The Carolina Panthers will host the New Orleans Saints in a Week 2 clash on Monday Night Football. The NFC South rivals will meet for the first of two meetings scheduled during the 2023 season, and the Saints will aim for revenge after a two-game sweep by the Panthers in 2022. New Orleans began the 2023 season with a narrow, one-point win over the Tennessee Titans, starting on a high note after a 7-10 season a year ago. Carolina also finished 7-10 last season and opened with a 24-10 road loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Kickoff is at 7:15 p.m. ET. The SportsLine consensus lists New Orleans as a three -point favorite, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 39.5 in the latest Saints vs. Panthers odds. Before making any Panthers vs. Saints picks or NFL predictions, you need to see what SportsLine NFL expert Larry Hartstein has to say, considering his mastery of the Saints.
A former lead writer for Covers and The Linemakers, Hartstein combines a vast network of Vegas sources with an analytical approach he honed working for Pro Football Focus. Hartstein tied for 52nd place (out of 1,598 entries) in the 2022 Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest, going 53-34-3 ATS. Those selections formed the basis of his SportsLine NFL best bets article, which finished 36-25-1.
In addition, Hartstein has a keen sense of what to expect from the Saints and is 45-29 on his last 74 NFL picks involving New Orleans, returning a whopping $1,234. Anybody who has been following him is way up.
Now, Hartstein has locked in on Saints vs. Panthers from every angle and just locked in his picks and MNF predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and trends for Panthers vs. Saints:
- Saints vs. Panthers spread: Saints -3
- Saints vs. Panthers over/under: 39.5 points
- Saints vs. Panthers money line: Saints -165, Panthers +140
- New Orleans: Saints are 7-11 against the spread since the start of 2022
- Carolina: Panthers are 9-9 against the spread since the start of 2022
- Saints vs. Panthers picks: See picks at SportsLine
- Saints vs. Panthers live stream: fubo (try for free)
Why the Saints can cover
New Orleans has a strong defense that was on full display in the Week 1 win over the Titans. The Saints allowed only 15 points in the season-opener, giving up only 285 total yards to the Titans. Tennessee averaged fewer than five yards per pass attempt while converting only 16.7% of third-downs. The Saints generated three takeaways in the game and New Orleans forced more turnovers (three) than they allowed third down conversions (two).
While a one-game sample is not always indicative, the Saints were also dominant on defense in 2022. New Orleans finished in the top five of the NFL in total defense, giving up 314.8 yards per game. The Saints were also in the top five in passing defense, passing touchdowns allowed, completion rate allowed, and sacks. The Saints allowed only 20.3 points per game for the entire 2022 season and were top-10 in third down conversion rate allowed and red zone efficiency allowed. See which team to pick here.
Why the Panthers can cover
The Panthers accumulated 154 rushing yards on 4.8 yards per carry in the opener, led by 72 from Miles Sanders, and Carolina also posted a top-10 mark in rushing yards (2,210) during the 2022 season. The Panthers were also above-average in rushing touchdowns (16) and yards per carry (4.6) last season, and Carolina’s ball security was top-notch over a large sample. Carolina committed only 21 giveaways in 2022 and lost only eight fumbles, with the Panthers also converting red zone trips into touchdowns at a strong rate of 56.5%.
Sanders is a new addition to Carolina’s mix on offense behind No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, and the veteran racked up 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns for the Eagles last season. Sanders also maintains a career average of 5.0 yards per carry, and New Orleans finished just No. 24 in the NFL in rushing defense during the 2022 season. See which team to pick here.
How to make Saints vs. Panthers picks
Hartstein has analyzed this matchup from every angle and while we can tell you he’s leaning Under the point total, he has discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.
Who wins Panthers vs. Saints on Monday Night Football, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Saints vs. Panthers spread hits hard, all from the expert who is 45-29 on picks involving New Orleans, and find out.
