WAYNE ROOT
No Limit College--Houston U
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Millionaires---Carolina
The defending NFC, Carolina Panthers find themselves in a virtual “must-win” situation in Week 11 when they host the New Orleans Saints on “Thursday NightFootball.” New Orleans is just one game ahead of Carolina in the division, and they could have trouble defeating the Panthers for a second time this season. The Saints have dominated the mediocre and below-average defenses on their schedule, but that hasn’t been the case when they’ve faced topcompetition. Ever since they lost to the Saints, the Panthers’ defense has resembled the one that made last year’s Super Bowl. The Panthers have surrendered 16.7 points per game in the last three weeks, but that doesn’t even tell the story of how good Carolina has been. The team has 15 sacks during that span, which is more than three teams have on the entire season. Carolina’s offense isn’t what it was a year ago, but Cam Newton and Co. shouldn’t have much trouble moving the ball against the Saints. New Orleans ranks 30th by allowing 29.4 points per contest, and the Panthers have feasted on bad defenses. In the three games that Newton has started against a team that ranks outside of the top 10 in points allowed, Carolina is averaging 39 points.