The Week 3 of the NFL continues on Sunday, September 25 with nine games at 1 PM ET, including this divisional encounter, and here you can get the best Saints vs. Panthers betting pick and odds.

Carolina is trying to record its first win of the season when New Orleans comes to visit at Bank of America Stadium. The Saints are -2.5 favorites on MyBookie Sportsbook, while the total is set at 41 points. These NFC South foes have met twice in 2021, and each team recorded a home win back then.

Turnovers cost the Saints a win over the Buccaneers

The New Orleans Saints lost 20-10 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home even though they collected more total yards (308-260) and first downs (18-13). The hosts committed five turnovers opposite Tampa Bay’s one, and the Bucs converted one of those errors into a defensive touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Jameis Winston completed 25 of 40 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. Michael Thomas caught that lone TD pass from Winston and finished the tilt with 65 yards on six receptions. Chris Olave led the team with 80 receiving yards on five catches, while Mark Ingram II rushed for 58 yards on ten carries. Shy Tuttle led the defense with nine total tackles.

RB Alvin Kamara missed the last game with a rib injury, and it is undetermined if he will suit up versus the Panthers on Sunday. TE Taysom Hill (rib), T Ryan Ramczyk (elbow), CB Paulson Adebo (ankle), and S Marcus Maye (wrist) are all questionable to feature on Sunday.

Panthers fell short in New York

The Carolina Panthers dropped to a 0-2 record after suffering another tight defeat. After a 26-24 home loss to the Cleveland Browns, the Panthers fell short 19-16 to the New York Giants on the road. This time around, they didn’t lose after the opposing kicker scored a field goal as time expired, but they still lost after a similar scenario. Namely, Carolina’s former kicker, Graham Gano, scored a game-winning FG for the Giants with 3:34 to go.

The Panthers were pretty tied with New York in both total yards (275-265) and first downs (18-18), but they did commit two turnovers opposite the Giants’ zero. Baker Mayfield wasn’t accurate enough as he completed only 14 of 29 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown and added 35 yards on the ground. DJ Moore was on the receiving end of that lone TD pass, while Christian McCaffrey led all the runners with 102 rushing yards on 15 attempts. Brian Burns recorded a pair of sacks, while Carolina had three individuals with 10+ tackles: Xavier Woods, Frankie Luvu, and Shaq Thompson.

QB Sam Darnold (ankle), WR Andre Roberts (knee), and K Zane Gonzalez (groin) are out indefinitely, while CB Donte Jackson (hamstring) is questionable to face the Saints on Sunday.

Trends:

New Orleans:

  • 14-6 ATS in the last 20 vs. a team with a losing record
  • 8-3 ATS in the last 11 games following an ATS loss
  • 7-2 ATS in the last nine games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game

Carolina:

  • 2-14 ATS in the last 16 games overall
  • 0-7 ATS in the last seven games following an ATS loss
  • 0-6 ATS in the last six vs. NFC rivals
  • 0-4 ATS in the last four vs. NFC South opponents

New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers Pick  

If the Saints minimize their turnovers, avoid longs third downs, and use their backfield and play action passes, they will have no trouble in this one. A lot will depend on Alvin Kamara’s availability; if he’s ready to play, he and Mark Ingram will surely combine for 150+ yards from scrimmage in this one. Carolina’s pass rush can cause problems to Jameis Winston and his O-Line, and New Orleans will have to take care of that if they want to win. Both defenses are pretty solid so far, but when it comes to offense, I prefer New Orleans. It seems that Baker Mayfield is not quite familiar with the playbook and system in Carolina yet.

Pick: Take the Saints at -2.5 (-110)

The Total

In the last two years, the H2H meetings didn’t produce plenty of points. Considering how both offenses opened this campaign, I doubt we will have a high-scoring affair on Sunday. Mayfield looks out of sync with his receivers, while CMC cannot do it all by himself. On the other side, the Saints have more offensive potential, but Carolina’s defense will not allow them to erupt here. Under is 14-5 in the last 19 H2H meetings in Carolina; Under is 7-2 in the Saints’ previous nine games overall, while Under is 5-2 in the Panthers’ last seven vs. NFC South rivals.Pick: Go Under 42.5 points (-130)