The Carolina Panthers have been the hottest team in the NFL after getting off to a slow start and on Sunday night football the team will take on their NFC South rivals in the New Orleans Saints and the game is huge in the NFC playoff picture and will be at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome live on NBC starting up at 8:30 pm and streaming online.
The game will be a big test for the Panthers and marks the start of a chance for the team to get into the mix for the division title, as the Saints are leading but the two teams will face off twice in the next three weeks, meeting here in Louisiana and then in Carolina in two weeks. Cam Newton has been playing very well and the defense has been the main reason for the success of the Panthers and they match up against one of the toughest offenses to stop in the Saints. Last week on Monday night football the Seahawks dominated the Saints and now they will try and rebound with another night game after the matchup got flexed into the Sunday night schedule. The Panthers are ranked in the top 10 in rushing this season with nearly 130 yards per game and they are rank i the top 10 in passing yards and rushing yards allowed, putting up just 80 on the ground allowed per game.
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Cam Newton has shown some great improvements this season and the Panthers have the Jets next at home before hosting the Saints in two weeks and they are coming off of a dominating win over the Buccaneers that saw over 300 total yards from Newton and a nice game from greg Olsen. The Panthers have not lost a game since back in early October and the team has won eight games in a row and the defense has been exceptional this season, not allowing more than 30 points in any game and now they have a huge test with the Saints and after playing the Jets and New Orleans the team finishes the season with the Atlanta Falcons on the road.
The Saints come into the game averaging well over 350 yards on offense per game and the team is ranked third in the league in passing yards per game and they are also playing well against the pass, ranking fourth in the league in yards allowed. The team opened the season 5-0 and they are coming off of a loss after winning three straight and they still have a chance to hold onto the number two seed if they can beat out the Panthers over these next couple weeks. Jimmy Graham will be the toughest guy to cover for the Panthers and the game on NBC on Sunday night will be live from New Orleans at 8:30 pm.