Usually, a two-win team would be an afterthought loser in a Week 1 pairing, but entering the 2024 season, the Panthers may be more promising than the Saints, who look less than mediocre on paper. However, the NFC South, where both of these teams reside, is a weak division, and the Saints are favored at home in the dome.
It’s season two of the Bryce Young Era for the Panthers. Any honeymoon he was allowed is now over. As a rookie, he completed less than 60 percent of his passes and had an 11-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Young will match against an improved but still average Saints’ defense. That could be what he and young receivers Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Legette need to get into the end zone.
It’s also season one for Carolina’s Dave Canales, taking over in his head coaching debut. Canales is a Pete Carroll protege. In his one season as an OC, Canales had mixed results, and he’s never mentored a young quarterback. The Panthers are trusting a rookie coach to mix together young skill players on offense.
Someone told the Saints it was a good idea to tie their hopes to veteran quarterback Derek Carr, a Raiders castoff who has one playoff game (a loss) on his 10-year NFL resume. The 33-year-old is serviceable, and he won’t make mistakes often, but he’s also nearly a decade removed from the only season he topped 30 touchdown passes. His targets in New Orleans will be wide receiver Chris Olave (1,123 yards on 87 catches in 2023) and undersized wide receiver Rashid Shaheed.
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Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints odds
How to watch Panthers vs. Saints
- Venue: Caesars Superdome — New Orleans
- Time: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday
- TV: FOX
- Streaming: Watch live on Fubo (Save $30)
Expert picks for Panthers vs. Saints
Read more about NFL Week 1
NFL Week 1 odds, expert picks and previews for all 16 games
Week 1 score predictions: Model projections for spread and total on every game
NFL best bets Week 1: Trusting in Josh Allen and fading the Bo Nix hype for now
(Photo of Chris Olave and Derek Carr: Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)
