Panthers at Falcons Betting Pick: Week 1

The lowly Carolina Panthers start the season at the Atlanta Falcons. Here are our top picks for this NFC South game.

The Panthers will play host to the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA, with a kickoff scheduled for 1:00 PM ET. The game will be televised on FOX.

The Falcons head into the game as the 3.5 point favorites over their NFC South rival. Can the Panthers pull off the upset? Or will the Falcons pull it out at home.

Betting Odds for Falcons vs. Panthers

  • Spread: Panthers +3 | Falcons -3.5
  • Total: 39.5
  • MoneyLine: Panthers +148 | Falcons -185

Why You Should Bet on the Falcons

After a season in which they concluded with an overall record of only 7-10, the Falcons are looking to take a step forward this season. Within the NFC-South, Atlanta secured a 4th place finish and went 2-4 record against divisional rivals. When playing on their home turf, the Falcons went 6-3, while they held a 1-7 record when competing on the road.

Against the spread, the Falcons put together a record of 9-8 on an average scoring margin of -1.2 points per game. As the favorite, the Falcons were 2-3 vs. the spread while going 7-5 (ATS) as the underdog. Atlanta’s over/under record came in at 7-10.

Atlanta starting quarterback Desmond Ridder will taking over for Marcus Mariota who led the Falcons in passing yards last season (2219) and is now on the Eagles. Last season, Ridder played in four games and finished with 708 yards on a completion percentage of 63.5%.

At the running back position, the Falcons have rookie Bijan Robinson listed as number one on the depth chart. Atlanta grabbed Robinson in the 1st round out of Texas. Look for Tyler Allgeier to also get plenty of carries, as he led the team in attempts last season and finished with 1035 yards rushing.

Desmond Ridder will be relying on Drake London, who led the Falcons’ wide receiver group last season with 866 receiving yards while hauling in four touchdowns.

Why You Should Bet on the Panthers

Even though they finished in second place in the NFC-South, the Panthers couldn’t sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card and missed the playoffs. Carolina’s overall record was 7-10 and 4-2 in the division. At home, the Panthers put together a mark of 5-4 while going 2-6 on the road.

Against the spread, the Panthers are coming off a season in which they went 9-8 on an average scoring margin of -1.6 point per game. The team’s over/under record was 8-9 with 10 of their games surpassing this week’s line of 39.5 points.

The Panthers will be looking forward to the regular season debut of rookie Bryce Young. Carolina drafted Young in the 1st round out of Alabama. Also on the roster is Andy Dalton, who played for the Saints last season. Last season, Dalton played in 14 in games and finished with 2871 passing yards. His overall passer rating for the season was 95.2 which was 17th among QB’s.

In the backfield, the Panthers are welcoming back Miles Sanders who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 1269 rushing yards and averaged 4 yards per attempt. Sanders is entering his 5th season in the league.

At the receiver position, the Panthers are looking for Terrace Marshall Jr. to take on a bigger role in the passing game. Marshall Jr. is the team’s leading returning receiver and finished with 28 catches for 490 yards last season.

Final Prediction & Where To Bet

Since the lines have opened, the Falcons have moved from -2.5 point favorites to their current line of -3.5 (-110). The Panthers are currently +3.5 (-110) point underdogs on the road.

On the point-spread, I have the Panthers covering as road underdogs. At +3, there is good value on the Panthers.

BetByState Expert Pick: Panthers +3

Where to Bet This Game

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