NFC WILD CARD
PANTHERS AT SAINTS
USA TODAY’s Lorenzo Reyes previews the NFC wild-card matchup between the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints
When: Sunday, 4:40 p.m. ET (Fox) Where: New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Line: Saints by 6
Injuries: Panthers G Trai Turner (concussion), S Kurt Coleman (ankle) and CB LaDarius Gunter (illness) were inactive for Sunday’s loss at Atlanta. RB Jonathan Stewart was rested. For the Saints, OT Terron Armstead (thigh), TE Michael Hoomanawanui (concussion) and DE Trey Hendrickson (ankle) each missed Week 17. THREE THINGS TO KNOW
1. Familiar foes: These NFC South rivals know each other very well, but Carolina is in trouble if the regular season is any indication. New Orleans not only swept the Panthers but also outscored them 65-34. The Saints forced the Panthers into committing six turnovers. That has been New Orleans’ M.O. this season: forcing opponents into making mistakes and then capitalizing with its explosive offense. With an electric atmosphere expected in the Superdome, Carolina can’t afford to make them early and
fall behind.
2. Super Cam: Of Carolina’s 5,179 offensive yards in 2017, QB Cam Newton accounted for an overwhelming 4,056, or 78.3%. He led the Panthers in rushing in seven of their 16 games, winding up with 754 yards on the ground (most among NFL quarterbacks). Against some of Carolina’s weaker opponents, relying on Newton was enough to get by. But against a talented and aggressive defense, skill position players such as Stewart and fellow RB Christian McCaffrey, TE Greg Olsen, and WR Devin Funchess need to step up.
3. Ground game: Despite having a surefire future Hall of Famer in QB Drew Brees, the Saints have reinvented themselves as a versatile rushing team, with Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara leading the way. The pair became the first running back teammates in NFL history to eclipse 1,500 yards from scrimmage in the same season. Both are versatile, though Ingram does most of his damage between the tackles while Kamara tends to slash on the margins (and even showed Sunday he can be a threat in the return game). In their 11 victories, the Saints ran for an average of 151.3 yards. In losses, however, that number dropped to 81.2.