You never would've thought it possible as recently as a few weeks ago, but the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints now have something less than ideal in common: they've both lost at home in November to the previously hapless Atlanta Falcons, and in back-to-back weeks. It's a black eye to both clubs as they work to establish a strong second half of the season, and with both currently in the playoff picture. 

That will be more difficult now for the Panthers, who fell to 5-5 after losing to the Falcons, whereas it was only the second loss of the season for the Saints, who sit atop the NFC South with an 8-2 record after bouncing back in Week 11 to defeat the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers. By the way, the Panthers lost to the Buccaneers earlier this season, and their 1-2 division record isn't doing them any favors in pursuit of the Saints.

They can reclaim some of that ground on Sunday when they head to Mercedes-Benz Superdome while also staying in the hunt for a potential NFC wild-card berth, but don't count on the Saints making it easy for a second NFC South rival to upset them on their own field, and in a span of only three weeks.

You're not going to want to miss this one, folks.

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome (New Orleans, LA)
TV: CBS | Stream: CBS All Access  
Follow: CBS Sports App  

Preview

For the Panthers to have a shot at upsetting the Saints when the two sides square off for the first time in 2019, Kyle Allen is going to have to strap on his big boy pants. He's set to go against a future Hall of Famer in Drew Brees and a record-setting wide receiver in Michael Thomas, and then there's All-Pro running back Alvin Kamara to contend with -- able to do as much damage in the air as he can on the ground. In the 29-3 beatdown at the hands of the Falcons, Allen threw for career-high 325 passing yards, but he completed only 31 out of 50 attempts and had four interceptions with no touchdowns. That won't do in New Orleans, because giving extra possessions to Brees and Co., in one of the most hostile environments in the NFL, will be a death sentence.

Allen will need to use MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey early and often to keep the Saints defense off-balance, and to aid in owning time of possession. If he can do that effectively and eliminate his own mistakes, the Panthers have a chance at keeping it a low-scoring contest they'll have a chance to take victory in. 

The Saints want to run up the score against the Panthers early and they have the coaching and personnel to make it happen, so a shootout against the Saints is the last thing Allen wants, or is equipped for.

Predictions 

Give the edge to the Saints in this one, and for obvious reasons. 

The current line at SportsLine has New Orleans as 9.5-point favorites to declaw the Panthers this weekend, but that doesn't mean you should look away, because you've seen bigger upsets this NFL season. Place your bets accordingly, and be sure to check out more from our experts at CBSSports.com -- including Will Brinson and Pete Prisco -- to help with your betting chances.