NFL Week 10 Expert Picks: Will Panthers Hold Off Saints for First Place?

The Carolina Panthers still hold the lead in the NFC South race despite losing three games in a row. They are 3-5, which is the same record as the New Orleans Saints.

Those two teams will not have the same record this week, barring a tie. They'll face off in New Orleans for the first time this season. You'll recall that the Saints' peskiness made the division title a lot harder to come by for Carolina last season.

A win keeps the Panthers in first. A loss drops them out for the first time in a long time and it would bring up even more questions.

Week 10 NFL expert picks for Saints vs. Panthers

New Orleans Saints place kicker Charlie Smyth (39) celebrates with punter Kai Kroeger (32) after kicking the game winning field goal | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

CBS Sports analyst John Breech predicts a narrow Panthers victory, 23-20. These two teams played two relatively tight games last year, and with how evenly matched they seem right now, this is unsurprising.

His CBS colleague, Pete Prisco, has picked the Panthers in one game all year, and it was the ugly loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Big shocker: Prisco is going with the Saints in this one, 24-21.

"This is an enormous game in the division, even though both teams have just three victories. The winner will be in first place. The Saints beat the Browns last week, while the Panthers have lost three straight. The Saints make it four in a row as Tyler Shough has a big day," he wrote.

Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer is keeping the field-goal difference here, predicting the Saints to emerge victorious, 27-24. "New Orleans dug deep to outlast Cleveland last week and found some needed rushing juice with Audric Estime. They also have the receivers around Tyler Shough to duel Bryce Young and his weapons well. Both defenses have been maligned, but toss a coin toward Brandon Staley," he wrote.

Sports Illustrated's Iain MacMillan isn't willing to make a prediction on the tight matchup, instead saying the best pick is to take the over, thanks to two horrible defenses.

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) walks off the field after losing against the New Orleans Saints | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Jeremy Cluff of Arizona Republic thinks the Panthers win a little more handily than others, 28-20. "Bryce Young and the Panthers have lost three straight games, but are still right in the thick of the NFC South race. New Orleans is 1-4 at home. Carolina ends its skid with a big win on the road," he said.

Sports Betting Dime's model predicts a 30-26 win for the Panthers. Dimers' model predicts a 25-24 victory for the Panthers.

What does this tell us? That the margins in this game are unbelievably thin. It's going to be an extremely close contest, with some experts leaning one way and others leaning the other.

The Panthers need to turn the tides, but they have their work cut out for them.

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