The Panthers look to bounce back from a terrible 2023 season and get a huge win against their divisional rival Saints in Week 1. Here is how to bet on the game at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Panthers (+3.5) vs. Saints o/u 41.5
Panthers Team Breakdown
The Panthers were the worst team in the NFL last season but they had a really productive offseason to move this team in the right direction. Most importantly, they hired Dave Canales as their new head coach. Canales was the Bucs’ offensive coordinator last season, where he revived Baker Mayfield’s career, and he was the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator the year before that, where he revived Geno Smith’s career. Canales is an elite quarterback developer and offensive play-caller, and he should take former #1 overall pick Bryce Young to a new level this season.
Young will also have a lot more help at wide receiver this season. This was arguably the worst WR group in the NFL last season, but they signed Diontae Johnson and drafted Xavier Legette in the first round, making last year’s WR1 Adam Thielen their new WR3, where he should be much better. The Panthers also signed two new starting guards to shore up the offensive line, one of the worst units in the NFL. Bryce Young is super talented but had everything going against him last season. This season should be very different and allow Young to grow as an NFL passer.
Defensively, the Panthers were pretty young last season and those players should be improved with some more NFL experience under their belts and an improved offense always helps out a defense. The Panthers also signed Jadeveon Clowney and safety Jordan Fuller to bolster their defense. This won’t be an elite defense by any means but could improve to a league-average defense this season.
Saints Team Breakdown
There are a lot of warning signs around this Saints team. Saints fans are very down on quarterback Derek Carr, with many already clamoring for rookie QB Spencer Rattler after a strong preseason. Head Coach Dennis Allen is also frankly not good enough. In Allen’s five seasons as a head coach, his teams have gone under their season win total every year. That means that, as a coach, he is not getting everything out of his talent on his roster.
WR Michael Thomas left for free agency, and RB Alvin Kamara is unhappy with his current contract. Outside of Chris Olave, the Saints have a very inexperienced wide receiver group with big play potential but little experience. The Saints also had a terrible offensive line last season. They used their first-round draft pick on LT Taliese Fuaga, but their starting RT Ryan Ramczyk went down with a season-ending injury in the offseason. Even if Fuaga is an immediate success, which is never a guarantee with rookies, this will be one of the worst offensive lines in the league.
Even the Saints’ defense, which was elite for so many years, is now closer to the league average. They finished 15th in defensive DVOA last season and 13th in total defense. The defense leaders, Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu, are all at least 32 years old, and production is starting to decline for all of them.
Pick and Prediction
These are two teams headed in opposite directions. The Saints have a head coach and a quarterback both on the hot seat, while the Panthers are very optimistic about the direction of their team under Dave Canales. If Carr makes one bad mistake or the Saints struggle early, this home crowd could turn on them fast.
Bryce Young and this Panthers offense can instantly make a big jump between the coaching, new weapons and an improved offensive line. This is also the perfect spot to back the Panthers as road underdogs in the division. Divisional underdogs are always a good bet in the NFL, but they have been even better in Week 1 specifically. Divisional underdogs are 37-15-1 (71%) ATS in Week 1 since 2014. Dennis Allen is also a bad ATS head coach but is even worse as a favorite with a record of 8-16 (33%) ATS.
All signs point to the Panthers’ bounce-back season. It all starts here, so I am backing them to cover this number. They should have a great shot at winning this game outright.
Best Bet: Panthers +3.5
Place your NFL bets at DraftKings Sportsbook or by downloading the DraftKings Sportsbook app.
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and customer (my username is blakekrass) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and cannot access any non-public information.
