Week 2 in the NFL has arrived and this is a going to be another battle for supremacy in the NFC south between the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints. Both teams are coming off week one losses.
The Panthers will be playing on their own field in Charlotte with their home crowd to back them, which after the loss in Tampa Bay, will help their confidence.
The Panthers running game is a big part of winning this game. DeAngelo Williams will start off at RB and Mike Tolbert at FB. RB Jonathan Stewart was back at practice this week and is expected to play according to Coach Ron Rivera. This addition will give the offense a boost.
WR Steve Smith is expected to play even though he was wearing a brace to protect his knee. WR Brandon LaFell is healthy and will his touches. QB Cam Newton is always a spark in the offense providing an extra runner and his passing will gain them much needed yardage.
The Panther defense is completely healthy and chomping at the bit to show that they can compete with any team in the league. LB’s John Beason and Luke Kuechly will give Saints QB Drew Brees a run for his money. RCB Captain Munnerlyn has played well so far this season. I look for him to have a very good season.
Looking at the Saints and QB Drew Brees, even in the loss last week against the Redskins, he got his touches and made his passing yards. Brees is just one of those players that is always prepared and rarely has a bad game.
The Saints have a bevy of weapons in their backfield RB Pierre Thomas, RB Darren Sproles, and Heisman trophy winner RB Mark Ingram. They also have FB Jed Collins to provide them with solid running.
Through the air, Brees has TE Jimmy Graham, WR Marques Colston, and Devery Henderson who all have great hands and provide yardage after the catch.
The Saints defense has a lot of work to do. They were picked apart last week and showed many of their weaknesses. It will fun to see if they can patch up all the holes that QB Robert Griffin III found in them last week.
I think at this point these teams are evenly matched and I am looking to see who wants it more. I am going with the Panthers 21-17.
