Week 7 Picks and Preview
Carolina AT New Orleans
Carolina had a tough loss last week to the Bears to fall to 3-3, but they’ve got a chance to bounce back against New Orleans and get right back in contention for the division lead in week 7. I don’t think it’s a great chance, but that’s why they play the games. New Orleans is bringing a top 10 offense AND defense with them on Sunday and the Panthers will once again be without star RB Christian McCaffrey. They’ll be shorthanded in the secondary with S Juston Burris heading to IR, so it sounds like we’ll see Jeremy Chinn get some more snaps on the backend this week. They may also be thin on offense with Keith Kirkwood landing back on IR after re-injuring his clavicle and Curtis Samuel still listed as day-to-day after missing last week’s game.
Setting all that aside (It’s week 7, everyone is banged up. The Saints are likely going to be without Michael Thomas again), this game is going to come down to execution for Carolina. Last week Teddy was inaccurate and contributed 2 of the team’s 3 turnovers. The line did him no favors, allowing 4 sacks, 8.5 TFLs and 6 QB hits. The Panthers shot themselves in the foot as well committing 8 penalties and only converting 1 of 3 red zone trips into a TD. This is a season long trend for the young and inexperienced Panthers. It sounds simple but they have some talent on both sides of the ball and they just need to tighten up and limit their mistakes if they want to convert more close games to W’s.
What to Watch:
Obviously Anderson and Moore need to hold up their end and Teddy needs to protect the ball better than last week, but TEs Ian Thomas and Chris “Martinez” Manhertz may be Carolina’s best bet to exploit the Saints defense, particularly in the red zone. New Orleans has given up at least one red zone TD to opposing TEs in every game this year. Manhertz and Thomas have combined for just 8 catches on the season but with the offense struggling to score TDs they can’t overlook any potential hole in the Saints defense.
Week 7 Picks (updated Sunday before kickoff):
Brodny (58-32-1)- Eagles Pitt Cinci Buffalo NO Atl Washington Green Bay Seattle LAC KC San Fran Tampa Bay LAR
Jose (59-31-1)- Eagles Panthers Bills Bengals Cowboys Packers Falcons Steelers TB Chiefs Chargers Patriots Seahawks Rams
Eric (46-30-1)- Giants Atl Browns Pitt Carolina Bills Wash GB Tampa Bay KC Pats Seahawks Bears
Jansen (66-24-1)- Giants Falcons Browns Titans Saints Bills WFC Texans Seahawks Chiefs Patriots Chargers Bucs Bears
Brandi (46-30-1)- Eagles Lions Lions Browns
Titans Saints Bills Cowboys Packers Bucs Chiefs Pats Chargers Seahawks Bears