The Carolina Panthers start the 2016 NFL regular season with revenge on their mind when they head to Sports Authority Field at Mile High to face the Denver Broncos in Week 1 of Thursday Night Football. This rematch of Super Bowl 50 is set to start at 8:30 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on NBC.
The Panthers will be looking to erase the memory of a very disappointing loss to Denver in Super Bowl 50 that spoiled an impressive 17-1 straight-up run to the title game. They finished last season with an even 4-4 record against the spread in their final eight games and this preseason they were 2-2 (SU and ATS) with the total evenly split as well.
Cam Newton was the clear choice as league MVP last season for his role in Carolina’s success and he figures to be a prominent figure on Sunday night after turning in a poor performance against this team the last time they met. The Panthers will also rely heavily on a defense that was ranked sixth in the NFL in both yards and points allowed. Head coach Ron Rivera decided to add even more depth to this side of the ball by using four of his five draft picks on defensive players.
Denver may be the defending Super Bowl champion, but it is not even favored to win its division heading into the new season. The loss of both Peyton Manning (retirement) and Brock Osweiler (free agency) has opened the door for second-year vet Trevor Siemian to fill the role as the team’s starting quarterback on opening day. The results from four preseason games were mixed for the entire team at 2-2 both SU and ATS. The total was also split 2-2 after staying UNDER in six of their last eight games in 2015.
Look for head coach Gary Kubiak to rely heavily on his running game and his defense to get this season off to a strong start on Thursday night. Both Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson are back to lead the way on the ground and Von Miller has been resigned as a key piece of a defense that was ranked fourth in the NFL in points allowed and first in yards allowed.
ACCEPTS CREDIT CARDS! INTERTOPS
- The Panthers have failed to cover in five of their last seven season openers and they are 0-4 ATS in their last four road games. The total has gone OVER in 12 of their last 17 games on the road.
- The Broncos are 7-1 ATS in their last eight games played on a Thursday and they are 7-3-1 ATS in their last 11 September games.
- Including last year’s 24-10 victory in Super Bowl 50 as a 4.5-point underdog, Denver has a SU 4-1 edge in the last five meetings while going 3-2 ATS. The total has stayed UNDER or ended as a PUSH in four of the five games between these two.
