MNF Week 2 expert picks: Saints at Panthers, Browns at Steelers

POD staff picks for the Week 2 “Monday Night Football” doubleheader: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers.

The NFL closes out Week 2 with a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader, featuring rivals from the NFC South and AFC North. In the first of the two games, the New Orleans Saints are on the road to take on the Carolina Panthers, and then shortly after, game two will feature the Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Saints and Panthers have played each other 56 times during the regular season with the results being dead even, each winning 28 games. In their most recent matchup, the Panthers snuck out a 10-7 victory last January.

The Saints are coming off a one-point victory over the Titans, where former Lions running back Jamaal Williams got the start and accumulated 52 cumulative yards on the day. While the Panthers dropped their home opener to the Falcons 24-10, leaving No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Bryce Young still looking for his first NFL victory.

This Browns-Steelers game will be played at Acrisure Stadium—more commonly known as Heinz Field—in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the Steelers have won an astounding 19 out of the last 20 games against the Browns.

The Browns are coming off a dominating defensive performance, holding the Bengals to just three points in Week 1, hitting quarterback Joe Burrow 10 times, and sacking him twice. That’s not an ideal situation for Pittsburgh, as they gave up nine quarterback hits and five sacks to the 49ers in a loss last week. Both teams’ rushing attacks were efficient last week, but the Browns were able to make a bigger impact with the lead, while the Steelers needed to move away from the run after trailing big. If the Browns can jump on the Steelers early, they’ll have a chance to execute the best part of their offense.

The good folks over at DraftKings Sportsbook are favoring the away teams in both matchups, setting the line at Saints -3 and Browns -2.5 points. The majority of the Pride of Detroit staff are picking the Saints and Browns on the moneyline, but the spread creates a bit more diversity, as it’s close to even split against the spread between the Saints-Panthers, while the majority is still sticking with Cleveland giving points.

Here is who each of our staff is picking for each of Monday night’s games:

Here’s how to watch tonight’s “Monday Night Football” games:

Saints at Panthers

Date: Monday, September 18, 2023
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
TV: ESPN
Announcers: Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, Dan Orlovsky, Laura Rutledge (field reporter)
Online Stream/Replay: ESPN+, ESPN APP, NFL+ Premium

Browns at Steelers

Date: Monday, September 18, 2023
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Acrisure Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
TV: ABC
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters (field reporter)
Online Stream/Replay: ESPN+, ESPN APP, NFL+ Premium

Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments!