Sign up for the daily Saints Newsletter by clicking here.

For the fifth time in nine games this season, the Saints are favored by oddsmakers to win a game. This Sunday, New Orleans is a 1.5-point favorite as it entertains division foe Carolina with first place in the NFL South on the line. Kickoff is set for Noon in the Caesar's Superdome.

In the other four games in which the Saints were favored, the team was 1-3 against the spread:

• losing to the Raiders by eight after being favored by 4,
• getting crushed by the Falcons after being favored by 1.5,
• and winning by one in overtime after being favored by 4.5 against the Browns last weekend.

The one time the Saints have covered the spread when favored this season was when they earned a 7-point win versus the Giants after being favored by 1.5

NFC South Up for Grabs

New Orleans is fresh off its tantalizing overtime victory over Cleveland Sunday, 23-22. With the win, the Saints broke through in the "W" column at home for the first time this season. It places the team squarely in the hunt for the lead in the dismal NFC South.

All four teams in the South have identical records: 3-5. Thus, the winner of Saturday's contest will automatically be in the lead in the hunt for the division. That would make the NFL South the only division that has a team with a losing record leading it.

Panthers on a Three-Game Slide

Carolina suffered a heartbreaking 26-21 loss to the Denver Broncos at home on Sunday, marking their third consecutive defeat. Despite out-gaining Denver 353 yards to 312, a mixture of self-inflicted mistakes, pass-protection breakdowns, and an officiating controversy ultimately doomed the team.

Early in the third quarter, the Panthers held a 14-13 lead and were driving at Denver’s 1-yard line. Bryce Young threw a pass that was initially ruled incomplete on the field, but looked like it could have been picked off as the ball was very close to hitting the ground. The Panthers quickly rushed to the line and snapped the ball for the next play. However, officials allowed a late replay challenge from Broncos coach Sean Payton, ruling that the ball had actually deflected off the Panthers' Tommy Tremble into the hands of Denver safety Devon Key for an interception before hitting the turf. The ruling took away a potential score and completely flipped the game's momentum.

The Panthers are hurting in their defensive backfield right now. The numbers at cornerback have dwindled as player after player has been placed on Injured Reserve. Carolina's depth issues have bitten them in the butt numerous times, but most recently against Denver where five pass interference penalties were called against the Panther secondary.

Carolina was penalized 13-times in that Broncos game. They are the second worst team in the NFL in the penalties per game category, averaging 8.8-flags per contest. The worst was New Orleans' opponent last Sunday, Cleveland, getting 9.1 yellow hankies thrown at them per contest.

In case you were wondering, the Saints are among the least penalized teams in the NFL, averaging 6.1-penalties per game, fifth least in the league.