Cat Scratch Reader
The 5-4 Carolina Panthers are favored for the first time all season after upsetting the upstart Green Bay Packers. Now that the Panthers will be viewed hither and yon as the legitimate Super Bowl contenders they’ve always been, they can finally start to enjoy their season.
Last week, the Panthers were underdogs by a margin second only to the New Orleans Saints. The Panthers pulled up the biggest upset in Green Bay history while the Saints lived down to their billing. This week, the Panthers are favored by a mere 4.5 points against those same Saints with the game in Charlotte.
Saints: +4.5 (-105)
Panthers: -4.5 (-115)
39.5 (-115/-105)
Saints: +200
Panthers: -245
Remember that home-field advantage is traditionally accounted for by spotting the home team—the Packers, in this case—three points on the spread. That would have the Panthers favored by a scant 1.5 points on a neutral field.
Clearly, nobody respects Carolina despite them having an occasionally impressive defense and one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL. That is honestly fair. The Panthers have shown nothing to be afraid of with Bryce Young under center and nobody respects a team without a quarterback. We can all rest easy with a week of expecting to beat the Saints, but we can’t really get too comfortable with the notion. We know the Panthers with a mistake-free Bryce Young can beat just about anybody. They can also lose to just about anybody if he shows up jittery. We’ll see who plays on Sunday.
The above odds were current as of the writing of this post. You can take a look at—and place a bet on—live odds for this game and more here at FanDuel Sportsbook.
