The New Orleans Saints had a first round bye in their hands and now that they have lost to the St. Louis Rams, the game against the Carolina Panthers on Fox Sunday is even more crucial, as Cam Newton and company can send the Saints to the wild card by winning out and taking the division and that would be a tough prospect for a team with issues on the road and they will get tested at 1 pm on Sunday in Week 16, as they play the Panthers at Bank of America Stadium.
The Saints come in first in the NFC South, but a loss on Sunday would change all of that and then in Week 17 the team has another divisional matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the Saints come in with over 300 yards passing per game and that will be the major point of focus for both sides. The Panthers have an elite defense this season and their passing defense and secondary are the weakest links and they will get a nice test on Sunday and while they haven't clinched yet, both teams look like they will be in the playoffs this season, it just depends on where and what seed and after last week's loss against the Rams, the team needs to win this game badly and they also need to prove they can win a game on the road for once, as the playoffs could be short lived if they don't win out, as they could miss out on the first round bye and home game if that happens and that could end in disaster for the Saints after they looked like a lock for at least the number two seed in the playoffs.
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The Panthers are one of the best rushing teams in the league and that makes the matchup interesting as well, with the Saints giving up 116 yards on the ground per game and the passing defense has been very solid, ranking third in the league in yards allowed per game. The Saints will try and air it out on Sunday and it is a huge game for the team and Drew Brees comes in after passing for nearly 400 passing yards last weekend and now Sean Payton will need to get things right on Sunday for a win.
Basically, the Panthers need to win out to get the division, while the Saints can simply get the bye they want and the NFC South division title with a win on Sunday and a loss for the Saints would clinch the Panthers a playoff spot and would put them in position for the division. The Panthers finish the season against the Falcons on the road after playing the Saints and they come into the game after a nice win over the Jets and that game saw the team have Newton pass for nearly 300 yards, while DeAngelo Williams and Greg Olsen led the way in rushing and receiving yards.
The team is ranked in the top five in total defense and they are ranked second in the league in rushing yards allowed per game and fifth in passing yards allowed per game and they are the defense that is suited to stop the Saints and there is plenty on the line for both sides on Sunday. The team is ranked 28th in passing yards per game but that is more about scheme and now Newton has really looked like he has developed into a quality passer and now he is leading his team to a likely playoff spot for the first time in his career and this could be the start of something special for Carolina and that is terrible news for the Saints and Falcons, as they are the two teams that have been dominating the division lately and now they have an up and coming team that looks like it will be good for years to come.