-578 +$36,583 long-term!! Get Matt Fargo’s picks!!....  They are available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.

RECENT FORM

The Panthers are 5-10 on the season and 5-10 ATS.  They have logged 7 Overs and 8 Unders.  They are 3-4 in road games which is better than their home game mark.

 

The Saints are 7-8 on the season and 7-8 ATS.  They have notched 6 Overs and 9 Unders.. They are an embarrassing 1-5 in home games.  The famous image of Saints fans wearing bags over their heads in the 70’s and 80’s should make a return by halftime of this game if Carolina manages to get the lead.

 

 

The Panthers are 26th in points with 18.5 per game, 28th in yards with 305.7 per game.  That breaks down to 29th in passing yards and 18th in rushing yards.

The Saints are 18th in points with 21.1 per game, 31st in yards with 301.9 per game.. That breaks down to 31st in passing and 15th in rushing.

For all the gloom and doom the offense brings, Carolina actually has a real good defense.  They are 2nd in the league in defending yards… only allowing a stingy 300.8.  They are 2nd in the league in defending passing yards allowing another stingy mark of 182.3 (good numbers in a league where the rules favor the offense and the passing game).  Where they stumble is in defending points… they are 19th and allow 23 ppg.  That is less the Fault of the Panthers defense and more a fault of the offense not being able to stay on the field.

The Saints are also pretty good on defense where they rank 12th while allowing 331.7 yards and 4th while allowing 20.3 ppg.  The Defense can’t be faulted for the losing record

Our prediction for Sunday, January 2nd is… Panthers 17 - Saints 14

That’s right… take the Panthers and the free points.  Simply put this will be a defensive matchup and the Saints have no quality option at quarterback.  The winner may ultimately be who can hit a final field goal… either way the Panthers win with 6.5 - 7.5 points to play with.

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The Panthers are 3-7 ATS versus conference opponents this season.

The Panthers are 4-8 ATS when playing with 6 or less days of rest.

The Saints are 2-4 ATS as a favorite this season.

The Saints are 1-5 ATS in home games this season.

 

Panthers: CB Jaycee Horn (foot) Quest ** CB Stephon Gilmore (groin) Out ** T Cameron Erving (calf) Quest

Saints: WR Deonte Harris (suspended) Out ** T Terron Armstead (knee) Quest ** WR Tre’quan Smith (chest)  Quest ** 

Panthers: QB Cam Newton, RB Chuba Hubbard, WR DJ Moore, WR Robby Anderson, TE Ian Thomas, TE Tommy Tremble, LT Brady Christensen, LG Michael Jordan, C Sam Tecklenburg, RG John Miller, RT Taylor Morton

Saints: QB Ian Book, RB Alvin Kamara, FB Adam Prentice, WR Easop Winston, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, TE Nick Vannett, LT James Hurst, LG Calvin Throckmorton, C Erik McCoy, RG Cesar Ruiz, RT Caleb Benenoch

Saints

Touchdowns: Taysom Hill 5

Rushing Yards: Alvin Kamara 720

Passing Yards: Jameis Winston 1170

Receiving Yards: Marquez Callaway 601

Sacks: Cameron Jordan 8.0

Interceptions: Marshon Lattimore 3

Panthers

Touchdowns: Cam Newton 5

Rushing Yards: Chuba Hubbard 509

Passing Yards: Sam Darnold 2176

Receiving Yards: DJ Moore

Sacks: Haason Reddick 11

Interceptions: Stephon Gilmore 2

 

Scattered showers. 59*.  Wind at 19 mph.