In short order, you will find out the identity of the NFC Souths best team. Vinny Curry White Jersey . With two meetings scheduled over the next three weeks, the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints are set to battle for division supremacy as well as a potential first-round bye in the NFC playoff picture. Things get started this Sunday night in the Big Easy with the sequel set for Charlotte on Dec. 22. Catch all the action on TSN starting with Football Night in America at 7pm et/4pm pt. "Its like youre getting the best of the best," NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth said when talking about this weeks affair, which will air nationally on "Sunday Night Football." "Youre going to see Carolinas defense, led by Luke Kuechly, going into the Superdome where weve seen everybody struggle to try and stop that offense with Drew Brees. Its going to be fantastic." Fantastic indeed. Carolina has won a franchise-record eight consecutive games, including last weeks dominating 27-6 victory over Tampa Bay. For their next trick the Panthers will attempt to become just the second NFL team to win nine consecutive this season (joining Kansas City) and the first club to beat Brees and Co. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Panthers quarterback Cam Newton passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another against the Bucs, while Carolinas defense, which leads the NFL in fewest points allowed (157), limited Tampa Bay to 206 total net yards and no touchdowns. Newton threw for 263 yards with two interceptions while adding 68 yards and a TD on the ground. Brandon LaFell and Ted Ginn Jr. each had touchdown catches in the rout. "People want to keep pointing at me, but the truth of the matter is our defense is playing lights out and giving us opportunities," admitted Newton. The Saints, meanwhile, are 6-0 at home this season and Brees leads the NFL with a 122.2 home passer rating, which includes 19 touchdowns and only three interceptions. However, New Orleans was blitzed in Seattle on Monday night when Russell Wilson had three touchdowns passes and the Seahawks became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a resounding 34-7 win over the Saints. The Seattle defense did its part on Monday, limiting Brees to just 147 yards and a touchdown on 23-for-38 passing, and allowing the Saints to cross midfield just once in the first three quarters while also stopping NOLA twice on fourth down in the fourth quarter. The seven total points matched the lowest output the Saints have scored since Sean Payton took over the team in 2006, while the 188 total yards accrued were the fewest in Payton-era. "That first half was real tough and we just couldnt get anything going," said Brees. "We had a bunch of three-and-outs before we had that one drive where we scored. But after that we just couldnt do much at all. We took one in the chin today." With the loss, its first since dropping a game in New York to the Jets on Nov. 3, New Orleans fell into a tie for first in the NFC South with Carolina, and two games behind the Seahawks for the conferences top spot. "Well make sure well get the corrections made because theres a lot of things we didnt do well," said Payton. "Its a short week and we have some work to do here." The Panthers lead the all-time series with the Saints by a slim 19-17 margin after sweeping the season series a year ago. WHAT TO WATCH FOR This is your classic matchup of strength versus strength pitting New Orleans powerful offense against Carolinas league-leading D. Forget the Saints team you saw in Seattle, this is a totally different bunch on the fast track in the dome. New Orleans is unbeaten and averages 33.2 points a game at home this season while outscoring opponents 199-95 in six contests. The Panthers, on the other hand, have won four consecutive on the road and their defense is allowing an NFL-low 13.1 points per game and only 289.8 yards per contest, second best in football. Carolina is also the last team to actually beat the Saints in NOLA, earning a 44-38 decision last December. "There are a lot of things theyre doing offensively that make you say, Wow," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. "A lot of people thought last year that Jimmy Graham had an off-year, but now watching him he looks like hes in the form he was two years ago. Darren Sproles, Ive got a bottle of Tums next to me because he is a heck of a football player. And Drew Brees is having a classic Drew Brees season." Rivera touched on the two players that make the New Orleans offense so difficult to deal with, matchup nightmares Graham and Sproles. The lengthy Graham has 68 receptions for 988 yards and 12 TDs on the season and six 100-yard games, the most ever for a tight end, while Sproles leads all NFL running backs with 216 catches, 1,872 receiving yards and 16 receiving TDs since 2011. Helping matters for Carolina could be the possible return of star pass rusher Charles Johnson, who has missed the last two games with a sprained knee. Johnson leads the Panthers with 8 1/2 sacks and since the 2010 season is one of just two NFL players with 40-plus sacks (41.5) and 10-plus forced fumbles (10). Kuechly, meanwhile, has settled in as the best middle linebacker in the game, compiling 266 tackles since debuting in 2012, the most in all of football over that period. The Carolina offense isnt nearly as formidable save for the dynamic Newton, who has thrown 19 touchdowns and rushed for six more so far this season. Veteran receiver Steve Smith and tight end Greg Olsen have been Newtons favorite targets but neither will pop the top off a defense at this stage. Newton, though, seems to have realized that he can live to play another down so to speak and punting the football isnt the worst thing in the world with his defense. Taking care of the football is paramount to the Panthers and Newton has done so in recent weeks, although he did throw two picks against Tampa Bay. Overall, Carolina has turned it over just seven times during its winning streak and is one of only five teams with a plus-10 turnover ratio. "We know that were going to have to minimize these turnovers," Newton said. OVERALL ANALYSIS A dismal trip to Seattle and a short week for the Saints was further exacerbated when the teams chartered flight out of the Pacific Northwest was delayed a day. "Its a setback and now youre on a short week, but we have to make the corrections," Payton said. "We have to quickly get focused on Carolina. Theyre playing as good football as anybody in the league right now." The best way to forget about the Seahawks and Seattle is to get back on the horse in the dome and halt Carolinas franchise-record winning streak. Expect the fast track to be the difference here before the Panthers rebound to hold serve in Charlotte down the road. Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Saints 27, Panthers 17 Brian Dawkins Green Jersey . So on Friday, they went to work. The two-time Eastern Conference runner-ups announced they had signed three free agents -- backup big man Lavoy Allen, swingman C. Nate Allen Green Jersey . The Kings have gone 6-0-3 over their last nine games despite having been held to three goals or fewer in eight of 10 contests this month. Los Angeles has failed to score more than two goals six times in that span.MILAN, Italy -- Juventus eased to a comfortable 3-1 win over bitter rival Inter Milan in the Italian league on Sunday to extend its lead at the top of the table to nine points. Stephan Lichtsteiner, Giorgio Chiellini and Arturo Vidal scored for Juventus before Rolando grabbed a consolation for Inter in the match known as the derby dItalia -- Italys derby. Antonio Contes team extended its lead over second-place Roma, which saw its match against Parma abandoned after eight minutes due to a waterlogged pitch. Juventus also moved 15 points ahead of Napoli, which fell to a surprise 3-0 loss at Atalanta as German Denis struck twice against his former club. "We had three or four good counterattacks and then we made a mistake," Napoli coach Rafa Benitez said. "Then we had another chance but then we again made a mistake, and then there was another mistake. In summary, we gifted them three goals. "Teams put a lot of men behind the ball against us so its difficult to find space, but when we have chances we have to score. It wasnt my team selection which made the difference today, but mistakes." At the other end of the table, Catania drew 3-3 at home to Livorno in a tense relegation battle between the two bottom clubs in Serie A. Sassuolo also remained in the relegation zone after a 2-1 defeat at home to Hellas Verona, which snapped a run of three successive defeats. Lazio continued its resurgence under Edy Reja as it comfortably beat Chievo Verona 2-0. Juventus almost took the lead with less than three minutes on the clock but Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic pulled off a fantastic double save to deny Carlos Tevez from point-blank range. The home side did go in front in the 16th minute when Lichtsteiner was left unmarked to send a diving header into the bottom left corner following a great ball from Andrea Pirlo. Inter should have reduced the deficit shortly before halftime with its first real chance of the night but Rodrigo Palacio fired narrowly over the bar. Juventus doubled its lead two minutes after the break when Chiellini -- who was wearing the captains armband in place of the suspended Gianluigi Buffon -- capitalized on Paul Pogbas persistence to bundle the ball into the back of the net. Vidal sealed the match eight minutes later, slotting home the rebound after Handanovic had saved Pogbas effort. Roland fired into the far bottom corner, through a crowd of bodies to reduce the deficit in the 71st. Nick Foles Black Jersey. Mirko Vucinic came off the bench for Juventus four minutes from time and he almost scored against the club he nearly joined, but saw his effort deflected off the left upright. Napoli instigated its own downfall in Bergamo as a series of defensive howlers led to a crushing defeat. Atalanta broke the deadlock less than two minutes after halftime. Blerim Dzemaili gave the ball away in midfield and Denis powerful drive from outside the area bounced under the diving Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina. Denis -- who spent four years at Napoli -- doubled his tally in the 65th minute when he latched on to a poor attempted clearance from Gokhan Inler and fired across into the bottom left corner. Maxi Moralez sealed the result five minutes later following another error from Federico Fernandez. Romas match against Parma was abandoned after only eight minutes play, with the score at 0-0. Bottom club Catania remained two points behind Livorno after an entertaining draw, which helps neither club in the relegation battle. Catania fought back from a goal down three times as Innocent Emeghara scored twice for Livorno, which also had a penalty converted by Paulinho. Gonzalo Bergessio and Pablo Barrientos scored for Catania, and the home side levelled for the third time in the final minute when substitute Sergio Almiron was left unmarked at the far post to control and fire in a cross. Livorno moved level on points with Sassuolo after new coach Alberto Malesanis debut ended in defeat against his former club. Verona broke the deadlock five minutes into the second half when Tomas Manfredini turned Emil Hallfredssons cross into his own net at full stretch as he attempted to prevent the ball reaching Luca Toni. Toni all but sealed the match three minutes from time when he beat the offside trap and chipped the onrushing goalkeeper Gianluca Pegolo. Antonio Floro Flores headed home Domenico Berardis free kick in stoppage time for a consolation goal for Sassuolo. Lazio has not lost since Reja replaced Vladimir Petkovic. It took six minutes for the capital side to take the lead against lowly Chievo as Antonio Candreva fired in Keita Baldes cross. The 18-year-old Balde capped an impressive performance by scoring Lazios second, when his effort was deflected into the near corner. cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '
