Spread and Over/Under Predictions for Panthers at Bengals
Each week, we at All Panthers will release an article on our thoughts on the spread and the over/under of Carolina Panther games. The star ratings next to the play describe the overall confidence in that particular play.
Star ratings:
1 Star - Not very confident
2 Star - A little confident
3 Star - Fairly confident
4 Star - Very confident
5 Star - Should be a lock to happen
Spread: Bengals -7.5
2 Star play on the Panthers covering: Carolina enters this weekend's matchup 3-5 against the spread this season. Despite the line moving more in the Bengals favor throughout the week on the SI Sportsbook, I like the Panthers to keep things within one score. The exploitable Bengals secondary just lost Chidobe Awuzie for the year with a torn ACL, and the Panthers offense has been showing much more life with PJ Walker under center under Steve Wilks's direction.
Over/Under: 42.5
3 Star play on the over: I have this game ending at 51, which is notably higher than the line. The combined average PPG for the team this season is 43.3, but that is weighed down significantly by the Baker Mayfield/Matt Rhule games for the Panthers. The Bengals are a more talented team, but are missing key players like Awuzie and star wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, two players who would help the Bengals close the game out sooner. Combined with the fact that the Bengals have allowed the second most sacks in the NFL this season (3.75 per game), I expect the Bengals to have to keep the rest of their talented skill position players in full-gear longer than they would like. The Panthers want nothing more than to see DJ Moore and Terrace Marshall build their games, so Carolina will be doing their best to keep Cincinnati honest.
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