As a result of Tampa Bay’s loss Thursday night to Atlanta, the Carolina Panthers (7-6) can take sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a win in New Orleans against the Saints (3-10).

These teams met back on November 9 with the Saints winning 17-7. The New Orleans defense owned the day limiting the Panthers to a mere 73 yards rushing and just 175 yards of total offense. No doubt Carolina needs a more balanced attack this weekend.

The Panthers are coming off their bye. In their last game, Bryce Young and co. upset Matthew Stafford and the Rams, 31-28. In that game, Carolina threw for 194 yards and rushed for 164 yards. Last weekend the Saints won in Tampa, 24-20. Rookie Tyler Shough rushed for two touchdowns and threw for 144 yards in the win. If New Orleans can win Sunday, it will be their first two-game winning streak of the season.

New Orleans is 4-1 vs. Carolina since 2023 with three of the four wins coming by double-digits.

Key Matchup: Panthers’ Offensive Balance vs. Saints’ Run Defense

As mentioned earlier, the Saints’ defense stacked the box the last time these teams played and successfully shut down the Panthers’ run game, forcing Carolina into a one-dimensional offense. For Carolina to win this time, they must find a way to establish the run with either Rico Dowdle or Chuba Hubbard to open up play-action and passing lanes for Bryce Young.

Lets take a deeper dive into this week’s matchup.

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Game Details and How to watch the Panthers vs. Saints live SundayDate: Sunday, December 14, 2025Time: 4:25PM ESTSite: Caesars SuperdomeCity: New Orleans, LANetwork/Streaming: FOX

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Game Odds: Panthers vs. Saints

The latest odds as of Friday courtesy of DraftKings:

Moneyline: Carolina Panthers (-148), New Orleans Saints (+124)Spread: Panthers -2.5Total: 40.5 points

This game opened at Panthers -2.5 with the Game Total set at 39.0.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for all the latest game odds & player props for every matchup this week on the NFL schedule!

Quarterback Matchup for Carolina at New OrleansPanthers Starting QB: Bryce Young
Last Game: 11/30 vs. Rams – 15-20, 206yds, 3TDs, 0INTs, Sacked 2 times, 5 carries for 23yds rushing
Season: 12GP, 230-363, 2337yds, 18TDs, 9INTs, Sacked 22 times, 32 carries for 121yds rushingSaints Starting QB: Tyler Shough
Last Game: 12/7 at Tampa Bay – 13-20, 144yds, 0TDs, 1INT, Sacked 3 times, 7 carries for 55yds rushing
Season: 7GP, 120-184, 1212yds, 5TDs, 5INTs, Sacked 17 times, 28 carries for 106yds rushingPanthers at Saints: Team Stats and Betting TrendsBryce Young is 1-4 in his career vs. New OrleansTetairoa McMillan has a rec TD in 3 straight gamesTyler Shough is looking to become the first rookie QB in team history to win back-to-back games and would tie Archie Manning for the most wins (3) by a Saints’ rookie QBThe Panthers have lost 16 of their last 19 games as a favoriteThe Saints are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog and 5-8 ATS overall this seasonThe Panthers are 8-5 TS overall this seasonThe OVER has cashed in 7 of the Panthers’ 13 games this season (7-6)

Dowdle no longer must-start fantasy running back

Patrick Daugherty and Denny Carter discuss the roller coaster that is the Panthers and their running backs, sharing why Chuba Hubbard may eat into Rico Dowdle’s production and potential in the fantasy football playoffs.

Panthers Player InjuriesCB Jaycee Horn (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s gameLB Claudin Cherelus (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game
Saints Player InjuriesRB Alvin Kamara (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s gameRB Devin Neal (abdomen) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s gameOT Asim Richards (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s gameRT Taliese Fuaga (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s gameS Justin Reid (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday’s gameRotoworld Best Bets

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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NFL calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, stadium information and weather forecasts.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Best bets our model is projecting for this week’s game between the Panthers and the SaintsMoneyline: Rotoworld Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.Spread: Rotoworld Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the New Orleans Saints at +2.5.Total: Rotoworld Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 40.5.

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