Panthers vs. Packers Score Prediction for NFL Week 8 (Bet on Green Bay to Handle Business at Home)

Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season kicks off in Green Bay as Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers host the Carolina Panthers and Bryce Young at Lambeau Field on Thursday night.

The Packers are coming off a loss against the Detroit Lions in a key NFC North battle in Week 7 and dropped into last place in the division despite a winning record. The Packers won three games in a row after a 1-2 start, and they welcomed back veteran running back Josh Jacobs in Week 7 after he was suspended for the first six games of the campaign.

Now, the Packers find themselves as favorites at home against a Carolina team that is just 3-3 in the 2026 season after a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Tampa Bay ran all over Carolina's defense, allowing over five yards per carry this season.

And Bryce Young and company are looking to prove that they are an actual playoff contender after winning the division in the 2025 season. Carolina's offense has been pretty good through six games, with Young throwing for a ton of yardage to lead the team to a 3-3 start. But a shaky showing out of the bye in Week 6 certainly puts some pressure on the Panthers as they look to fend off the Atlanta Falcons and the Bucs in the NFC South.

Oddsmakers have set the Packers as favorites in this matchup, and Green Bay needs every win it can get to compete in a division where all four teams are currently over .500.

All season long, SI Betting team's predicted final scores for NFL games as a fun way to help bettors decide on the spread, moneyline and over/under bets.

We hit a few exact scores along the way, but the score predictions are more a guide for how we view each of these matchups. Using the latest odds and analysis from the SI Betting team, here’s where I’m leaning for this Thursday night battle between Green Bay and Carolina.

Panthers vs. Packers Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Panthers +3.5 (-110)
Packers -3.5 (-110)

Moneyline

Panthers: +154
Packers: -185

Total

48.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

There hasn’t been a ton of line movement in this matchup, as the Packers opened as 3.5-point favorites. However, the total has jumped a point from 47.5 to 48.5 ahead of kickoff.

Panthers vs. Packers Score Prediction

Earlier this week, SI Betting’s Iain MacMillan shared his favorite bet for every NFL game in his Road to 272 column, and he’s taking the Packers to win and cover on Thursday:

I wrote about how I was out on the Panthers last week, and I proved to be right as they ended up on the wrong side of a blowout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I'm still out on this Panthers team, as they seem like a significant regression candidate after a strong start to the season. Bryce Young, up until last week, had been playing leaps and bounds better than he had the previous three seasons, and I'm of the belief that it's more of a sign of an abnormally strong start against some bad defenses as opposed to a quarterback who improved by tenfold in a single offseason.

The Packers' defense ranks 12th in opponent EPA per play and 10th in opponent EPA per dropback, so with them being on their home field on a short week, I expect them to get to Young in this game.

I'll take the Packers to cover on Thursday Night Football.

Love should be able to attack through the air, as the Panthers are a below-average defense overall (20th in EPA/Play), and they entered Week 7 allowing the most yards per carry in the league.

Meanwhile, Green Bay’s defense held a vaunted Detroit offense to just 20 points and is now fifth in the league in EPA/Play. If it weren’t for multiple missed field goals, the Pack could be entering this game with a 5-2 record.

The Panthers may end up winning the NFC South, but they are extremely banged up and now have to play on the road in a tough environment on a short week. I’m trusting the Packers to get the job done in a game that they need to compete in the NFC North.

Final Score Prediction: Packers 27, Panthers 20

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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