Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints Prediction, 1/2/2022 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 17

Game: Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints

Date: Sunday, January 2, 2022

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA

TV: FOX

Odds/Point Spread: Saints (-7)

Total/Over-Under: 39.5

The Carolina Panthers (5-10) are headed to Caesars Superdome on Sunday where they will attempt to beat the New Orleans Saints (7-8). Carolina opens as 7-point dogs. The over/under is 39.5.

The Carolina Panthers head into this matchup 5-10 this year. In their last contest, the Panthers played the Buccaneers and took a loss by a final of 32-6. Sam Darnold finished 15/32 with 190 yards through the air. He had a QB rating of 65.9 and finished the game without throwing an interception. Chuba Hubbard was the rushing leader for the Panthers with 6 carries for 9 yards (1.5 yds per carry). Shi Smith averaged 28.7 yds per catch by tallying 86 yds on 3 catches. The Carolina Panthers ended up running the ball 15 different times and tallied 67 yds, which came out to an average of 4.5 yards per attempt. At the end of the game, they had 67 plays which gave them 273 yards. Carolina allowed 18 pass completions on 31 attempts for a total of 232 yards, and a completion rate of 58.1%. Against the run, the Panthers conceded 159 yds on 31 attempts, which averages out to 5.1 yards per rush surrendered.

The Panthers have earned 4,586 total yards over the course of this season. Carolina has amassed 156 1st downs offensively, and they have been called for 105 penalties for 849 yds. In terms of distribution of touchdowns, Carolina has totaled 12 touchdowns through the air and 16 touchdowns on the ground. They have surrendered the ball 25 times (19 interceptions and 6 fumbles lost). As a team they hold an average of 109.6 yards on the ground which has them sitting 19th in the NFL. When talking about scoring points, the Carolina Panthers are averaging 18.5 points per game.

The Panthers rank 19th in the NFL in terms of their opponents scoring, allowing 23.0 PPG. Opposing teams are running for an average of 4.2 yards per rushing attempt and 118.5 rushing yards per contest over the course of this year. During the season, they have allowed 1,777 running yards through 15 outings. In terms of yards via the pass, the Panthers have given up 2,735 yards which has them sitting in 2nd in the league. They are conceding 182.3 yards per game via the pass as well as conceding a completion percentage of 65.0%. Overall, they are granting 300.8 yards per game putting them at 2nd in the NFL. They have relinquished 22 touchdowns via the pass and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

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The Saints step onto the field holding a record of 7-8 for this season. When they last stepped on the gridiron, the Saints went home defeated by a final of 20-3 when they faced the Dolphins. Ian Book ended the contest with 135 yards on 12/20 passing while his QB rating was 40.6. He tossed 2 interceptions and his average yards per pass attempt was 6.75 yds. Alvin Kamara ran the ball 13 times for 52 yds, ending the game with 4.0 yards per attempt for New Orleans. Lil'Jordan Humphrey was one of the featured targets for the Saints, catching 3 passes for 70 yds (23.3 yards per catch). New Orleans rushed the football for 3.6 yards per carry, totaling 83 yds on 23 attempts. The Saints finished the contest with a total of 164 yds while they ran 51 plays (3.2 yds per play). The Saints secondary conceded a completion rate of 73.1%, relinquishing 173 yards on 19 for 26 passing. New Orleans conceded 30 rushing attempts for 86 yards (2.9 yards per rush).

The New Orleans Saints are averaging 301.9 yards per game which has them ranked 31st in the NFL. They are averaging 114.9 rushing yards per game and have toted the ball for 1,723 yards in total. The New Orleans offense has 738 yds of penalties on 89 infractions, which is 22nd in the NFL in terms of giving up free yards. They have thrown 13 picks while allowing opponents to recover 5 fumbles and they have been able to record 146 first downs. For the year to this point, the Saints have compiled 2,805 yards via the pass together with holding an average of 187.0 throwing yards per contest, giving them a rank of 31st out of all NFL teams. In relation to their scoring prowess, the Saints are sitting 17th in football with an average of 21.1 points per game.

New Orleans has given up a total of 1,439 yards via the ground game (95.9 yards/game) and 10 touchdowns by ground this year. They have surrendered 19 touchdowns through the air and 235.7 yards per contest, which has them sitting 17th in the NFL. Their defense has earned 20 takeaways (4 fumbles recovered and 16 interceptions) over the course of the season. This year, they have allowed 305 points in total. The Saints defense has been on the field for 957 plays, ranking them 20th in the league. The Saints are allowing 20.3 points per contest, which has them ranked 4th of all teams in the league.

Who will win tonight's Panthers/Saints NFL game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Panthers +7

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