These are two teams that have been dominant at home all year vs. two teams that have struggled on the road and we have motivation on the side of the home team with a lot to play for. For the Chiefs a spot as the #1 seed is still available all they have to do is win out and hope the Broncos slip up which is totally possible. For the Bengals they would like to get into the playoffs and host a game by winning their division which they can do by winning out. The Colts who visit the Chiefs really have no motivation and are a dome team playing out on the road in December.
The Colts have their division wrapped up and are going to host a playoff game and they don't have a chance to increase their seed. It is very likely that the Colts will face these Chiefs so they may not try to do too much in this spot. The Vikings who go on the road to play the Bengals are also a dome team that has played well of late but is 0-6-1 on the road this year. The Chiefs have really opened it up offensively and I don't think the Vikings can keep this under a field goal.
Here it is with everything on the line the Panthers get a chance for some sweet revenge against the Saints who dominated them just 2 weeks ago in the dome. The Saints have struggled out doors all year long and everyone thinks nothing should change, but the Panthers defense has really quietly digressed the last couple of weeks. They allowed the Jets to run for more than 150 yards a week ago and of course the Saints put up 31 on them. Before that the Panthers really did not play any explosive offenses and played mostly weak offenses so overall I do believe this defense is a bit over rated.
One thing is for sure the Panthers defense has been unable to figure out Drew Brees. He keeps putting up monster numbers against them and now he can count on a defense that continues to play better than anyone thought. However, the Saints come off a loss to the Rams which I saw coming, but look for them to avoid losing two straight as they are 25-10 ATS in their last 35 following a SU loss. Drew Brees is great at bouncing back and I trust his experience along with the coaching staff's experience over Came Newton and their coaching staff. The Panthers are very talented, but they just are not at the level of a top tier team quite yet. CArolina played only 3 playoff teams all year - 49ers, Patriots, and Saints and they struggled against all 3. The road team is also 19-7 ATS in the last 26 meetings.
