Cat Scratch Reader
The 1-2 Carolina Panthers showed more than a little life in their stunning 30-0 upset of the Atlanta Falcons. Now in sole command of second place in the NFC South, a little momentum, and a better point differential through three weeks, you’d think they might get a little love from the oddsmakers, right? Not so much.
The 1-2 New England Patriots are still favored to win their Week 4 matchup against the Panthers in Foxboro, Massachusetts this Sunday. This really feels like another case of not wanting to judge two bad teams, so they err on the side of the home team.
Panthers: +5.5 (-110)
Patriots: -5.5 (-110)
43.5 (-115/-105)
Panthers: +250
Patriots: -250
Remember that home-field advantage is traditionally accounted for by spotting the home team—New England, in this case—three points on the spread. That means Drake Maye and the Pats would be expected to take this context by a field goal under the current spread.
These odds opened closer to a 4.5-point spread and have shifted more towards the Pats as bets have been placed this week. That means most of the market doesn’t believe in the Panthers team that shut out the Falcons and are expecting something more in line with the team that showed up against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season opener.
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.
