This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Saints vs. Panthers Betting Odds, Picks and Predictions for Monday Night Football, Week 2
Monday Night Football brings a matchup between two NFC South teams that missed the playoffs last season when the Carolina Panthers host the New Orleans Saints. Let's dig into the betting market and discuss three wagers that could prove to be profitable.
Saints vs. Panthers Betting Odds for Monday Night Football
Saints: Spread -3.0 (-115), -162 Moneyline
Panthers: Spread +3.0 (-105), +136 Moneyline
Game Total: 40 points
Both the Saints and Panthers are in contention to win the NFC South. The Saints made a big move in the offseason adding quarterback Derek Carr, while the Panthers moved up in the draft to take Bryce Young first overall. The Saints have the more veteran roster and enter as slight favorites on the road.
Saints vs. Panthers Betting Picks This Week
Derek Carr had an impressive game in his Saints debut, completing 23 of 33 pass attempts for 305 yards. He made a connection with Saints wide receiver Chris Olave, who had eight receptions for 112 yards.
While the Saints offense put up yardage, they only scored 16 points at home against the Titans in Week 1. The Panthers offense struggled on the road against the Falcons. Rookie quarterback Bryce Young was 20 for 38 for only 146 yards and two interceptions. The Panthers were able to move the ball on the ground with Miles Sanders having 72 yards on 18 attempts.
Saints vs. Panthers Best Bet: Rashid Shaheed over 36.5 receiving yards (-115 DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 unit
The Saints' offense without running back Alvin Kamara means more targets to the wide receivers as Jamaal Williams only saw two targets in Week 1. Derek Carr was able to spread the ball around to the three Saints receivers last week, and now the Panthers will be without their best cornerback, Jaycee Horn (hamstring) and replacement CJ Henderson is a significant downgrade.
Shaheed blew past this yardage mark in Week 1 with five receptions for 89 yards, with a 41-yard touchdown catch. With a lot of attention on Chris Olave and Michael Thomas, look for Carr to target Shaheed again deep and early in this game to take advantage of Henderson's weakness.
Saints vs. Panthers Best Bet: Bryce Young over 0.5 interceptions (-130 DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1.3 units
I was surprised the line on this was not -150 or higher, as Bryce Young threw two interceptions in his first start at Atlanta in Week 1 on 38 passing attempts. The Saints defense also had three interceptions against Ryan Tannehill on 34 passing attempts last week. If the Saints get a lead early, as I expect, the Panthers will have to throw the ball more than they want, especially in the second half. This will lead to at least one, if not multiple, interceptions by the rookie Young.
Saints vs. Panthers Best Bet: UNDER 40 (-110 DraftKings Sportsbook) for 1 unit
Saints vs. Panthers Prediction
The recent history of this series has been toward the UNDER, with the last five overall and four out of the last five in Carolina hitting. The Saints defense held the Titans to five field goals the whole game and I can see them doing that against the Panthers. It will be very hard for the Panthers offense to put together any long scoring drives to get in the red zone.
