The Carolina Panthers are expected to have Cam Newton back under center Sunday when they visit New Orleans for an NFC South divisional matchup against the Saints as 2.5-point road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Newton suffered a concussion in a 48-33 loss to the Atlanta Falcons two weeks ago and was unavailable in last week’s 17-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which leaves Carolina winless in three straight going into Sunday afternoon’s Panthers vs. Saints betting matchup at Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
After amassing a league-best 15-1 straight-up regular-season record in 2015, Carolina has been a massive disappointment this season both on the gridiron and at the sportsbooks, losing outright as betting chalk on four occasions while amassing a dismal 1-4 record.
However, the Panthers have dominated New Orleans with Newton at the helm, posting SU wins in four of their last six meetings, including a 41-38 road victory last December in which Newton tossed for five touchdowns.
The Saints were on bye last weekend following a 35-34 win over the Chargers in San Diego as 3.5-point underdogs, ending a season-opening three-game SU losing streak.
While SU wins have been scarce, New Orleans consistently has paid out against the spread, covering in two of its past three and six of nine overall, according to the OddsShark NFL Database. However, each of those three recent ATS defeats have come on home turf.
Meanwhile, the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons pit their high-powered offense against the NFL’s toughest defense when they visit the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks as 6-point underdogs.
The Falcons have won four straight, SU and ATS, twice scoring at least 45 points during that stretch powered by pivot Matt Ryan’s 12 touchdown passes.
But Atlanta must now contend with a Seahawks defense that has limited opposing passers to just 184 yards per game and one touchdown pass this season, spurring the club to SU and ATS wins by double-digit margins in their past two outings.
In other NFL Week 6 action, the San Francisco 49ers will give the ball to controversial quarterback Colin Kaepernick when they visit the Buffalo Bills as 9-point underdogs. The 49ers have lost four straight, both SU and ATS, while the Bills have dominated during a three-game surge, posting a pair of decisive outright wins as betting underdogs.
The Los Angeles Rams also will be trying to bounce back from last week’s 30-19 loss to Buffalo, visiting the Detroit Lions as 3-point underdogs.
The Green Bay Packers aim for a third straight home win as they host the surprising Dallas Cowboys as 4-point chalk at online gambling sites, while the Houston Texans are favored by three points in a crucial AFC South matchup with the Indianapolis Colts on “Sunday Night Football.”
Thumbnail photo via Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports Images
