Monday Night Football Betting – Panthers Heading To 0-3
The popular scapegoat for the Carolina Panthers 0-2 start has been quarterback Jake Delhomme but in reality, the Panthers have more problems than just him. The Panthers defense has been a nightmare to start the season and “star” Julius Peppers has been nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys are taking some heat but they actually have played fairly well. Last week, they nearly topped the New York Giants at home and that’s after turning the ball over four times. Most teams – like the Panthers – can’t afford to turn it over so many times and still be in the game.
Time: 8:35 ET
Venue: Cowboys Stadium
Panthers vs. Cowboys Sunday Night Football Lines
MoneyLine: Panthers +320 / Cowboys -400
Spread: Cowboys -8.5
Over/Under: 47
LOOKING FOR THE BEST NFL HANDICAPPERS ONLINE? TRY OUR EXPERTS’ NFL WEEK 3 PICKS —–>
Panthers offense vs Cowboys defense
The Panthers offense has to get their ground game going and they should be able to against the Cowboys meager defense. The Cowboys rush defense has allowed 135.5 rushing yards per game and that should spell good news for DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.
The problem for Carolina is their passing game really only has one weapon: Steve Smith. And with Delhomme being accurate only some of the time, the Cowboys will be allowed to focus their efforts mostly on the running game.
Cowboys offense vs Panthers defense
While the Cowboys run defense is struggling, the Panthers run defense is being torched. The Panthers have the worst rushing defense in the NFC, giving up 168 yards per game. Even without Marion Barber this week, the Cowboys figure to light the Panthers up on the ground.
The Panthers defense has been dealing with a ton of injuries over the last month. Defensive tackle Maake Kemeatu is out, so is his backup Louis Leonard and so is starting linebacker Na’il Diggs. That’s a lot for a team that’s already struggling to stop the run.
With the running game going, the Cowboys should be able to do whatever they want on offense. Quarterback Tony Romo has felt the heat after making a number of careless turnovers last week and he’ll probably make one more this Monday, but given how many points will be scored it probably won’t matter.
Outlook & Pick
Not many good teams in the NFL lose two home games in a row and on top of that, this will be Carolina’s second consecutive road game. The Panthers defense gave up touchdown drives of 53, 80, 56 and 47 yards last week and the Cowboys should post similar numbers this week.
Carolina will definitely be desperate as only three teams have made the playoffs after falling to 0-3 since 1990 but there’s a reason why the Panthers are still winless: they aren’t that good.
Their defense is struggling, their passing game is inconsistent and they have a quarterback who is dealing with confidence issues. Beyond that, they are just an older team without enough depth.
The Cowboys will take advantage and get the win but a Romo mistake or two will allow Carolina to cover.
Pick: Panthers +9.5
GRAB A 45% Deposit Bonus at JustBet.com Today. Deposit a minimum amount of $100 , maximum $2500 and get a 45% Free-Play. CLICK HERE NOW!
Dave Golokhov has written for BETUS Sportsbook, Sportsfanmagazine.com, FOX, Askmen.com, Sports-central.org, and the FOXSports.com Funhouse.
One reply on “Week 3 NFL Lines: MNF Panthers vs. Cowboys”
The Cowboys will not disappoint the home town crowd 2 weeks in a row. They play very good against very average teams so they should win and cover in this one.