NFC South: Week 11 Recap
Cam Newton guided his Carolina Panthers past the New England Patriots
A controversial finish on Monday Night Football saw the Carolina Panthers stay within one-game of the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints.
With both the Panthers and Saints recording wins this weekend, there’s little room to breathe at the top of the division, and with a pair of head-to-head games still on the slate, this one’s looking like it could go down to the wire.
BettingSports.com now brings you a recap of all of the Week 11 action from the NFC South, beginning with a divisive Monday night game.
* * * * *
New England Patriots 20, Carolina Panthers 24
Steve Smith and the Panthers won a controversial game.
Carolina welcomed the New England Patriots to Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., for the first Monday Night Football game featuring the Panthers in more than five years.
The Panthers got off to a solid start with Cam Newton connecting with Brandon LaFell for a 9-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The Panthers added a field goal in the second before New England kicked one of their own for a 10-3 halftime score.The teams traded touchdowns in the third quarter. First Tom Brady found Rob Gronkowski from nine yards out to tie the game before Newton threw a 15-yard scoring strike to Greg Olsen. The Patriots again tied the game on Stevan Ridley’s 1-yard run before Stephen Gostkowski put Bill Belichick’s side in the lead for the first time with a 26-yard field goal.
The Panthers rebounded with Newton throwing his third touchdown pass of the game – a 25-yard effort to Ted Ginn Jr. – with just 59 seconds left on the clock. And so began the Patriots final drive that would end in controversy.
Brady completed passes to Gronkowski, Danny Amendola, Shane Vereen, and Aaron Dobson on the critical drive, leading the Patriots to the Panthers’ 18-yard line. With three seconds left on the clock, Brady threw a pass towards Gronkowski in the end zone which rookie Robert Lester promptly intercepted. A flag was thrown for defensive pass interference, seemingly given the Patriots one last hope. However, the officials huddled and called off the flag, stating the pass was uncatchable and giving the Panthers the 24-20 victory.
Vegas Impact: Carolina (7-3-0 ATS) covered the spread for the sixth straight game, moving into a tie with the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders as the NFL’s best teams against the spread. New England (5-5-0 ATS) failed to cover for the first time in three games. The total went under, as has been the regular trend for both sides.
Up Next: Carolina (7-3, 3-2 road) will look to bump its road winning streak up to four next Sunday (1:00 p.m. ET) with a trip to the Miami Dolphins (5-5, 3-2 home). The two sides have met four times since the Panthers entered the NFL as an expansion franchise in 1995. Miami has been victorious in every game. The Panthers are favorites to buck that trend on Sunday.
Opening Odds – Favorite: Carolina Spread: 4 Over/Under: 40.5 (matchup)
* * * * *
San Francisco 49ers 20, New Orleans Saints 23
The Saints squeezed past the Niners.
Ahead of Carolina’s Monday night game, the New Orleans Saints recorded their own win, edging the San Francisco 49ers 23-20 in a high-profile game on Sunday afternoon.
One week after serving up a record 40 first downs to go alongside 49 points against the Cowboys, the Saints had altogether tougher time of it against the NFC West hopefuls. Drew Brees completed 30 of 43 passes for 305 yards and a touchdown but a 3-1 turnover deficit in favor of the Niners saw many of those yards go unrewarded.
Meanwhile, the Saints’ rushing game – which compiled 242 yards against the Cowboys – was limited to 92 yards by a stingy San Francisco defense. Mark Ingram followed up his 145 yards a week ago with a paltry 25 yards on just six carries.
The Niners took a 20-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, thanks to a pair of Colin Kaepernick touchdown passes. Kaepernick finished the game 17 of 31 for 127 yards. The Saints fought back though, with kicker Garrett Hartley making three straight fourth quarter field goals including a 31-yarder as time expired to give the Saints an industrious victory.
Vegas Impact: New Orleans (6-3-1 ATS) and San Francisco (6-3-1 ATS) forced a push against the three-point spread, a first for both teams this season, and leaving both with an identical ATS record. The total went under for the first time in five Saints’ games.
Up Next: New Orleans (8-2, 2-2 road) will face the Atlanta Falcons (2-8, 2-3 home) at the Georgia Dome in an intra-divisional clash Thursday night. The Saints would be forgiven for looking past the lowly Falcons towards a Monday night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks in Week 13, but with Carolina nipping at the heels, winning here is essential. You can be the Falcons would love to play spoiler too.
Opening Odds – Favorite: New Orleans Spread: 6.5 Over/Under: 52 (matchup)
* * * * *
Atlanta Falcons 28, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 41
Bobby Rainey made a huge impact Sunday.
A week after recording a first win of the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it two in a row Sunday, getting the better of an Atlanta side that surely can’t wait for the season to end.
The Buccaneers got huge performances from a consortium of players. Quarterback Mike Glennon completed 20 of 23 passes for 231 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Vincent Jackson caught 10 of those passes for 165 yards and a touchdown. The most stunning performance of the afternoon belonged to running back Bobby Rainey, who carried the ball 30 times to tally 163 yards rushing with a pair of touchdown as well as a receiving touchdowns. The Bucs’ defense got in on the action, with both Dashon Goldson and Mason Foster picking off Matt Ryan. The latter returned the ball 37 yards for a defensive touchdown.
Turnovers were a big part of Atlanta’s downfall. In a game that saw the two sides fairly evenly matched in plays, passing yards, rushing yards, and first downs, Ryan’s two interceptions and a fumble by Roddy White killed the Falcons’ momentum. Even 121 yards of Tampa Bay penalties couldn’t turn this one around.
The Bucs built a 24-6 lead at halftime before entering the fourth quarter up 38-13. Antoine Smith broke a 50-yard touchdown run for the Falcons late in the game to go alongside Ryan’s scoring pass to White, making the final score look a little more respectable.
The only downside for Tampa Bay was Goldson’s helmet-to-helmet hit on White. The NFL has suspended Goldson for one game as a result.
The Buccaneers and Falcons both leave the game with a 2-8 record, although Tampa Bay’s win over the Miami Dolphins last week serves as the tiebreaker. As it stands, the Falcons have gone from first to worst.
Vegas Impact: Tampa Bay (4-6-0 ATS) covered the spread for the third straight week, a trend bettors should keep an eye on. Atlanta (2-8-0 ATS) hasn’t covered since a Week 7 win over the Buccaneers. The total went over for the sixth straight Buccaneers’ game. That trend looks likely to continue next weekend.
Up Next (Atlanta): Atlanta (2-8, 2-3 home) host the Saints (8-2, 2-2 road) on Thursday night. Perhaps the short week will aid the Falcons in catching the Saints off guard. After all, New Orleans has lost two straight on the road.
Opening Odds – Favorite: New Orleans Spread: 6.5 Over/Under: 52 (matchup)
Up Next (Tampa Bay): Tampa Bay (2-8, 0-4 home) will look to make it three wins in a row by securing a first road win of the season in Week 12. The team will travel to the Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions (6-4, 3-1 home), winners of two straight against the Buccaneers.
Opening Odds – Favorite: Detroit Spread: 9.5 Over/Under: 46 (matchup)
For a full list of Week 12 NFL odds, click here.
For a full list of NFL Futures, click here.
For NFL team prop bets, click here.
For NFL player prop bets, click here.
