Panthers vs. Broncos Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
The Carolina Panthers are the worst team in football and they proved that with an ugly 40-7 blowout loss against a Washington team playing without Jayden Daniels last week. The Broncos, on the other hand, are fresh off a 33-10 win against the Saints and they have relied heavily on their top ranked defence all season.
Denver opened as a heavy seven-point favourite to win on the NFL odds, with the total pegged at 42.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
The Broncos were already significant favourites in this game, but early betting action is hammering the team, with the number climbing to Denver -11 as of Friday afternoon. The total hasn’t shifted as dramatically, falling to an even 41.0.
These teams haven’t met since Week 12 of the 2022 season. Carolina won that matchup 23-10, largely thanks to 113 rushing yards from D’Onta Foreman and 103 receiving yards from DJ Moore. Neither player can save the day this week as Foreman is now with the Browns and Moore is in Chicago.
If fans can’t forgive Carolina’s 1-6 straight up record, you better believe bettors can’t forgive their 1-6 record against the spread. The Panthers have failed to cover in five straight games and they’re 1-8 ATS in their last nine. This team is just plain bad, posting nine losses in their last 10 games overall and 12 losses in their last 13 road dates.
It’s a completely different story for Denver, who sit a respectable 4-3 on the year with a 5-2 ATS record. The Broncos have won outright and covered in four of their last five games and they’re actually 6-0 ATS in their last six Week 8 tilts.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina might be figuring out Andy Dalton isn’t the answer under centre after all. Dalton finished with just 93 passing yards last week, while throwing two interceptions and no touchdowns. Dalton has thrown four interceptions over the last two weeks and he’s averaging just 164.8 passing yards per game this season. And after being announced as the Week 8 starter following last week’s loss, Dalton is now out after sustaining a sprained thumb in a car accident on Tuesday.
That leaves 2023 first overall draft pick Bryce Young to get the nod against Denver. Young has been far from what the Panthers hoped for early in his career. He started the first two games of the season, going 0-2 while throwing no touchdowns, three interceptions and finishing with single-game totals of 161 passing yards and 84 passing yards. Carolina was outscored 73-13 in the two games. If you want to know just how bad Young is, his game total for passing TDs is 0.5 and it has even odds. I lean Under, personally.
Denver Broncos
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix didn’t need to do much last week against New Orleans. Nix finished with 164 passing yards with no TDs or interceptions and he also ran for 75 yards. Javonte Williams rushed for two TDs and the Broncos dominated the stats sheet. Denver out-gained the Saints 389 total yards to 271, including 225 rushing yards to 97.
The Broncos’ success this year has come almost solely on the backs of the defence. Denver’s defence leads the NFL in points per drive (1.29), yards per play (4.4) and most importantly, red zone efficiency (35.7 per cent). The Broncos rank top-five in essentially every defensive statistic and they should feast on this terrible Panthers team.
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