Saints Visit Panthers as Road Chalk on Thursday Night Football

New Orleans Opened as a 1.5-point Road Favorite Against Carolina.

NFL Week 9 begins in the NFC South with a divisional matchup, as the Carolina Panthers (3-4-1) host the New Orleans Saints (3-4). The Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook opened the game with the Saints 1.5-point favorites with a total of 49. New Orleans has since been bet up to -3 with the total moving to 49.5 (click here to check latest NFL odds).

The Saints come into this game off of a big win at home over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, 44-23. However, New Orleans has still struggled overall this season with a 3-4 record straight-up and against the spread. Bettors have been cashing totals tickets on this team pretty regularly though, with Saints games going 6-1 to the "over" so far on the season.

The New Orleans offense looked great against Green Bay, as quarterback Drew Brees threw for 311 yards with three touchdowns, no interceptions and an 84.4 completion percentage. Saints running back Mark Ingram also rushed for a season-high 172 yards and one TD. If the team can get similar performances from Brees and Ingram at Carolina, the Panthers could be in trouble.

The New Orleans defense is where the major problems lie. The Saints are allowing 384.4 yards per game, which is 28th in the NFL, and giving up 26.9 points per game, ranking 26th in the league. The defense is putting way too much pressure on the offense to perform and must play better, particularly on third downs. Opponents are converting 44 percent of the time on third downs against them.

The Panthers come into this one a two-game skid, losing on the road at Green Bay and at home against the Seattle Seahawks. They actually failed to score a touchdown for the first time all season in a 13-9 loss to Seattle last week. While the Panthers do have a losing record on the season, it has not been that way for their backers. They are 5-3 ATS and are also 5-3 to the "over" this season.

Carolina QB Cam Newton really struggled to get anything going against the Seahawks, finishing with 171 yards passing, no TDs and one interception. His passer rating of 61.0 was his worst of the season. But there is no doubt he is looking forward to facing the dismal defense of the Saints.

The Panthers defense has not been much better than New Orleans', which comes as a surprise because they were among the best in the league last season. Carolina is 21st in total defense, allowing 378.5 yards a game, while also ranking 25th in points allowed at 26 per game. Both teams have shown a propensity to give up the big play, and there should be lots of points scored in this one.

Here are some NFL betting trends to consider before heading to the window: The Saints are just 3-9 ATS in their last 12 games on the road while the Panthers are 9-2-1 vs. the line in their past 12 at home. New Orleans is also just 3-9 ATS in the last 12 meetings with Carolina.

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