The Carolina Panthers will travel to State Farm Arena on Sunday afternoon to take on the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC matchup. The Panthers are last in the NFC South at 4-5 and are coming off a 24-6 home loss over the New England Patriots. Sam Darnold went 16-of-33 for 172 yards with three interceptions before heading to Injured Reserve. The Cardinals lead the entire NFC at 8-1 this season and are coming off a 31-17 road win over the San Francisco 49ers. Colt McCoy went 22-of-26 for 249 yards with a touchdown.
Panthers at Cardinals Betting Preview
Carolina Panthers Preview: Rookie Playing Well
The Carolina Panthers are running the ball well with rookie running back Chuba Hubbard, despite having Christian McCaffrey healthy. Hubbard has 111 carries for 394 yards (3.5 yards per rush) with a pair of touchdowns on the ground and 19 receptions for 152 yards (eight yards per catch). In his last game against the New England Patriots, he had three carries for three yards (one yard per attempt) and a 33-yard reception, but the Panthers’ game script went awry.
The Carolina Panthers have been playing pretty well defensively this season as they are giving up 20.3 points per game. In their previous game against the New England Patriots, the Panthers allowed 24 points on 273 total yards of offense (122 passing, 151 rushings). The Panthers were average as they allowed the Pats to go 6-of-14 on third down attempts and converted their only fourth-down attempt. Carolina needs to step up against the run as New England averaged 3.9 rushing yards per attempt.
Arizona Cardinals Preview: Nose for the End Zone
The Arizona Cardinals have been incredible offensively, with running back James Conner getting 115 rushing attempts for 454 yards (3.9 yards per rush) with ten rushing touchdowns this season and ten receptions for 111 yards (11.1 yards per catch) with a receiving touchdown. In his last game against the San Francisco 49ers, Conner ran the ball 21 times for 96 yards (4.6 yards per rush) with two rushing touchdowns and five catches for 77 yards (15.4 yards per reception) with an additional touchdown.
The Arizona Cardinals have been one of the best defensive teams in the NFL as they are allowing 17.2 points per game. In their previous game against the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona gave up 17 points on 337 total yards of offense (298 passing, 39 rushings). The Cards did a solid job as the 49ers went just 4-of-10 on third down tries. Arizona did an incredible job as they forced three turnovers (one interception, two fumble recoveries) in the game.
Who to Bet on Panthers at Cardinals
The top sportsbooks in the entire country have this game separated by double-digits in this game. The Cardinals have been incredible at covering the spread as they are 7-2 against the spread while the Panthers are 4-5 against the spread this season. P.J. Walker will be the starting quarterback for Carolina, with Cam Newton being the backup, and the distraction surrounding the team could be troublesome for the Carolina Panthers. Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins are practicing and could be playing, but Colt McCoy can control the offense if he needs to. The home team has covered in seven of the previous eight games against one another, so go with the Arizona Cardinals to cover the spread in this game.