Carolina at New Orleans

The Saints have been looking like a team that has the Super Bowl in their sights as they have been unstoppable on offense and have a defense that is underrated. The Saints come into this one a perfect 7-0 on the season. Carolina, after a 0-3 start, have rebounded by winning three of their last four games behind an improving defense. After getting torched for an average of 33 ppg in their first two games, the Panthers have shut the door on opponents, having kept their last five opponents to 21 or fewer points. One of those teams that failed to produce more than 21 points was the Dallas Cowboys’ offense that averages just 17 yards a game less than the Saints. The one thing that the Panthers do when they are playing well is go to the running game, which is churning out nearly 150 yards per game at 4.74 yards per carry. The weak link to the Saints’ defense is a rushing defense that is allowing 4.45 yards per carry. I look for Carolina to come out running the ball a lot to shorten the game, with the goal of having a shot in the fourth quarter. With Delhomme having the year he's having, it's really the only logical recipe for John Fox. The Saints’ offense isn't quite as proficient when playing on a short week as they are 5-1 to the UNDER after playing on Monday night. This total is the highest of the week, juiced by the public's infatuation with sexy high-scoring offenses like the Saints. It's time for some reversion back to lower-scoring games for them and I like this one to go UNDER the total.