An important game is ahead for the Washington Football Team, who could eliminate the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants from playoff contention with a win against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. But will the Panthers allow Washington to get that? The Panthers are out of the playoff race, but they surely want to build some positives as they prepare for another intriguing offseason. Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Carolina Panthers vs Washington Football Team Regular Season Week 16 Game on December 27, 2020
Where: FedExField, Landover
When: Sunday, December 27, 2020, 1:00 PM ET
Line: Carolina Panthers (+2) vs Las Vegas Raiders (-2) – view all 2020 NFL lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Carolina Panthers (+2)
Regular Season Record: 4-10
The Panthers are still learning under first-year head coach Matt Rhule, and they could consider last week’s 24-16 loss at Lambeau Field to the Green Bay Packers as part of the process. The Panthers are 0-8 straight up in one-possession games, and that could either be taken as an encouraging sign or a frustrating narrative for this Carolina team that is averaging 23.1 points per game and 356.6 total yards per contest. Carolina got stunted by errors in the loss to the Packers. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was sacked three times and lost a fumble in the end zone. If anything, he showed great rapport once again with wide receiver DJ Moore who went off with 131 receiving yards on six catches and eight targets. Carolina’s defense has some bite in it, as shown by it repeatedly forcing the Packers to a series of three-and-outs. The Panthers’ stop unit should have at least some success against Washington’s offense that is not the brightest out there.
The Panthers are 6-0 against the spread in their last six road games.
Betting on the Washington Football Team (-2)
Regular Season Record: 6-8
It looks like Washington will have to turn to Dwayne Haskins again in Week 16. With Alex Smith still not practicing as of this writing, Haskins will be favored to get the ball under center against the Panthers. In Week 15’s 20-15 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Haskins went 38 of 55 for 295 passing yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Turnovers remain a problem for Haskins, but Washington will have to keep asking him to throw the ball, especially with tight end Logan Thomas heating up. Thomas has averaged over 80 receiving yards over the last three Washington games. Against the Seahawks, he had 101 receiving yards on 13 receptions and a whopping 16 targets. He’s been carrying the load downfield a bit more with wide receiver Terry McLaurin not feeling 100 percent. But the real key for Washington is its defense that’s giving the Football team a chance to keep games close.
Washington, is fifth in the NFL with 21.1 points allowed per game and fourth with 312.6 total yards surrendered per contest.
Writer’s Prediction
The Panthers win, 23-21.
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