How do you see this one playing out? Here are our staff picks for Sunday’s matchup between the New Orleans Saints (3-10) and Carolina Panthers (7-6) in Week 15, with final scores and bold predictions. While the Panthers are competing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for this year’s NFC South crown, the Saints have beaten them once already in Carolina, and now they get an opportunity to do it again in front of their home crowd in New Orleans. Let’s dig in.

Saints 30, Panthers 14

New Orleans hits the 30-point mark for the first time this season, the first time in their last 20 games, and just the second time in their last 29 outings. The Saints are equally impressive on defense as they were in their previous win over Carolina, forcing 3 turnovers and holding the Panthers to under 240 total yards. In the process, New Orleans gets their first sweep of a division opponent since beating these Panthers twice in 2023. Bold prediction: Devin Neal gets his first career 100-yard rushing game and the Saints gain over 400 total yards for the first time this season. — Bob Rose

Saints 30, Panthers 24

Coming off a statement win in Tampa, the vibes in New Orleans are sky-high. Tyler Shough has repeatedly shown he can elevate the offense, making the play when it matters, and finding a way to will his team to victory. Unless he unexpectedly collapses down the stretch, there’s no real reason to doubt his upward trajectory. The Panthers come to town hungry for redemption after a 17-7 loss to the Saints in their first meeting. Bryce Young and Carolina have been especially inconsistent this season, but they’ve continued to battle and raise their level of play against tough competition. This matchup should bring out their best — not just because of the earlier loss, but because a win would give them a full game lead in the division.

Still, this game should unfold very differently from the first one. And in a matchup where momentum and quarterback play could decide it, I’m siding with the guy who’s been steadily improving from week to week. Give me Shough and the Saints to secure their first back-to-back victories of the season in a shootout. Bold prediction: Tyler Shough eclipses 300 passing yards and scores 3 total touchdowns. — Luke Loffredo

Saints 20, Panthers 10

This one could get out of hand if Chris Olave can hold onto a couple of touchdown passes. Tyler Shough has been improving week by week while gaining confidence in his ability to make plays with his legs. Here’s an opportunity to disrupt the teams at the top of the NFC South while sweeping a divisional opponent in the process. Defensively, the Saints are playing as well as anyone in the league right now and they’ve already figured out how to get the better of Bryce Young. Bold prediction: Devin Neal becomes the Saints’ first 100-yard rusher not named Alvin Kamara since Nov. 29, 2020 (when Latavius Murray went for 124 yards on the Denver Broncos). — John Sigler