The Green Bay Packers take on the undefeated Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 1:00 P.M. ET.
Last week, the Packers went into Denver in a showdown of unbeaten teams. Denver crushed the Packers and delivered Aaron Rodgers one of his worst performances as a pro. The Packers struggled mightily to stop the run leading to a 29-10 defeat. Against the Panthers, the Packers will face their second undefeated team in as many weeks. This game could go a long way in deciding playoff position.
Last week, the Panthers played in a thriller. Against the Colts, the Panthers surrendered 17 points in the fourth quarter. Carolina nearly allowed a sub-par Indianapolis team to come away with the upset. Luckily for the Panthers, they regained composure in time, and in the overtime, rallied on a 52 yard field goal for the victory. It was a gritty performance all around that allowed the Panthers to stay unbeaten.
Despite remaining unbeaten, the Panthers are the underdog at home this week. As the underdog this season, the Panthers are 1-0. It’s impressive that the Panthers continue to win with Cam Newton ranking near the bottom of league at Total QBR. Newton’s impact as quarterback is impossible to quantify. His intangibles don’t always show up in the box scores but he’s a leader on the field and a winner. Those two qualities have certainly contributed to Carolina’s 7-0 start.
A player to watch on the Packers this week is Aaron Rodgers. Last week, Rodgers threw for 77 yards on 22 attempts. He had zero touchdowns on the evening. The only promising thing of note from that start was he did not turn the ball over. Rodgers rarely loses back to back games in his career. Losing like that to the Broncos will certainly motivate Rodgers to come out swinging in this one. Expect a bounce back performance for the Packers offense. Rodgers should again find the end zone and throw for over 200 yards.
A player to watch on the Panthers this week is Jonathan Stewart. Against the Colts, Stewart rushed for 82 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. On the season, he’s averaging four yards per carry. Last week, the Packers defense gave up 160 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. With a dual threat at quarterback and Stewart running the ball, the Packers run defense will have its biggest challenge of the season.
The Packers have the unfortunate task of facing two undefeated teams in a row on the road. While the Panthers have a good defense, it’s not at the same level as the Broncos. The Packers will have more success this week, offensively and defensively, than a week ago. The Packers are the slimmest of favorites in this game, and that’s a little bit of a surprise. The Panthers offense, while not a juggernaut, is fully capable of holding their own, especially against a middle of the road defense in Green Bay.
Panthers Vs Packers Week 9 Betting Lines
BetOnline.ag currently has the Packers as 2.5 point favorites in this game. The over/under on total points scored is 46. BetOnline is our top rated NFL sportsbook at the moment. You can read our full BetOnline review here.
My Pick
The biggest question mark in this game is turnovers and penalties. The team that commits the fewest mistakes will win this game. The Packers have a slight edge in turnovers as a team, but at quarterback, they have a huge advantage. Cam has thrown eight interceptions while Rodgers has thrown only two. If Rodgers can find the end zone, and the Packers can force Newton into a few turnovers, then the Packers will come away with the road victory.
Play: Packers -2.5 @ BetOnline.ag
NFL betting week 9 • Packers • panthers