NFL Best Bets For Thursday Night Football
We've had two games on Thursday so far, and both have been pretty good. Last week we had a close matchup between the Giants and the Football Team that came down to a last-second field goal. Let's look at the storyline for the Thursday Night Game between Carolina and Houston and any betting angles we can take.
Houston has started the year on a decent footing with a victory over Jacksonville and a loss to Cleveland. I will say, they hung in there with the Browns on the road and were competitive even after starter Tyrod Taylor left the game. But, starting a game without him and surviving a game that is currently ongoing is drastically different. If only Houston had a capable and difference-making quarterback on their roster... Oh wait, the one they do is mysteriously not playing despite not being suspended or anything. Anyway, my point remains, Carolina can prepare for Davis Mills, the Browns didn't and still held him to just 102 yards and one touchdown and one interception.
The Panthers look great, starting with two home wins against the Jets and the Saints. The young defense looks very strong and Sam Darnold looks like the quarterback the Jets hoped they were drafting. Sadly, they drafted him and paired him with bad coaching. Now he is surrounded by playmakers and making an immediate impact. DJ Moore and Robby Anderson are both looking like they have a good connection with Darnold. Christian McCaffery is proving that having one of the world's most beautiful women (Olivia Culpo) on his arm isn't a distraction as he is still racking up yardage.
For some reason, this game opened as less than a touchdown favorite for the Panthers, but now with Taylor out, it has been bet up to an 8-point spread. I wouldn't play this much higher, but I like the Panthers to win this game by two scores. I prefer to play the first half spread of -4.5 though as I think that the Panthers come out of the gate better than the Texans. You also never know if the Texans decide to play Watson, or maybe get a late touchdown that covers. Either way, I'm playing them both.
A couple of props that I like... I think the Panthers not only score first, but it is a touchdown. I see that available at +160. The Panthers have been very strong against the run, allowing just 46.5 yards per game (yes, I know it has only been two games), but I like Mark Ingram to be less than 37.5 yards at -114.