Philadelphia vs Carolina Panthers will have running back McCaffrey on Sunday

Philadelphia vs Carolina | Panthers will have running back McCaffrey?

Will the Carolina Panthers have star running back Christian McCaffrey on Sunday? That’s the big question surrounding their home game vs. the struggling Philadelphia Eagles. The Panthers are short favorites on the NFL odds.

How to Bet Eagles at Panthers NFL Odds & TV Info

  • When: Sunday, 1 PM ET
  • Where: Bank of America Stadium
  • TV: Fox
  • Radio: http://www.siriusxm.com/nfl
  • Stream Option: NFLSUNDAYTICKET.TV
  • Opening NFL Lines: Panthers -3 (total 45)

Last Meeting

The teams last played Week 7 of the 2018 season and the Panthers won 21-17 in Philly – outscoring the Eagles 21-0 in the fourth quarter. Cam Newton tossed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Greg Olsen with 1:22 left. Wes Horton sacked Carson Wentz, forcing a fumble on fourth down from the Panthers 14 to seal the victory. Newton is now out of the NFL and Wentz with the Colts. The Eagles lead the all-time regular-season series 7-4. Philly last played in Charlotte in 2017.

Why Bet on Philadelphia?

The Eagles (1-3) lost their third in a row last Sunday, 42-30 vs. Kansas City. Jalen Hurts completed 32-of-48 passes for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Hurts was the Eagles leading rusher, running for 47 yards on eight carries. The Eagles didn’t even attempt to establish a run game for the second straight week, with Miles Sanders and Kenneth Gainwell combining for 10 carries. Hurts has averaged 357 yards per game with four touchdowns over the last two weeks.

The offense has made some nice strides through four games with Hurts developing and stressing a defense on every snap – his 1,325 total yards are tied for second in the NFL among quarterbacks behind Tom Brady. Hurts has registered the 3rd-most total yards (2,462) by an NFL QB in their first eight career starts, trailing only Cam Newton (2,603) and Patrick Mahomes (2,591) in that category.

Hurts ranks 5th in the NFL in 10+ yard plays (54), behind Ryan Tannehill (57), Derek Carr (57), Tom Brady (55) and Daniel Jones (55). He (1,167 passing, 226 rushing) and Lamar Jackson (1,077 passing, 279 rushing) are the only NFL QBs to produce 1,000+ passing yards and 200+ rushing yards this season.

Rookie DeVonta Smith leads the Eagles in receptions (18) and receiving yards (237). His 18 catches and 237 yards are the 2nd-most ever by an Eagles WR in their first four career games, trailing only DeSean Jackson in 2008 (22 receptions, 327 yards).

Quez Watkins ranks 1st in the NFL with a 21.9 receiving average (min. 10 receptions). He is one of only two NFL players averaging more than 20.0 yards per reception (also Henry Ruggs – 21.2)

Pro Bowl right tackle Lane Johnson didn’t play Week 3 for personal reasons and isn’t likely to play here. Jack Driscoll was activated from injured reserve mid-week and stepped in for Johnson against the Chiefs, which he’ll presumably do again. Fellow starting offensive linemen Jordan Mailata (knee) and Jason Kelce (foot) returned to practice Thursday. Kelce has started 109 consecutive regular-season games, which is the longest active streak among NFL centers.

Javon Hargrave is tied for the 2nd-most sacks (5.0) in the NFL (ranks 1st among NFL DTs), trailing only Myles Garrett (6.0). He is the first defensive tackle to post at least 5.0 sacks in the first four games of the season since Geno Atkins in 2012, as well as the first Eagles player to do so since Jason Babin in 2011 (7.0).

Why Bet on Carolina?

The Panthers had their three-game winning streak snapped in a 36-28 loss at Dallas last Sunday playing without superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. The Cowboys had 245 yards on the ground after the Panthers allowed just 135 total in the first three games.

Sam Darnold passed for 301 yards and totaled four touchdowns (two passing, two rushing) in the loss. Darnold is the first quarterback in NFL history to record five rushing touchdowns in his team’s first four games of a season. Darnold, who also had two rushing touchdowns in Week 3, is the sixth quarterback since 1970 to record multiple rushing touchdowns in consecutive games.

Could McCaffrey play Sunday? He injured his hamstring in Week 3 and the initial prognosis was that he could miss several weeks, but “I definitely feel good,” McCaffrey said on Thursday. McCaffrey was listed as limited on the injury report for the second straight day.  Coach Matt Rhule said his star back would be a game-time decision. The fear with hamstrings and CMC’s recent injury history is that he could be coming back too quickly.

Star linebacker Shaq Thompson will not play due to injury with a foot injury suffered vs. the Cowboys. Thompson, who played 100 percent of the Panthers’ defensive snaps in Weeks 1-3, has 25 tackles, one sack and one interception this season. The Panthers don’t really have a replacement-in-waiting for Thompson after trading Denzel Perryman to the Raiders in August. Middle linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. will be asked to carry more of the load, but he’s not the playmaker that Thompson is.

Defensively, the Panthers rank third in yards allowed (251.5), tied for first in sacks (14), first in third down efficiency (23.8) and third in points allowed (16.5).

Carolina has led at halftime in every game this season, posting an overall point differential of +35 at halftime, second-best in the NFL. The Panthers are averaging 34:48 in time of possession, currently best in the NFL. Carolina is one of five teams with at least 100.0 rushing yards and 280.0 passing yards per game as 157 offensive plays have gone through the air and 117 on the ground.

Game Trends

  • Eagles are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a winning home record.
  • Eagles are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 road games.
  • Eagles are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games following a double-digit loss at home.
  • Panthers are 7-15 ATS vs. a team with a losing record.
  • Panthers are 4-9-1 ATS in their last 14 home games.
  • Panthers are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games as a favorite.

Expert Prediction: Panthers 24, Eagles 20

  

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?

Bet NFL Today
MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

 

NFL Betting Center


NFL MyBookie Odds | Online Betting Lines