TNF Betting Preview: Panthers at Broncos
The new NFL season kicks off on Thursday night with a rematch of Super Bowl 50, as the Denver Broncos play host to the Carolina Panthers.
The Broncos won Super Bowl 50 by a score of 24-10 as a 4.5-point underdog. In the rematch the Panthers are favored again at online sportsbook Bovada as 3-point road chalk.
Both teams will look a little differently than the last time they faced off. For Denver the biggest change is at quarterback after Peyton Manning retired and backup quarterback Brock Osweiler jumped ship for the Houston Texans. Taking over is Trevor Siemian, who was drafted in the seventh round out of Northwestern in 2015 and surprisingly won the job over veteran Mark Sanchez.
Carolina’s biggest change is in the receiving corps and in the secondary. The Panthers will welcome back wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who missed all of last season with a knee injury, but in 2014 he had over 1,000 yards receiving and nine touchdowns.
The Panthers also said goodbye to Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman. Norman was a key member of the Panthers' defense last season and his presence will be hard to replace when defending the pass.
Including their win in the Super Bowl the Broncos are 4-1 straight up and 3-2 against the spread in their last five games. At home the Broncos are always tough and own a four-game winning streak and an 8-2 SU record in their last 10 games. During that four-game streak they’re only 1-2-1 ATS, and in their last 10 they’re 4-5-1 ATS.
As a home underdog the Broncos have been a solid play for bettors. In their last three games at home as the underdog the Broncos are 3-0 SU and ATS and in their last seven they are 5-2 SU
The last time the Panthers were a road favorite they tanked and lost to the Atlanta Falcons 20-13 as 7-point chalk. In their last 10 games as a road favorite the Panthers are 9-1 SU and 5-5 ATS.
With their win in the Super Bowl the Broncos are 4-1 SU and 3-2 ATS in their last five games against Carolina. In those five games the OVER/UNDER was 4-1 for totals bettors.