The Carolina Panthers enter Week 3 with an 0-2 record on the season and are looking to get a spark with a big win over the Los Angeles Chargers. However, to do so, they’ll have to find a way to win without star running back Christian McCaffrey.

Meanwhile, the Chargers are currently 1-1 and have looked good so far, earning a win in Week 1 and nearly beating the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2. Can they get the win in Week 3?

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The over is 7-1 in the Panthers last eight games overall and 8-0 in their past eight games after totaling more than 350 yards in the game prior. The over is also 5-0 when the Panthers are coming off an ATS loss. However, Carolina is 1-5 ATS in their last six when coming in as the road underdog and 0-6-1 ATS in their last seven overall.

Meanwhile, the under is 4-0 in the Chargers last four games when coming in as the home favorite and 5-0 in their last five games in September. Los Angeles is 2-5 ATS in their last seven matchups when coming in as the favorite and 8-20-1 ATS in their last 29 home games.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers haven’t had a great start to their season so far, losing their first two games of the season. It gets even worse for them as their superstar running back Christian McCaffrey is out for the next four to six weeks due to an ankle injury. This is a huge hit for a Panthers offense that hasn’t that great to begin with. They are now heading to Los Angeles to take on a very talented Chargers team with weapons on each side of the ball. The Panthers will need quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to air it out a lot in this matchup to overcome the loss of McCaffrey. He’s been subpar so far as he has just one touchdown pass through two games and a 58.5 QBR, which ranks him 19^th in the NFL.

They will also need to greatly improve their run defense as it is ranked towards the bottom of the league, as both the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to run all over them. The Chargers have two solid running backs in Austin Ekeler and Joshua Kelley, and if the Panthers can’t stop the run, they’re probably going to give up 30+ points for a third straight week.

Los Angeles Chargers

Coming off of an overtime loss to the Chiefs, the Chargers have a lot to look forward to this week. Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert stepped into the starting role after Tyrod Taylor was ruled out with an injury and excelled in his first game. He threw for over 300 yards to go along with a touchdown pass, almost beating the reigning Super Bowl champions. The Chargers defense is also looking good so far in this young season. They are ranked third in the league in total points allowed and stymied Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for long stretches last week. Putting the clamps on a challenged Panthers offense shouldn’t be an issue. The key to this game will be Herbert because if he plays well again, the Chargers should win rather easily.

Who Will Win Panthers vs. Chargers?