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Edgar Chaput
Broncos vs. Panthers Point Spread: NFL Week 12 Odds, Prediction
At 3-7 (Denver) and 3-8 (Carolina), both units are hoping to make something out of nothing given how their seasons are in tatters.
The football savants see Nathaniel Hackett’s Broncos as slight -2.5 favourites. The interesting angle is the O/U, an uninspiring 39.5 points.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
A rematch of Super Bowl 50 this most certainly is not. Nevertheless, if we include that contest, Denver is riding a four-game winning streak against their intraconference opponents.
At 3-7 against the spread, Denver’s done betters very few favours this season. Even their successes sound deflating. They defeated a mediocre Jaguars team as underdogs. They lost to the Chargers by fewer points than expected. All one needs to know about this squad is that they were favoured in the first two games (didn’t cover), and since then have been favoured only twice (also didn’t cover).
Carolina is better at 5-6 ATS, although that in of itself is nothing to shout about. As a testament to how their season has evolved, two of their covers were in games for which the spread was, honestly, a little insulting (+13 against the Bucs and +12.5 against the Ravens). Then again, they were +10 against an awful Rams team and didn’t cover. On a positive note, they have covered the spread twice in a row.
Denver Broncos
Playcalling has been mediocre at the best of times this season, with an absence of explosive plays despite who’s QB. That’s on Nathaniel Hackett. And then there is Russell Wilson who is not very much himself these days. With 7 TDs, he’s 28th in the NFL, 27th in QB rating, and 28th in ESPN’s QBR. The most frustrating aspect is that the defence has more than held its end of the bargain. 3rd in yards against per game and points allowed per game.
Sunday’s 22-16 defeat against the flailing Raiders was yet another missed opportunity as they coughed up a 10-0 lead, then a 13-10 lead, and finally a 16-13 lead before WR Davante Adams got himself wide open in OT for an easy score courtesy of a Derek Carr deep toss. As a result of yet another fumble, the team just waived RB Melvin Gordon.
Carolina Panthers
Talk about a team trying to find an identity. As of Tuesday, interim head coach Steve Wilks announced that the starting QB this week will be forgotten man Sam Darnold. That makes the former Jet the third different QB in as many weeks. The truth is that none of the squad’s three quarterbacks have fared well this year. Baker didn’t win enough. PJ Walker didn’t win enough, and Darnold is already known for not winning enough, hence why he’s not in New York anymore.
Furthermore, the Panthers have been wildly inconsistent in their own idiosyncratic way. About a month ago they played brilliantly in a 21-3 win over Tampa Bay. That was followed by two atrocious defensive performances, then two decent ones. Last week in Baltimore, the unit put up a valiant fight. QB Lamar Jackson was sacked four times and hit seven times, and the entire team managed 6 tackles for losses. The offence displayed dismal ineptitude, hence a 13-3 defeat.
The O/U is understandable given that Carolina is not much better than Denver in several offensive categories.
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