New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Matchup Preview (9/19/21): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)
Contents
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Matchup Preview (9/19/21)
NFL Week 1 was full of surprises, perhaps none more shocking than the New Orleans Saints final score against the Green Bay Packers. In a game where the Packers were favored against the Saints, New Orleans absolutely dominated throughout, despite fielding a new starting QB taking over for future Hall of Famer Drew Brees. For the Carolina Panthers, it was a bit more of a predictable ending, with the team pulling out a 19-14 win against the New York Jets. Still, we got a glimpse of new Carolina QB Sam Darnold and the return of star RB Christian McCaffrey.
But now that we have a bit more info on both teams, who has the upper hand in the upcoming Sunday matchup? The Saints hit the road again to play the Panthers, after playing last week’s “home” game in Jacksonville due to concerns over Hurricane Ida. The experienced Sean Payton (144-81 as a head coach) will look to improve his win total against second-year coach Matt Rhule (6-11 record). With the two teams squaring off at Bank of America Stadium, let’s take a deeper look at the Saints and Panthers and the best betting angles you should consider.
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Betting Odds
This has the potential to be an extremely entertaining matchup. On the one hand, the Panthers offense and defense played well in Week 1. But the Saints roster is a far cry from the lowly Jets. On the other hand, this game will determine if the Saints Week 1 steamrolling of the Jets was a flukey win against a superior team or the sign of more to come. Something tells me it’s a bit closer to the second option.
The way the Saints defense shut down Aaron Rodgers and company was a huge statement, and Sam Darnold is no Aaron Rodgers. The X-factor here is going to be Christian McCaffrey. As mentioned earlier, he wowed in his first game back from injury, which should get Panthers believers excited. However, McCaffrey simply hasn’t had good performances on the ground against the Saints. While he’s had some decent receiving games against the Saints in his time with Carolina, McCaffrey has never had more than 64 rushing yards against New Orleans. That’s going to seriously limit the Panthers offensive strategy.
While I don’t believe Jameis Winston will chuck 5 TDs again, I think he’ll take care of the ball and let the running game do its thing. Carolina’s defense will make it interesting if they apply the same amount of pressure this week, but they’re going to find it difficult to take down a balanced Saints attack. Expect the Panthers defense to make enough stops to keep it close for a bit, but the Panthers stall one too many times on offense to take home a W.
My predictions: Saints win 24-17, Saints -3.5, under 45
- Michigan Sports Betting
- Tennessee Sports Betting
- Arizona Sports Betting
- BetMGM Michigan
- FanDuel Michigan
- DraftKings Michigan
- Caesars Arizona
- DraftKings Arizona
- FanDuel Arizona
- Caesars Promo Code
- BetMGM Bonus Code
- DraftKings Promo Code
You can bet on this NFL game legally. Sports betting has been legalized in the US. You must be located in a legalized state in order to bet online.
TV Schedule
Date: Sunday, September 19
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium – Charlotte, North Carolina (NC)
TV Coverage: Fox (FOX)
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Live Stream
Where can you watch New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Free Online Now.
Injuries
New Orleans Saints: S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (knee) Q, DE Marcus Davenport (shoulder) Q, LB Kwon Alexander (elbow) Q, LB Pete Werner (hamstring) Q, CB P.J. Williams (back) Q, QB Trevor Siemian (illness) Q, DE Tanoh Kpassagnon (calf) Q, LB Chase Hansen (groin) Q, WR Michael Thomas (ankle) O, CB Marshon Lattimore (hand) D, C Erik McCoy (calf) D
Carolina Panthers: DT Daqan Jones (groin) Q, G Pat Elflein (hip) Q, G John Miller (illness) Q, CB Myles Hartsfield (wrist) IR
New Orleans Saints Analysis
The big story for the Saints, of course, was the performance of QB Jameis Winston. It wasn’t easy supplanting Drew Brees, the team’s all-time passing leader, but Winston showed some major poise in his first start as a Saint. Winston finished the day with 5 TDs and 148 yards with no picks, one of the most unique yard-to-TD ratios you’ll ever see.
However, the Saints didn’t need Winston to sling 300 yards to win against Green Bay. The Saints running game mustered 171 rush yards. Alvin Kamara led with 83 yards, followed closely by Tony Jones Jr. with 50. Tight end Juwan Johnson hauled in two touchdowns, marking a successful transition from WR to TE. Most importantly for the Saints defense, they didn’t even have to punt once in the first half last Sunday.
While the offense got plenty of praise, the Saints defense had a banner day. It’s not every day you can say you shut down the league MVP, but that’s exactly what the Saints did, limiting Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers to 133 yards while forcing him to throw two interceptions. The defense also recorded two sacks, a fumble recovery, and kept the Packers to 1 for 10 on 3rd downs.
New Orleans Saints Depth Chart
QB: Jameis Winston
RB1: Alvin Kamara
RB2: Tony Jones Jr.
WR1: Deonte Harris
WR2: Marquez Callaway
WR3: Chris Hogan
TE1: Juwan Johnson
Carolina Panthers Analysis
The Panthers did everything needed to take down the New York Jets in Week 1. The team was heavily hyped as the Sam Darnold revenge game, as the former Jet looked to prove himself with a new team. While he didn’t absolutely decimate the Jets secondary, he had an above-average performance, completing 68.6% of his passes with one TD through the air and another on the ground.
As excited as Panthers fans were to see Darnold’s debut, they must have been ecstatic to see the return of RB Christian McCaffrey. After playing in just three games last year, the Caroline RB burst onto the scene with 187 yards from scrimmage. He formed a good connection with Darnold, hauling in 9 catches for 89 yards. It will be interesting to watch this offense continue to develop under offensive coordinator Joe Brady.
The defense was a key component to the Panthers Week 1 win. They held the Jets to 45 rush yards in the matchup, while sacking Jets QB Zach Wilson six times and picking him off once. The defense held Wilson and the Jets to 252 total yards, forcing 9 three and outs. LB Shaq Thompson had a noteworthy performance, logging a sack, an interception, and 10 tackles on the day.
Carolina Panthers Depth Chart
QB: Sam Darnold
RB1:Christian McCaffrey
WR1: Robby Anderson
WR2: Terrace Marshall Jr.
WR3: DJ Moore
TE1: Dan Arnold
New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Daily Fantasy Picks
Christian McCaffrey is currently the top RB on DraftKings at $9,900. However, considering his subpar history against the Saints, that seems like too much to pay. Alvin Kamara isn’t far behind at $8,800, although he faces a defense that was very stingy against the run last week. In my opinion, avoid both players.
QB Jameis Winston is a decent value pick at $6,100, as he’s cheaper than plenty of QBs he outperformed last week, such as Ryan Tannehill and Kirk Cousins. Sam Darnold is listed at $5,200, not a bad pick if he can pick up another rushing TD like last week.
Sadly, despite nabbing 2 TDs last Sunday, Saints TE Juwan Johnson isn’t listed on DraftKings or FanDuel.
- Bills @ Rams
- Saints @ Falcons
- Browns @ Panthers
- 49ers @ Bears
- Steelers @ Bengals
- Eagles @ Lions
- Colts @ Texans
- Patriots @ Dolphins
- Ravens @ Jets
- Jaguars @ Commanders
- Giants @ Titans
- Chiefs @ Cardinals
- Raiders @ Chargers
- Packers @ Vikings
- Buccaneers @ Cowboys
- Broncos @ Seahawks
