The Carolina Panthers have somehow, someway, not covered a game as a favorite since way back in 2021. Yeah, you read that right. This isn’t just some bad luck, folks, this is a legitimate curse hanging over them. According to Yahoo Sports’ Ben Fawkes, the Panthers are opening as 1.5-point favorites at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, and if they close that way, they’re looking at a chance to break one of the NFL’s most bizarre streaks.
Carolina’s Favorite Curse Continues to Haunt
Think about it: Almost five years! Ben Fawkes dropped the tweet confirming it: “Panthers haven’t won (or covered) a game as a favorite in nearly five years (Nov. 14, 2021). They’re 0-9 SU/ATS over that time period as a favorite.” That is a brutal 0-9 straight up and against the spread record as a favorite. Sure, they’ve been bad for a while so they haven’t been favorites often, but when they are, they completely choke. With Bryce Young leading the charge, and the Falcons battling some serious questions at quarterback, this is as good a chance as any for Carolina to finally snap out of it. If they blow it this week, they might even get another shot next week as probable favorites against Cleveland. Can they actually do it? This is pure must-see TV for anyone who loves some early season drama.
Chaos Reigns for Double-Digit Spreads and High Scores
While Carolina is trying to break their streak, the rest of the league is already giving us some wild rides. Favorites had a slight 9-7 edge against the spread in Week 1, but underdogs still pulled off four straight up wins. Remember that massive upset by the Cardinals? They took down the Chargers, who were 9.5-point favorites, causing absolute carnage in survival pools across the country. Now, we’ve got our first true double-digit favorite of the season in Week 2: The San Francisco 49ers are 13.5-point favorites over the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins were 3.5-point underdogs and lost by 14 to the Raiders in Week 1, so Vegas isn’t feeling them much right now. San Francisco should be a runaway top pick, but after last week’s chaos, you just never know.
Speaking of chaos, Week 1’s scoring was wild! Most of us expected unders after teams barely played starters in preseason, and the first two games on Wednesday and Thursday night delivered, going comfortably under the total. Then Sunday came, and the points exploded. We saw some massive scoring performances, with overs going 9-4. There were 791 points through Sunday’s games alone, which matches the NFL’s Week 1 record according to Front Office Sports. Is this a sign of a high-scoring September to come? It definitely looks that way.
This early season action always leads to massive overreactions and big line moves. Ten spreads changed by at least a point and a half from the lookahead lines, and three even shifted by a field goal or more. And guess what? Our very own Hawks are already making waves in the betting market. The line for “Seahawks-C” moved a huge 5.5 points! What does that mean for our boys in green and blue? We’ll be watching closely to see how Mike Macdonald and the crew tackle whatever is coming in Week 2. This early season is already a rollercoaster, and we’re just getting started!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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