The Patriots are preparing to make another run at the playoffs while the Panthers are just hoping to make some progress, heading into this Week 2 NFL exhibition bout in Foxboro Friday night. New England knows who its starting quarterback will be come the regular season, and he probably won’t play Friday night. Carolina, on the other hand, is holding an open tryout for the position. Here’s how we homeworked this game for our free NFL betting pick.
NFL Betting Lines
The Week 2 NFL betting odds opened the Patriots as three-point favorites over the Panthers, with an over/under of right around 39.5.
Panthers-Patriots NFL Exhibition Betting Preview
Carolina opened this NFL exhibition season with a 23-21 win at Washington last Saturday. The Panthers, with Sam Darnold starting at quarterback, scored the first 10 points of the game and led 20-6 through three quarters. Carolina then fell down 21-20 with just over two minutes to go but, with help from two key Washington defensive penalties, drove 40 yards to a game-winning field goal. The Panthers got out-gained by Washington 350-288 and out-rushed 121-93 but won the turnover battle 2-0, creating a +10 points differential. The QB threesome of Darnold, newcomer Baker Mayfield and third-year man PJ Walker combined to hit on 16/29 passes for 197 yards, with one touchdown and zero interceptions. But rookie Matt Corral, even though he was in for the final drive, hit on just 1/9 throws. Carolina is coming off a 5-12 season last year and doesn’t know yet who will start the regular season at QB. All four of those guys may see action again Friday night in an effort to sort that situation out. The Panthers are lined at +1000 to win the NFC South this season, +6600 to win the NFC, and +12500 to win the Super Bowl, playing against a wins over/under of 6.5. New England, meanwhile, opened its exhibition schedule with a 23-21 loss to the Giants last Thursday night. The Patriots, with Brian Hoyer and later rookie Bailey Zappe playing QB, led that game 7-3 in the first quarter, 14-10 in the third, and 21-20 with five minutes to go. But the New England defense, by this time down to second- and third-stringers, of course, allowed New York to drive 69 yards to a game-winning field goal at the buzzer. The Patriots got out-gained by the Giants 418-308, got out-rushed 177-52, and lost time of possession by a 34:26 split. Starting QB Mac Jones didn’t play last week and probably won’t play Friday night, from what we can gather. But rookie Zappe looked good against the Giants, hitting on 19/32 throws for 205 yards, with one touchdown and one pick. The kid from Western Kentucky might see significant action again Friday night. New England is coming off a 10-7 season that ended with a blow-out wild-card loss at Buffalo. The Patriots then had six picks in the top four rounds of the draft but didn’t grade out well. Heading into this season, New England is lined at +450 to win the AFC East, +2200 to win the AFC, and +4200 to win the Super Bowl, playing against a wins O/U of 8.5.
Panthers-Patriots Recent History
These teams just met back in Week 9 of last season, a 24-6 New England victory in Charlotte. Jones quarterbacked against Darnold that day.
- Get more details: Carolina vs. New England 8/19/22 Betting Stats
NFL Betting Trends
So far this NFL exhibition season, the favorites are 9-8 SU and 8-9 ATS.
Totals Report
So far this NFL exhibition season, the overs are a lopsided 14-3.
