11/25 NFL New Orleans @ Carolina

[Spartacus]

Two of the league's biggest disappointments take a final swipe at the playoffs Sunday when the Saints visit Carolina. New Orleans has lost to the Rams and Texans in the past two weeks and face a Panthers team crumbling under a four-game losing skid. The Saints have covered five in a row here and the road team has won seven of the past eight meetings.

Oddsmakers currently have the Saints listed as 3-point favorites versus the Panthers, while the game's total is sitting at 41½.

The Saints lost to Houston 23-10 as a 1-point underdog in Week 11. The combined score fell UNDER the posted over/under total (50).

Drew Brees completed 33-of-49 passes for 290 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for New Orleans, while Marques Colston caught nine passes for 118 yards.

The Panthers lost to Green Bay 31-17 as a 10-point underdog in Week 11. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (37.5).

Vinny Testaverde completed 19-of-37 passes for 258 yard with two touchdowns and two interceptions for Carolina and Drew Carter caught five passes for 132 yards with a touchdown

 

[crazyjoe]

in

 

[silverfish]

Is Bush out?

 

[Spartacus]

Carolina is 0-4 straight up and 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games but they’re still a better team than the Saints and I’m baffled as to why people continue to believe that the Saints are a decent team when they are not. New Orleans is a bit better than average offensively (5.4 yards per play against teams that would combine to allow 5.2 yppl to an average team) but the Saints are horrible defensively (6.0 yppl allowed to teams that would combine to average 5.1 yppl against an average defense) and are the worst I’ve seen in years defending the pass (7.6 yards per pass play allowed to teams that would average just 5.7 yppp against an average team). Vinnie Testaverde is an upgrade over David Carr and while his stats are below average (5.4 yppp against teams that would allow 6.0 yppp) he should certainly have a good game against the Saints’ horrible secondary. Carolina has a good rushing attack and the Panthers are only 0.3 yppl worse than average offensively with Testaverde at the controls and they moved the ball well last week against a solid Packers defense (382 yards at 5.6 yppl). The Panthers still have a solid defense (5.1 yppl allowed to teams that would combine to average 5.3 yppl against an average stop unit), so they match up pretty evenly against the Saints slightly better than average offense. Carolina’s offense has a significant advantage over the Saints’ porous defense and the Panthers should be favored by at least 3 points in this game. I’d love to bet against the Saints for a 3rd straight week (I won Best Bets on St. Louis and Houston) but New Orleans applies to a 90-42-2 ATS bounce-back situation that will keep me from making the Panthers a Best Bet here. I’ll still lean with Carolina plus the points.

 

[Smurfy]

testaverde out
so.....

 

[Smurfy]

Good Job

 

[silverfish]

Not much Bush, but still a NO win.

 

[rnch]

go saints!