NFL Week 1 Odds, Betting Prediction Browns at Panthers

The Cleveland Browns are thankful that the regular season is finally upon us. After a tumultuous offseason of dealing with the Deshaun Watson situation, the Browns are ready to get on the field and play some football. With Watson being suspended for the first 11 games, we’ll still hear his name some, but it won’t be the main storyline surrounding the Browns.

Speaking of storylines, there will be a big storyline surrounding Sunday’s Cleveland @ Carolina game. When the Browns acquired Watson, they basically told their former starting quarterback, Baker Mayfield, that they didn’t think he was good enough to lead a team. Mayfield fought through injuries all of last season, and just didn’t play well. Cleveland couldn’t find the right trade partner for Mayfield, but then the Panthers came calling, and he’s now a Panther.

And how ironic is it that Mayfield will face off against his former team on Sunday? Mayfield will be fired up, and will go to any length to beat his old team. However, that’s going to be a difficult task, as Cleveland is a potential playoff team. With all that being said, it’s time to take a closer look at the upcoming match between Browns and Panthers, so you can bet against their NFL Odds.

NFL Betting Preview of the Cleveland Browns versus Carolina Panthers Week 1 Matchup

Carolina Panthers

According to many NFL experts, Panthers head coach Matt Rhule is on the hot seat. Rhule has entered his third year with a career record of 10-23. After the Panthers started off 3-0 last season, they finished the season poorly, and that led to many disgruntled Panther fans.

Mayfield doesn’t have a lot of weapons at his disposal. DJ Moore is his top receiver, and when healthy, Christian McCaffrey is one of the best running backs in the game. Unfortunately, McCaffrey has missed way too much time with injuries, so we’re not really sure how good he can be.

The Panthers defense is a work in progress. They have some good young pieces, but they just haven’t been able to put it all together quite yet. We’ll see if this is the year that they become one of the better defenses in the league.

Cleveland Browns

It’ll be interesting to see how the offense does with Jacoby Brissett at the helm. He will be the quarterback until Watson returns from his suspension. He will have Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, the newly-acquired Amari Cooper, and David Njoku as his primary weapons. In Chubb and Hunt, the Browns could have one of the best rushing offenses in the league. If Mayfield had been healthy last season, the Browns may very well have been a playoff team.

Defensively, the Browns have one of the best young defenses in the league. Led by defensive end Myles Garrett, who is one of the best pass rushers in the league, this team can get to the quarterback. The Browns also have a very good young secondary that could give Mayfield some problems.

Predictions

The Panthers are a 2.5-point favorite in this one. The oddsmakers know that Baker Mayfield will do anything possible to beat his old team. However, Mayfield will have to solve a very good defense. We just don’t see the Panthers being able to stop the Browns running game, and we think Mayfield will have a hard time with the Cleveland defense. We think the Browns will sneak out of Carolina with a big win.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?