The Panthers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL, winning five straight games entering Week 11 and coming off a gutsy win against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. The Patriots (7-2) hold a better record than the Panthers (6-3) this season, but Carolina’s momentum and solid home record (3-1 this season) apparently gives them the edge in primetime showdown.
The Panthers open the week as one-point (-1) favorites against the Patriots, according to Bovada. Carolina was a “unanimous” favorite for the game this week, according to Peter Korner, founder of Nevada-based odds service The Sports Club. Korner also noted that the betting line could get as high as three points (-3) in Carolina’s favor before Monday.
“We were all unanimous about Carolina being the favorite,” says Korner. “I think Carolina wins here. They bring a lot of momentum into it. New England is rested but just doesn’t have the same quality of receivers, outside of [Rob] Gronkowski. This could easily go to -3.”
The Patriots are 10-3 coming off a bye week under Belichick and have won nine of their last 10 post-bye week games. The Patriots are also 3-2 against the Panthers all time, including a win in Super Bowl XXXVIII. They won the two teams last meeting 20-10 in Carolina in 2009.