Panthers vs. Falcons Point Spread: NFL Week 8 Odds, Prediction
The Falcons return home after getting blown out 35-17 in Cincinnati last weekend, but remain deadlocked with the slumping Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 3-5-0 straight up record. The Panthers did the Falcons a favour last weekend by tallying a stunning 21-3 win over the Bucs as massive 13-point home underdogs. With the win, Carolina improves to 2-5-0, but their hopes of joining Atlanta at or near the top of the division hinges on their ability to snap a six-game road slide during which they have scored just 12.8 points per game.
The Panthers have made steady gains since opening as 6-point underdogs on the NFL odds, improving to +4 despite attracting the support of just 37 per cent of sports bettors. The total fluctuated before settling back at its opening position at 41. However, the OVER has garnered a strong 71 per cent majority of the betting action.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Sunday afternoon’s matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium marks the first of two scheduled meetings between these NFC South rivals. These two teams split a pair of meetings last season, with each squad tallying a road win. But while the Panthers have now won two straight in Atlanta, it is the Falcons that hold an overall edge, posting wins in 10 of 13 head-to-head matchups since December 2015. Clashes between these teams have tended to be low scoring, with the total topping 42 just once during a steady 7-3-0 run for the UNDER. Road teams have also performed well, earning the win in six of seven meetings, with home teams averaging just 17.1 points per game over that stretch, a number that is skewed upwards by Atlanta’s 40-20 home victory three years ago.
Carolina Panthers
Fresh off the NFL’s biggest upset victory this season, the Panthers now set their sights on winning two in a row for the first time since Week 2 of last season. In addition to losing outright in 17 of 21 contests over that stretch, the Panthers have also covered just four times. However, this team has been steady as slim chalk, winning outright twice and covering three times over their past four as underdogs of five or fewer points. While Baker Mayfield is reportedly recovered from a recent ankle sprain, he has been overtaken on the depth chart by PJ Walker. The former XFL pivot was steady in last week’s win over the Bucs, tossing for 177 yards and two scores, and has avoided the pick in three appearances. However, it is looking increasingly likely that Carolina will be without rusher Chuba Hubbard, who has been absent from practice this week due to an ankle injury. The absence of Hubbard and the recently traded Christian McCaffrey could open the door for D’Onta Foreman to have another busy day after he ran for a game-high 118 yards last weekend.
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons attack ran into a defensive juggernaut in last week’s visit to Cincinnati. After being lauded for leading the Falcons to a respectable 3-3 start, Marcus Mariota struggled last week. The journeyman quarterback completed just eight passes for 124 yards, both season lows. While Mariota played a key role in sparking a 17-point second-quarter rally, it came after Atlanta spotted Cincy an early 21-point lead. Despite missing leading rusher Cordarrelle Patterson for the past three games due to injury, the Falcons ground game has still managed to move the ball, averaging a respectable 112 yards per game and generating three scoring runs. And with Patterson now poised to return, the Falcons could be well positioned to exploit a hot-and-cold Panthers rush defence, which has surrendered six scoring runs and an average of 120 rushing yards over the past four games.
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