Thursday, November 17, 2016

Bank of America Stadium

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The New Orleans Saints take on the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, November 17, 2016 at Bank of America Stadium. The opening line for this game has Carolina as 4.5 point favorites and the over/under was set at 51.5. The Saints are 5-3-1 against the spread and their over/under record is 5-4-0. The Panthers have an over/under record of 5-4-0 and they are 2-6-1 against the spread.

Drew Brees finished with 303 yards through the air for New Orleans last week. He completed 21 passes out of 29 attempts for a 72% completion percentage. The Saints were led in rushing by Mark Ingram, who finished with 50 yards on 11 rushes. He ended the contest with an average of 5 yards per carry. Brandin Cooks was the team leader in receiving with a total of 98 yards and 3 receptions. He finished the game with an average of 33 yards per reception. As a team in that game New Orleans got a total of 19 first downs. Of those first downs, 4 came on the ground while 15 came through the air. They ran 51 total plays for 373 yards for the game. The Saints ran for 80 yards on 21 attempts.

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Cam Newton finished with 261 yards passing for Carolina last week. He went 23 for 38, resulting in a 61% completion percentage. The Panthers were led on the ground by Newton, who finished with 54 yards on 12 carries. He ended the game with an average of 5 yards per rush. Kelvin Benjamin led the team in receiving with 84 yards and 7 catches. He finished the game with an average of 12 yards per reception. Carolina had 22 first downs total. 7 came from running the ball and 13 came from a pass. They ran 69 total plays for 341 yards for the contest. The Panthers ran for 99 yards on 29 carries as a team.

New Orleans scores 29 points per game on offense this season, which ranks 3rd in the NFL. In the passing department, they average 29 passes on 42 attempts for a 69% completion percentage this season. They throw for a total of 323 yards per game through the air as well, which ranks them 1st in the league. The Saints run for an average of 105 yards per game on 26 attempts for an average of 4 yards per carry. That ranks them 16th in the league. They also run 69 plays per contest and average 6.2 yards per play for an average of 428 yards per game, ranking their offense 1st overall this season. The Saints average 25 first downs per game which ranks them 1st in the NFL. They accumulate 57.1 penalty yards per game via 6 penalties, which ranks 17th in the league.

New Orleans allows 293 passing yards per game, ranking 32nd, and they allow 29 points per contest on defense, which ranks 30th. They give up 24 completions on 38 attempts per game for a completion percentage of 63%. The Saints allow 108 rushing yards per game on 26 carries for an average of 4.2 yards per carry, which ranks their rush defense 19th in the NFL. New Orleans allows 401 total yards per game including 6.1 yards per play, which ranks their overall defense 29th in terms of yards per game. They get flagged for 6.2 penalties for 54.7 yards per game, ranking them 8th among NFL teams.

Carolina averages 25 points per game this season on offense, which ranks them 12th in the league. In the passing department, they complete 22 passes per game on 37 attempts for a 59% completion percentage. They throw for 253 yards through the air per game, ranking them 15th. The Panthers run for an average of 114 yards per game on 28 attempts for an average of 4.1 yards per carry this season, which ranks them 11th on the ground. They also run 67 plays per game and average 5.5 yards per play for a total of 367 yards per game, ranking them 12th in the league on offense. The Panthers get an average of 22 first downs per game, which ranks 12th. They average 54.9 penalty yards per game via 6.7 penalties, ranking them 21st in the NFL.

Carolina allows an average of 273 passing yards per game, which ranks 25th in the league. Their defense overall allows 25 points per contest, which has them ranked 22nd. They give up 24 completions on 37 attempts for a completion percentage of 65% per game. The Panthers allow 79 rushing yards per contest on 23 carries for a 3.4 average per rush, ranking their overall rush defense 2nd in the NFL. Carolina allows 352 total yards per game for an average of 5.5 yards per play, which ranks 15th in the league. They force 7.6 penalties for 66.6 yards in each contest, ranking 28th.

New Orleans Betting Trends

New Orleans is 5-4-0 against the over/under this season

New Orleans has an ATS record of 5-3-1 this season

Carolina Betting Trends

Carolina is 5-4-0 against the over/under this season

Carolina has an ATS record of 2-6-1 this season

Injuries to Watch

New Orleans

11/13/16 LB Michael Mauti Illness "?" Thursday vs. Carolina
11/13/16 LB Stephone Anthony Undisclosed "?" Thursday vs. Carolina
11/13/16 T Terron Armstead Leg "?" Thursday vs. Carolina
11/08/16 LB James Laurinaitis Quad IR
10/12/16 DB Erik Harris ACL IR
09/29/16 DE Obum Gwacham Undisclosed IR
09/22/16 CB P.J. Williams Concussion IR
09/04/16 TE Michael Hoomanawanui Leg IR
08/31/16 CB Damian Swann Abdominal IR
08/31/16 LB Hau'oli Kikaha Knee PUP

Carolina

11/13/16 DT Kyle Love Knee "?" Thursday vs. New Orleans
11/13/16 S Colin Jones Concussion "?" Thursday vs. New Orleans
11/13/16 C Gino Gradkowski Knee "?" Thursday vs. New Orleans
11/13/16 OT Michael Oher Concussion "?" Thursday vs. New Orleans
11/13/16 C Ryan Kalil Shoulder "?" Thursday vs. New Orleans
10/28/16 CB Teddy Williams Knee IR
10/07/16 CB Bene Benwikere None has been released
09/23/16 S Dean Marlowe Hamstring IR
08/31/16 WR LaRon Byrd Concussion IR

Tony's Pick: Take Carolina -4.5

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