New Orleans at Carolina

Wow. The Saints delivered as promised on Monay Night in what I thought would be their "Super Bowl" for 2006. Now, off a shortened week, and back on the road, I expect a big letdown from them. NFL teams can't perform at peak emotional levels multiple weeks in a row. I think Carolina covers this spread but I like the play on the UNDER much better. Why? The Saints have found a defense! They are 7th best in the league in points allowed per game. They are 3rd in yards per game and 2nd in yards per play. Their offense is good but not great, and again they are off a big, big game. Carolina has underperformed across the board. Their defense which was supposed to be one of the best, is middle-of-the-road so far. It was much improved last week holding the Bucs to 64 yards rushing and 209 total. Their offense has been horrible, ranked 28th in production. Against the Saints defense, I think they will improve a bit but not have a breakout high-scoring showing. Carolina is 7-0 UNDER the past three seasons at home in division games. I see this one being a low scoring affair.