Carolina Panthers vs New Orleans Saints Prediction, 9/8/2024 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 1

Game: Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

Date: Sunday, September 8, 2024

Location: Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA

TV: Fox

Odds/Point Spread: Saints (-3.5)

Total/Over-Under: 40

The New Orleans Saints (9-8 last year) host the Carolina Panthers (2-15 last season) at Caesars Superdome on Sunday. New Orleans opens this matchup as 3.5-point favorites. The total is 40.

The Carolina Panthers ended the year with a 2-15 record. The last time they took the field, the Panthers took the field against the Buccaneers and went home with a loss by a final score of 9-0. Chuba Hubbard led the offense in rushing for the Panthers with 23 attempts for 83 yards (3.6 yds per attempt). DJ Chark averaged 23.0 yards per reception by tallying 46 yds on 2 catches. Bryce Young connected on 11/18 with 94 yds through the air. He had a QB rate of 74.8 and ended the contest with no interceptions. In the running game, the Panthers conceded 113 yds on 29 attempts, which is an average of 3.9 yards per run allowed. Carolina allowed 20 completions on 32 tries for 115 yds, and a completion rate of 62.5%. At the end of the game, they had 50 plays which converted into 199 yds. The Carolina Panthers ran the football 29 different times and accrued 131 yds, which came out to an average of 4.5 yds per carry.

When it comes to getting in the endzone, the Carolina Panthers had an average of 13.9 points per contest. As a team they had an average of 104.1 yds on the ground, ranking this team 20th in the NFL. The Panthers attained 4,510 total yards for the prior campaign. Carolina totaled 150 1st downs as an offense, and they were flagged for 103 penalties for 845 yards. They surrendered the football 20 different times (10 interceptions and 10 fumbles). Carolina earned 13 touchdowns through the air and 7 touchdowns via the ground.

Regarding passing yardage, the Panthers allowed 2,916 yards which ranked them 3rd in the league. In their 17 games played, they conceded 171.5 yards per contest through the air in addition to surrendering a completion percentage of 64.2%. They surrendered 293.9 yards per contest which ranked them 4th in the National Football League. The opposition ran for an average of 4.1 yards per rushing attempt and 122.4 rushing yards per game for the previous season. During the season, they conceded 2,081 rushing yards through 17 outings. The Panthers ranked 29th in the league in terms of team defense, giving up 24.5 PPG.

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The Saints wrapped up their year having earned a 9-8 mark. The last time they stepped on the gridiron, the Saints went home victorious with a score of 48-17 when they faced the Falcons. Derek Carr (4 TDs) ended the game with 264 yards on 22/28 through the air while his QB rating was 145.5. He didn't toss any picks and his average yds per pass attempt was 9.4 yds. Kendre Miller carried the ball 13 times for 73 yards, finishing the contest with 5.6 yards per attempt for New Orleans. Rashid Shaheed was featured in the passing game for the Saints, bringing in 3 footballs for 65 yards (21.7 yds per catch). New Orleans rushed the ball for 4.4 yds per attempt, finishing with 154 yards on 35 attempts. The Saints finished the game with a total of 400 yards while running 66 plays (6.1 yds per play). The Saints pass defense gave up a completion percentage of 73.5%, surrendering 311 yards on 25 out of 34 through the air. New Orleans surrendered 25 attempts on the ground for 78 yds (3.1 yds per rush).

When it comes to their ability to score points, the Saints were ranked 9th out of all teams in the NFL with a maintained average of 23.6 points per contest. Throughout last season, the Saints compiled 3,990 yards via the pass as well as an average of 234.7 passing yards per outing, ranking them 11th out of all NFL teams. They averaged 102.5 run yards per game and ran for 1,742 yards for the season. The New Orleans Saints held an average of 337.2 yards/game which was good for 14th out of all teams in the NFL. The New Orleans offense had 846 penalty yds on 96 violations, which ranked them 18th in football in terms of helping out the opposition. They gave away 11 interceptions while surrendering 7 fumbles and they earned 199 1st downs.

The Saints gave up 19.2 points per game, which had them ranked 8th in football. They surrendered 22 touchdowns from the passing game as well as 207.3 yards per outing, which put them in 10th in the league. New Orleans allowed the opposition a total of 2,038 yards rushing (119.9 yards per outing) and 10 touchdowns via the rush last season. The Saints defense took part in 1,054 plays, which ranked them 9th in the league. They earned 29 takeaways (11 fumbles and 18 interceptions) over the course of the prior season. In total, they relinquished 327 points in total.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Panthers +3.5

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