Week Two Wagering – Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers
Two teams coming off surprising, impressive road wins will clash on Sunday when the Carolina Panthers (1-0 SU & ATS) play host to the Chicago Bears (1-0 SU & ATS) in an NFL contest that is set to get underway at 1 PM ET on Sunday at the Bank of America Stadium (natural turf) in Charlotte,. NC.
Sunday, September 14
BetUS NFL betting odds: CAROLINA -3, Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: Chicago has scored one point for every 11 yards gained
KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Bears are 15-8 SU in their last 23 road games
In the BetUS NFL betting odds, the Panthers are listed as a three-point favorite, with a posted total of 37 points.
Here are some NFL betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* CHI has covered four of its last five games
* CHI has covered five of its last seven road games
* CHI has won 15 of its last 23 road games SU
* CHI has played four of its last six road games UNDER the total
* CAR has covered five of its last six games
* CAR has won four of its last six games SU
* CAR has played four of its last six games OVER the total
* CAR has covered three of its last ten home games
* CAR has lost eight of its last ten home games SU
* CAR has played six of its last seven home games UNDER the total
Also…
* CAR has covered three of the last four meetings
* Three of the last four meetings have gone OVER the total
There has to be nothing but optimism coming out of each of these camps after the results from this past Sunday, as both went on the road to beat bona fide playoff teams.
Last week, Carolina took advantage of a key San Diego turnover and converted it into a Chris Gamble touchdown, then got a nail-biting, closing drive out of comebacking quarterback Jake Delhomme to eke out a 26-24 win at San Diego. The Panthers got 142 yards on the ground, no doubt encouraging for a team that wanted to balance its offense and get a lot more hard-nosed coming into the season.
Meanwhile, Chicago, which went through a mediocre 7-9 season in 2007, inserted Kyle Orton in place of Rex Grossman at quarterback and did even better than Carolina on the ground, getting 123 yards and a 50-yard touchdown run out of rookie Matt Forte in beating back rusty Peyton Manning and the Colts. Meanwhile, Chicago’s defense showed some of the snarl that made it such a force in the past, holding Indianapolis to just 53 rushing yards.
So, who is more likely to make the winning plays in this one? Well, the technical numbers might suggest the Bears, who have won 15 of their last 23 games on the road, while the Panthers, who are usually more comfy in the role of the underdog, have actually lost eight of their last ten at home.
Still, we like Carolina and its two-fisted running attack (D’Angelo Williams, who had 86 yards in the opener, along with rookie Jonathan Stewart), powered by an offensive line that opened things up for a 4.9-yard average and allowed Delhomme to be sacked only once. And now that Jake appears to be recovered from “Tommy John” surgery, he’s ready to stretch the field a little more than his less experienced counterpart, Kyle Orton, even without Steve Smith in the lineup (serving the second game of his two-game suspension).
Please excuse us if we keep the jury out on Orton, who will need a repeat performance from Forte to give him the balance he’ll need to make plays. Let’s lay the points with the Carolina Panthers, the three-point favorite in the BetUS NFL football betting odds.
JAY’S PLAY: CAROLINA -3 **
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