San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers Preview
Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte
When: Sunday, September 18, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
Line: San Francisco 49ers at Carolina Panthers – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Writer’s Pick: Carolina Panthers
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Betting on the San Francisco 49ers (1-0)
A win over an inferior squad like the Rams isn’t exactly mind-blowing, but the Niners have every right to be proud of their overall effort, and in the fact that they kicked off the Chip Kelly era on a strong note. Their next assignment this coming Sunday might be too much to handle, however.
A trip to Charlotte for a showdown with Cam Newton and the Panthers isn’t looking pretty good for the Niners, who are 1-9 SU and 2-8 ATS in their last 10 road games. Nevertheless, this game is an opportunity for them to gain more confidence and prove to us (and themselves) that their Week 1 performance was no fluke.
Expect San Francisco keep feeding the football to Carlos Hyde. He took most of the spotlight in the win over Los Angeles, rumbling for 88 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns. Another productive outing for the third-year back could be in the making. The Panthers had a tough time in stopping the run in their season opener versus Denver, as they allowed C.J. Anderson to torch them with nearly 100 rushing yards on 20 carries and a score.
The Niners’ fate will be heavily determined on the defensive end as well. Their pass rush did a tremendous job in pressuring Keenum, who threw for just 130 yards and zero touchdowns. Then again, it’s a totally different thing to limit a superstar quarterback in Newton.
Betting on the Carolina Panthers (0-1)
The new season has just started. There’s plenty of more time for the Carolina Panthers to show why many expect them to dominate again this year. Yes, a loss to the Broncos in their season opener was painful without question, especially when you look closely at how hard the reigning NFL champs fought and how badly they wanted to avenge their Super Bowl 50 loss.
Their efforts were put to naught, but there were a number of positives that the Panthers can bring into this Sunday’s home opener against the 49ers. For one, everybody’s now well-aware that Kelvin Benjamin is back and fully healthy. He quickly made his return known last week after hauling in a 14-yard pass from Cam Newton to score the first touchdown of the season. Benjamin finished with a team-high of six catches for 91 yards versus Denver.
Apart from Benjamin’s immediate impact, Newton, who received a barrage of huge hits and unnecessary head butts from the Broncos’ defense, was fairly impressive. To be particular, his ability to carry the ball was on display as the league MVP ran for a 2-yard score, setting a new all-time record (44) for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback.
On the other side of the field, there’s some work to do for the Panthers. Their run defense was disappointing in the first game, as it allowed Denver to rush for 148 yards, more than half of which came from C.J. Anderson, who tallied 92 yards on 20 rushes along with a long 28-yard TD. Carolina has to tighten things up here, and be extra cautious about preventing the Niners’ top back, Carlos Hyde, from causing too much trouble.
Carolina is 13-0 SU and 9-4 ATS in its last 13 games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
The Panthers pounce on the 49ers, 35-17.
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