Monday Night NFL Football Picks – Saints @ Panthers

Monday Night NFL Football Picks – Saints @ Panthers

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The New Orleans Saints (1-0) visit the Carolina Panthers (0-1) in an NFC South battle on Monday Night Football. New Orleans is a 3-point favorite and the total is 40. New Orleans escaped with a 16-15 win over the Tennessee Titans at home in Week 1, while Carolina lost their season opener 24-10 at Atlanta. Carolina won both meetings last season and has won three of the last four against New Orleans. 

Carolina will be appearing on Monday Night Football for the first time since Week 15 of the 2018 season, that was also a home game against the New Orleans Saints. New Orleans won that game 12-9.  

THE SKINNY ON BOTH TEAMS

In January 2006, the New Orleans Saints hired Sean Payton as head coach, two months later they signed quarterback Drew Brees as a free agent. Both moves catapulted the franchise into extraordinary heights as the combination of Payton and Brees would go on to win Super Bowl XLIV (46) in the 2009 season, make 9 playoff appearances and win 7 division titles in their 15 seasons together. Brees retired after the 2020 season and Sean Payton stepped down following the 2021 season. The franchise now finds themselves at a crossroads as they are still looking for a suitable replacement for Brees at QB, while head coach Dennis Allen has the unenviable task of replacing the winningest coach in Saints franchise history.

New Orleans signed talented and much-maligned quarterback Derek Carr to a four-year deal in March. Carr passed for 217 touchdowns to 99 interceptions and made 4 Pro Bowls in his 9 seasons as an Oakland/Las Vegas Raider. He went 23 of 33 for 305 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in his Saints debut last Sunday. Carr is the most accomplished quarterback the Saints have had since Brees retired, and at 32, he has the opportunity to create a winning legacy for himself in New Orleans. 

Carr will be surrounded by an explosive group of skill position players, led by talented second-year wideout Chris Olave. The 2021 first round pick finished with 72 catches for 1,042 yards and 4 touchdowns as a rookie last season. Olave started his sophomore campaign with a bang as he hauled in 8 receptions for 112 yards in the season opening win against Tennessee. The Saints signed running back Jamaal Williams as a free agent in the offseason, he led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns last season with Detroit, and will serve as New Orleans lead running back until star running back Alvin Kamara returns from a 4-game suspension. 

New Orleans possesses one of the better defenses in the NFL headlined by superstar defensive lineman Cameron Jordan (40 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles in 2022) and linebacker Demario Davis (109 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 1 interception in 2022). The 34-year-old Jordan is an 8-time pro-bowler who was named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team and he became the Saints all-time leading sack leader last season. 

After finishing 7-10 last season and missing the playoffs for a 5th straight season, the Carolina Panthers made the bold move of trading up in the 2023 draft and acquiring the #1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears. Carolina selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the 1st pick. Young enters the NFL after concluding a stellar career at Alabama where he won the 2021 Heisman Trophy as a true sophomore and passed for 80 touchdowns to 12 interceptions in his 2 years as a starter. Young went 20 of 38 for 146 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in his NFL debut last week at Atlanta. Carolina hopes Young can replicate the success of the last quarterback they selected number one overall which was Cam Newton in 2011.

Carolina signed speedy running back Miles Sanders to a 4-year deal in the offseason, the 26-year-old Sanders rushed for a career-high 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns with Philadelphia last season. He should provide a boost to a Carolina offense that ranked 29th in yards per game last year, he also gives rookie QB Bryce Young a pro bowl caliber skill position player to work with. Sanders finished with 18 carries for 72 yards, along with 4 catches for 26 yards in his Panthers debut last week. Carolina also signed veteran wide receiver Adam Theilen in the offseason, the two-time pro bowler spent his first 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. 

THE PICK

I think the Saints pass rush will give the rookie Bryce Young a lot of problems on Monday Night, Lay the Points…Saints 24, Panthers 13