Sunday, September 13, 2015

EverBank Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Carolina Panthers matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday at EverBank Field. The opening line for this matchup has the Panthers as 3 point favorites and the over/under was set at 41. The Panthers had a 9-9-0 ATS record last season, which meant they covered the spread 50% of the time. Their over/under record finished at 10-8-0. The Jaguars covered the spread 40% of the time, finishing the campaign with an ATS record of 6-9-1. Their over/under record was 8-8-0.

The Panthers will be led once again by Cam Newton, who is going to have a more difficult time this season as he lost his primary target, Kelvin Benjamin, for the season. That being said, Newton completed 262 passes out of 448 attempts last season and finished with a total of 3,127 yards for the 2014 season. He threw 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while finishing the season with one game in which he threw for over 300 yards. On the ground, Newton is equally as dangerous as he ran the ball 103 times for 539 yards, giving him an average of 5.2 yards per carry. He rushed the ball for over 100 yards one time last season and scored five rushing touchdowns. However, Newton can't do it all by himself and will try to get the ball to his now number one receiver, Corey Brown. Brown caught the ball 21 times last season and totaled 296 yards giving him an average of 14 yards per catch. He caught two touchdown passes but failed to have a game in which he went for over 100 yards. Jonathan Stewart will attempt to take some of the pressure off the passing game this season and they'll most likely lean on him for a good part of the offense. Stewart finished the 2014 season with 809 yards on 175 carries, giving him an average of 4.6 yards per carry. He scored three touchdowns on the ground and had two games in which he ran for over 100 yards. Stewart was also a threat receiving the ball out of the backfield last season with 25 catches for 181 yards.

On the other side of the field are the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will be looking to start their season off right with a win in their home opener. Blake Bortles will be looking to improve on his rookie season when he takes the field on Sunday. Bortles finished 2014 completing 280 passes on 475 attempts making his completion percentage 59%. He threw for 2,908 yards with 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He threw for over 300 yards in one game. His top target will be Allen Robinson when the season starts. Robinson finished 2014 with 548 yards on 48 receptions, giving him an average of 11.4 yards per catch. He scored two touchdowns on the season and will be looking to take advantage of the opportunity to have a bigger role in the offense.

The Panthers are 1-5 against the spread in their last 6 games in Week 1. The over is 7-1 in the Panthers last 8 road games. The under is 14-5 in their last 19 games in Week 1 and 5-2 in their last 7 games on grass.

The Jaguars are 4-1 against the spread in their last 5 games overall and 12-4 ATS in their last 16 games in Week 1. They are 18-37-1 ATS in their last 56 home games and 8-21 ATS in their last 29 games in September. The over is 4-0 in the Jaguars last 4 games in September and 5-2 in their last 7 home games.

Head to head, the home team is 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.

Carolina Betting Trends

Carolina was 10-8-0 against the over/under last season

Carolina had an ATS record of 9-9-0 last season

Jacksonville Betting Trends

Jacksonville was 8-8-0 against the over/under last season

Jacksonville had an ATS record of 6-9-1 last season

Injuries to Watch

Carolina

09/04/15 CB Josh Norman Head "?" Sunday vs. Jacksonville
09/04/15 C Ryan Kalil Knee "?" Sunday vs. Jacksonville
09/04/15 CB Charles Tillman Concussion "?" Sunday vs. Jacksonville
09/01/15 WR Jerricho Cotchery Groin probable Sunday vs Jacksonville
09/01/15 DT Star Lotulelei Foot "?" Sunday vs Jacksonville
08/23/15 DE Frank Alexander Achilles out for season
08/19/15 WR Kelvin Benjamin ACL out for season

Jacksonville

09/04/15 DT Sen'Derrick Marks Knee doubtful Sunday vs. Carolina
09/04/15 RB Toby Gerhart Oblique "?" Sunday vs. Carolina
08/29/15 DE Andre Branch Knee out indefinitely
08/15/15 DE Dante Fowler, Jr. Knee out for season
08/15/15 TE Julius Thomas Hand out indefinitely
08/15/15 S Johnathan Cyprien Hand out indefinitely

Tony's Pick: Take Carolina

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