Panthers vs. Saints: Improved Defenses Will Be Key to Victory for Both Teams

December 7, 2013   ·   Tyler Brooke   ·   Jump to comments

Cam Newton and Drew Brees will get all of the attention, but it will be the two defenses that will be key for the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints on Sunday Night Football.
With both teams currently at 9-3, the winner of this game would take control of the NFC South, and that could give them a first-round bye with how the rest of the conference is playing out.  
The team that finishes second in the division would then have to play in the wild card round and likely play away from home throughout the playoffs. So it's safe to say that this is an incredibly important matchup.
The Panthers and Saints have two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, with Brees and Newton having fantastic seasons.  The two offenses have combined for 49.8 points per game, but it's highly unlikely that they score anywhere near that frequently with how well both defenses have played this season.
In 2012, the Saints easily had the worst defense in the league.  They ga...

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