Titans Panthers Betting – Rested Panthers Run Past Titans
Sports betting players will see that Carolina has a poor SU record, but they’ve been strong against the spread and this week, they’ll host Tennessee after coming off a bye. The Panthers have been a dangerous backdoor cover team this season, but they should run away with this game, if they can manage to avoid turnovers and keep the ball on the ground.
What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, November 13th, 1:00 PM ET
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Pick: Carolina Panthers -3.5
Why Bet On Tennessee Titans (4-4 SU, 3-5 ATS)
The Titans lost a 17-7 halftime lead as they fell 24-17 at home to Cincinnati, and while they put up some good numbers, the offense couldn’t put any points on the board in the second half. Matt Hasselbeck was 24-of-41 for 272 yards and two touchdowns, while Chris Johnson showed a few more signs of life, rushing 14 times for 64 yards for the Titans, who had 328 yards of offense against a tough Cincinnati defense. Defensively, the Bengals allowed 109 yards on the ground, and they gave the Bengals two first downs due to flags (Tennessee was penalized seven times for 100 yards overall). They managed just one sack of Andy Dalton, and they allowed the rookie to sit back and pick out his receivers.
It was a typically uneven performance for the Titans, who should have been able to put the Bengals away at home and these are the type of games that make you miss the playoffs. The Titans have a bunch of injury concerns as well, as safety Chris Hope (arm), receiver Nate Washington (hip), end Dave Ball (concussion) and tight end Jared Cook (leg) may all end up on the injury report. These injuries won’t help when it comes to continuity, and the Titans have been dealing with this all season, but they can’t afford to give away games as they did against the Bengals. There are also whispers that Johnson could be cut next year if he doesn’t pick up his game, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Titans use him going forward.
Why Bet On Carolina Panthers (2-6 SU, 5-3 ATS)
The Panthers are coming off a bye, and it was probably the right for rookie quarterback Cam Newton to reflect on the first eight games of his NFL career. While he has made some first-year mistakes and has a pair of three-pick games under his belt, Newton has turned the Carolina offense into an explosive machine and reinvigorated the career of receiver Steve Smith. The Panthers are fourth in the league on that side of the ball, and the ground game is also fourth in the NFL by using some of the same plays Newton ran at Auburn. You have to respect his running as he is second to Philadephia’s Michael Vick in rushing yards for a quarterback, but Newton draws attention away from the duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. It’s scary to think how good this offense will be next year, and it’s not like they’re getting blown out this year; five of their six losses have come by a touchdown or less.
The defense is trying to hold itself together, coming in ninth in the league, they’ve been decimated at linebacker, where Jon Beason (Achilles) and Thomas Davis (knee) have been out for the season, while Thomas Williams (neck) and Jason Phillips (calf) could be on the shelf for an extended period as well. The defense has to stay sharp as the offense can put up points, but Newton is still a rookie and the possibility of turnovers is always looming. They’re 27th in the league against the run, and they could have their hands full with Johnson if he plays as he did against Cincinnati. It’s no surprise thay they’re having problems against the run with their injury woes at linebacker, and this could be a point of attack for the Titans.
How It Will Play Out
Carolina is a 3.5-point NFL betting favorite at home, where the Panthers have hosted Tennessee just once, a 37-17 loss in 2003 as a 1-point favorite. Overall, the Panthers are 1-2 SU and ATS in their three meetings with Tennessee, with two games falling under the posted total.
The Titans have to go after the Panthers’ defense in the middle of the field, and they have to control the ball to keep Newton and the Carolina offense off the field, but we’re taking the Panthers coming off a bye, at home, to use their own running game to control the clock. Tennessee is only 24th in the NFL against the run, three spots better than Carolina, and the Panthers have the tools to take advantage of the Titans there. Tennessee has Johnson, but how good will he be? He hasn’t shown enough this year to earn the benefit of the doubt, but Carolina has. Take the Panthers in your online betting picks.
Titans Panthers Betting Pick: Carolina Panthers
