The San Francisco 49ers travel to Carolina to take on the Carolina Panthers. I sure hope the 49ers enjoyed their opening week victory, because oh man is this game going to be one sided. This just sets up to be the biggest blowout of the week, and I will get to why momentarily. In week one, the Panthers’ kicker Graham Gano missed a field goal at the end of the game, and the team lost to the Denver Broncos 21-20. Meanwhile, the 49ers blew out the Los Angeles Rams 28-0.
Despite their records, this game is going to be all Panthers. Let’s start with the fact that the Panthers enter the season as one of the few teams seen as a legit Super Bowl contenders, while the Niners entered the season seen as one of the worst teams in the NFL. Chip Kelly’s fast-paced offense got to the Rams defense last week but do not expect that to happen this week. Also, it should be noted, Blaine Gabbert should have been picked off about seven times last week, but the Rams’ defensive players could not hold onto a ball.
Now let’s factor in the fact that the Panthers have had extra rest, having played on a Thursday night to open the season. Meanwhile, the 49ers are on a short week, having played the late game on Monday night. So the Panthers will come in more refreshed and seeking some revenge having lost week one. Oh yeah, and they are home.
So the 13 points may seem like a lot, but the Panthers should be able to win this one by at least two touchdowns without breaking a sweat. The question becomes will they be able to score more than 45 points to reach the over? I say the Panthers end up somewhere in the 30’s, while the Niners end up with 10 points. So the pick is easy, and I will have to lean towards going under 45 given I do not see the 49ers offense being able to do much of anything.
Line: Car -13, O/U: 45
Pick: Panthers and the under
Result: Car 46 – SF 27, Panthers and the over
To see the spreads and over/under for each week two match-up, make sure you head over to our master-sheet right here!