Geoff JohnsonWith the NFC South division on the line the New Orleans Saints and the Carolina Panthers clash this Sunday at 1 PM ET at Bank of America Stadium, in a crucial game not only for the division, but for the conference.
The Saints lost last week looking awful in the attempt. If they lose to the Panthers not only will they be losing the division title, but the second seed in the conference, which provides a bye week in the first round of the playoffs.
“We know what we’re playing for — we’re playing for the divisional championship and the two seed, so it doesn’t get any bigger or better than that,” quarterback Drew Brees said. “It is going to be a challenge for us. Obviously we understand our deficiencies on the road here the last couple of trips. It is great motivation for us to really hammer down this week, find ways to improve and get better.”
The Panthers beat the NY Jets last week but were trounced by the Saints the week before. They know this is the game of the season.
“It was a great measuring stick for who we are and where we have to go,” Newton said after the loss against the Saints two weeks ago. “The best thing about this is we have an opportunity to face this team again in two weeks (at Carolina). Those guys just were better than us today.
The NFL lines have the Panthers as 3 point favorites at home; they have covered the spread in four of the last five Saints visits to Charlotte.
