Saints Look To Rebound Against Panthers Before Playoff Run

NFL News - December 29th, 2009 - Written by John

Three weeks ago the New Orleans Saint were on top of the NFL landscape, with a 13-0 record and an offense that seemed unstoppable. However, after two 17-point outputs by quarterback Drew Brees and the rest of the offense, New Orleans has lost back-to-back games and are searching for answers. This week they get division opponent Carolina in the regular season wrap-up. This is a game New Orleans needs to play well to gain positive momentum, as the the playoffs are lurking. Carolina is one of the hottest teams in the NFL down the home-stretch of the season. They will try to collect another win to close out the season against the top team in the NFC.

Last week, the Saints were shocked by a two-win Tampa Bay team in overtime. They had a chance to win in regulation, but place-kicker Garrett Hartley missed a 37-yard field goal as time expired. Previously, Hartley had not missed from inside 50 yards in his career.

Quarterback Drew Brees looked great in the first half, building a 17-0 lead, but was unable to produce a single score the entire second half, including overtime.

This was only the second time all season that the Saints scored less than 20 points. The first occurrence came last week against Dallas that also resulted in a loss.

While the offense is not producing to the usual standard, it is the defensive side of the ball that is more concerning.

New Orleans has surrendered over 400 yards in offense each of the last two games. They are particularly vulnerable against the run. Tampa was able to accumulate 180 yards on the ground, including a critical run by Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal.

On the other sideline, Carolina has been red-hot the last two weeks, with convincing victories over Minnesota and the New York Giants.

Quarterback Matt Moore replaced the injured Jake Delhomme and has performed nicely, getting better as the weeks go on.

In the win over the Giants, Moore was an efficient 15 of 20, passing for 171 yards and three touchdowns. In his last four starts he has only one interception. He is 3-1 since taking over the starting job.

Carolina is not a playoff team, but is a dangerous team for New Orleans this week. The Saints have already locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and could pull their starters at some point in the game if they choose.

Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart could present real problems for the New Orleans defense. Last week, Stewart torched the Giants defense for 206 yards rushing and a touchdown. The Saints have shown vulnerability against the run and Carolina will try to establish Stewart early.

Getting the run going will take pressure off of Moore, who is only making his fifth career start. Moore will be able to take advantage of play-action passing if Stewart is able to beat the Saints run defense.

This should be an entertaining match-up as both teams possess strong offenses. The difference could be the way the Carolina defense is playing of late. In three of the last four games in the 2009 NFL Season, the Panthers have held their opponents to nine points or less.

Week 17 NFL Betting lines for this match-up have not yet been posted, but will be released later this week.