Too many cooks spoil the broth, they say. When the Carolina Panthers visit the San Francisco 49ers for their first NFL betting foray of the season, there will be at least one cook out on the field; Niners new starting quarterback Brian Hoyer – “an award-winning amateur chef,” according to the Mercury News. Truth be told, he does look like he can toss a salad better than he can toss a football.
- Date: Sunday, September 10th
- Time: 4:25 PM
- Venue: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
Sportsbook Online NFL Betting Odds:
Panthers -5½ (-110) 48 (-105) -245
49ers +5½ (-110) 48 (-115) +205
If you Smell What Hoyer is Cooking?
Hoyer had the best year of a career spottier than Dusty Rhodes’ trunks with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 – the same year that new 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was offensive coordinator there. Shanahan is an offensive genius who engineered the Atlanta Falcons blitz-like attack. But Hoyer and Pierre Garçon are not Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. However, if anyone is going to bring out the best out of the journeyman signal-caller, that’s Shanahan.
San Francisco’s league-worst defense has been retooled as well under new defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and including defensive linemen Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Solomon Thomas, linebacker Reuben Foster, defensive backs Eric Reid and Jimmie Ward and of course linebacker and four-time All Pro selection Navarro Bowman. Seeing as how the Panthers will most likely be doing more running than passing, Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Stewart will provide the perfect chance to test the 49ers’ “All gas, no brakes” defense mettle.
The Niners have lost 13 of their last 15 encounters with the Panthers, and covered in only one of their last six games against Carolina. The NFL betting total has gone over in 13 of the last 17 49ers-Panthers games.
“What’ll it be, sir?” “Hair of the dog that bit me”
According to the WaPo, Panthers starting quarterback Cam Newton “had a sickening feeling in his stomach as he walked out of Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium last January.” Kind of like the one you get when you’re hung-over? Or, in this case, Super Bowl-hung-over. And Newton’s 2016 season was as bad as a yearlong hangover would be. He had the worst statistical year of his NFL career and failed to lead the Panthers to the postseason for the first time since 2012. “I can’t ever let that happen again – ever,” the Dabmeister said. Well, if the best way to avoid a hangover is to remain drunk, then it’s clear what Newton has to do.
Cam to fans as he is jogging into practice:
"I'm going to make you happy next Sunday." pic.twitter.com/rFPtQwK4OO
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 3, 2017
And he won’t have to go it alone, either. Carolina rafted McCaffrey and wide receiver Curtis Samuel to join wide receivers Kelvin Benjamin and Devin Funchess and Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen.
The Panthers have won eight of their last nine visits to San Francisco and have covered in 80% of their last five games at Levi’s Stadium. The NFL betting total has gone over in three fourths of Carolina’s last road games versus the Niners.