The Carolina Panthers are the last remaining unbeaten team in the league, getting to 11-0 after a dominant 33-14 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. Next up in their pursuit of perfection is a trip to the Superdome to face a reeling New Orleans Saints team that has lost its last three games to fall to 4-7 on the season.
Panthers vs. Saints 2015 picks and predictions: Carolina a near lock to reach 12-0
The Panthers haven’t lost a regular season game in more than a calendar year. If the experts are correct, that won’t change come Sunday in New Orleans.
Before we start up the hype train on whether the Panthers can complete a 16-0 regular season, the more immediate goal for this team is to win the division. The clinching scenario is simple: beat the Saints and they're the champs. They can also clinch first place if the Atlanta Falcons lose to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It would be an unprecedented third straight NFC South crown for the Panthers; before they earned their second straight title last season, no team had ever won the division in back-to-back years.
While an 11-0 start is certainly noteworthy, the more impressive feat might be the Panthers' 15 consecutive regular-season wins dating back to last December. They are tied with the 2010-11 Green Bay Packers and 1989-90 San Francisco 49ers for the longest streak by an NFC club since the 1970 merger. Both those teams, by the way, won Super Bowls during their unbeaten runs.
The big game at Levi’s Stadium in February appears to be a likely destination for Carolina based on historical precedent. Of the previous 11 teams to start a season with 11 straight wins in the Super Bowl era, eight reached the season’s final game and five ended up with rings. The computers agree, too, with Football Outsiders’ projections giving the Panthers a 47 percent chance to make the Super Bowl and a 24 percent chance to win it.
On paper, the Saints don’t appear to have a realistic shot of slowing down this Carolina juggernaut. New Orleans ranks last or second-to-last in nearly every traditional defensive stat, including points, yards and first downs. To make matters worse, their normally potent offense hasn’t shown up the last two weeks. They scored 14 points against Washington in Week 10, and then last Sunday were held without a touchdown for the first time since 2005. That ended a streak of 155 games reaching the end zone, the second-longest by any team in NFL history.
It’s hardly a surprise that the experts are bullish on the Panthers moving to 12-0 this weekend. Over at CBS Sports, they are unanimous in picking Carolina to win. However, there is one fearless guy -- David Fucillo -- on our panel at SB Nation who is predicting an upset in New Orleans.
| Week 13 | Ryan Van Bibber | Stephen White | Joel Thorman | David Fucillo | Danny Kelly | Matt Ufford | PFT Commenter | OddsShark |
| CAR vs NO | CAR | CAR | CAR | NO | CAR | CAR | CAR | CAR |
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