Look, it’s not fun when your team is 3-10. Your basically counting the days until the season is over with one eye on the NFL Draft. But there is one last bit of fun that can be had, and that’s by spoiling things for your biggest rivals. Especially the ones in your division.

So the Saints may only have three wins, but two of them have come in recent weeks against the Buccaneers and Panthers - who are both battling for the division lead. The Falcons just pulled the rug on the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football. Can the Saints do it again this week against the Panthers? We’ll factor that narrative, among many others, into our favorite predictions and picks for this Week 15 matchup!

Even if you just want to see the Panthers vs. Saints odds and have Panthers vs. Saints picks of your own, stick around so that you can also learn how to snag a $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign up bonus!

 

 

 

Panthers vs. Saints Predictions For Sunday, 4:25 PM ET, NFL Week 15

Division games are always played between familiar opponents and this one is no different. The all time series is led by the Saints, 33-19. The Saints have won four of the last five which included a 17-7 matchup this year. The win for the Panthers came last November, 23-22. 

The Saints have had a tough season, to say the least. They currently sit last in the division at 3-10. Two of those three wins have come in the last four games when they beat the division rival Buccaneers, as well as this Panthers team. The Panthers currently sit atop the division at 7-6 with some marquee wins under their belt against the Cowboys, Packers, and, most recently, the Los Angeles Rams.

Carolina Panthers: Battling For The Division

The Panthers got some big time help on Thursday Night Football when the Buccaneers melted down and the Atlanta Falcons took advantage. That moves the Buccaneers to 7-7 giving the 7-6 Panthers the lead in the division. But that lead has not been given to the Panthers as they’ve had a rock solid run game this year, as well as some impressive work from rookie Tetairoa McMillan.

The Panthers defense has been kind of one-sided. In fact, even the “one side” has been one-sided. The team has not been particularly good against the run, where they are a bottom-five team in DVOA per FTN Fantasy. Against the pass they’ve been better, but that’s primarily come from one player - superstar corner Jaycee Horn. He stays primarily on the outside against split ends and flankers with only eight snaps in the slot all season. So primary outside WRs, especially split ends, have trouble with Carolina. 

New Orleans Saints: Tyler Shough Trying To Make Impression

If you are not a first-round pick quarterback, you have a short window to show you deserve to hang around. Guys like Desmond Ridder and Davis Mills have gotten shots in recent years, but the leash is short at the NFL’s most important position. Shough has flashed the arm with a couple ~250-yard games and last week, he showed off the legs with two rushing touchdowns. The reality is that winning more games gives the team a worse draft pick and keeps you away from those flamers for longer. 

On defense, the Saints have been about middle of the pack in most regards. Pro Football Focus has them graded at 16, DVOA puts them at 17. Their spiritual and physical leader continues to be Demario Davis in his 11th year in the league. He leads the team in both solo and combined tackles. 

 

 

 

Panthers vs. Saints Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

As promised, the latest Panthers vs. Saints odds can be found below courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook:

 

Panthers vs. Saints: Chris Olave Over 57.5 Receiving yards (-118 at BetMGM Sportsbook)

You would think we’d be off Olave here with this pending matchup against Jaycee Horn. But the Saints obviously know something that we’ve also noticed with Horn - he doesn’t go into the slot outside of rare circumstances. Maybe if it’s goal line, Cover 0 and his man motions into the slot he might follow. But for the most part, he stays out of there. He’s played 689 snaps on defense this season and only eight of those have been in the slot.  

So, even though Olave typically plays outside more often than not, the Saints are willing to make some exceptions. Last time these two teams played, for instance, Olave lined up in the slot for 20 snaps and out wide for 17. And in that game, he caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown. The Saints actually did the same thing in Week 6 to avoid Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez, where Olave played 29 slot snaps. In that game he had six catches for 98 yards.

So, unless the Panthers plan to break their own far more strict tendencies of moving Horn into the slot all of a sudden, Chris Olave should be able to avoid Horn for a good chunk of the day. And that could allow him to continue to operate at a fairly high level.

 

 

 

Panthers vs. Saints Injury Report & Latest News

Finally, let’s take a quick look at the projected starting lineups for both teams heading into today's matchup:

Carolina Panthers

  • None

New Orleans Saints

 

 

 

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