Carolina Panthers (5-5) at New Orleans Saints (8-2)
Time: 12 p.m. CT, Sunday
Line: Saints by 9.5 points
Playoff Seeding: Carolina 9th, New Orleans 2nd
Perhaps the 2009 NFC Championship Game will tell a Vikings fan to cheer against the Saints at every opportunity, but with the Vikings needing some extra breathing room in the Wild Card standings, another Carolina loss wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Carolina comes into this game having an identity crisis at quarterback since Cam Newton was placed on injured reserve with his foot injury. Kyle Allen has done an admirable job rallying the Panthers, but the second-year quarterback isn’t putting up eye-popping stats and there are some whispers that they could turn to fellow rookie Will Grier in the near future with Newton’s status in doubt.
While the Panthers are in flux and starting to fade in the NFC standings, the Saints are continuing to thrive with the return of Drew Brees. After a head-scratching loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10 (the same fate that the Panthers experienced last week), the Saints got back on track by obliterating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are looking to chase down the Green Bay Packers for the second seed.
In the end, this is a game where the Vikings will benefit in one way or the other. At 8-3, the Vikings may have to contend with the Saints for a first-round bye if they can catch the Packers in the final weeks of the season. On the other hand, another loss for Carolina should throw some more dirt on their hopes, but their season could be fading regardless of meaning a Saints loss could be more valuable.