Panthers Chargers Odds
Posted by Steve Janus - Google+
This Sunday the San Diego Chargers will host the Carolina Panthers in a matchup between two teams coming off a upset wins this past weekend. The Chargers went on the road and knocked off the Steelers 34-24 as a 7-point underdog, while the Panthers beat the Falcons 30-20 as a 3-point home dog. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 EST at Qualcomm Stadium and will be televised locally on FOX. Oddsmakers currently have San Diego listed as a 3-point home favorite with the total posted at 45.5 points.
Why Carolina Will Cover:
The Panthers certainly didn’t look like a team that had only won three games all season in their win over Atlanta. Carolina jumped out to a 23-0 lead and kept their foot on the pedal the entire way. What a lot of people don’t realize is just how talented this team is. Seven of the Panthers nine losses this season have come by 6-points or less. It’s only a matter of time before this team starts to figure out how to win these close games and make a run in the NFC.
While Carolina has no shot at making the playoffs, I expect this team to continue to play extremely hard down the stretch. With a lot of young players who haven’t experienced a whole lot of success in the NFL, the disappointment of not being in the playoff chase won’t have as big of a effect as a team who is accustomed to playing past December. The Panthers are looking to build for the future and a strong finish could go a long way in turning things around next season.
There’s no question the Panthers have the talent to go on the road and beat the Chargers. Some of Carolina’s best performances this season have come on the road. While they are just 2-4 away from home, all four of those losses have come by six-points or less. It’s also worth mentioning that the Chargers are a miserable 0-7 ATS vs non-conference opponents over the last two seasons.
Why San Diego Will Cover:
The Chargers finally played up to their full potential in last week’s win over the Steelers. While it came a little too late for them to make a run at the playoffs, that doesn’t mean they won’t build off that performance and finish the season strong. You have to be impressed with how hard this team played just one week after they officially lost any chance of finishing the year with a winning record with a 13-20 home loss to the Bengals. If they were going to throw in the towel they would have done so last week.
Much like the Panthers, San Diego has too much on their roster to be sitting where they are in the standings. There really isn’t a whole lot that separates these two teams on the field, which has to have you thinking that the Chargers are showing some value as a small home favorite of just 3-points.
The Panthers come into this game ranked 12th in the NFL against the pass, allowing just 227.2 ypg, but a lot of that has to do with their struggles against the run and the lack of games in which they have had the lead and forced their opponents to have to throw to get back in the game. When you look closer at the numbers, you see that the Panthers’ defense is allowing opposing quarterbacks to complete 67.5% of their passes. San Diego’s offense is at its best when it can get Phillip Rivers and the passing game going. The Chargers have covered the spread in 61% of their games against defenses who allow a completion percentage of 61% or worse since 1992!
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