PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* Thursday Night Opener - Went 3-0 Wednesday!
(NFL) Carolina vs. Denver,
09/08/2016 4:30 PM, Score: 20 - 21
Point Spread: -3.00 | -113.00 Carolina (Away)
Result: Loss
Point Spread: -3.00 | -113.00 Carolina (Away)
Result: Loss
Carolina: The Panthers were the NFL's best team last year, EXCEPT in the final game of the season. League MVP Cam Newton threw 35 TD passes (had just 10 INTs) and ran for 10 TDs on the ground. The Panthers averaged more points than any NFL team (31.3 per) and had the league's second-best rushing unit (142.6 YPG). Only four teams allowed fewer points than Carolina's defense (19.3 per) and Carolina finished 6th in total defense (234.5 YPG). Carolina was 15-1 in the regular season and entered SB 50 at 17-1 SU and 13-5 ATS. However, the season all came apart against the Broncos in the year's biggest game, as Super Bowl MVP Von Miller made life miserable for Cam Newton and the Panthers.
Denver: Peyton Manning was a shell of his HOF self in 2015 and one wondered if was ever going to get back in Denver's starting lineup after getting sidelined in mid-November. However, he played in Week 17 and Kubiak decided to stick with the veteran for the postseason and while Manning contributed little to Denver's postseason success, he did mange to earn a second Super Bowl ring. The Broncos were not able to come to terms with Brock Osweiler (went to Houston as a FA) and with Manning retired, signed Mark Sanchez as a FA and made Paxton Lynch their 2016 first-round pick. However, it's Trevor Siemian, a 2015 seventh-round long-shot out of Northwestern, who beat out Sanchez and Lynch for the starting QB job.
The pick: Thursday's contest will mark the first time in NFL history that the season will open with teams that squared off in the previous Super Bowl. However, much has changed since the Broncos defeated the Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. It's impossible to ignore that Denver has has won 15 of its last 16 home openers, a .938 winning percentage which is tops in the NFL during that time. Let's also throw in the fact that Denver was a home underdog three times last season and won SU all three times! The Broncos beat the Packers and Patriots in the regular season and then the Patriots again, in the AFC championship game.
However, let's also not forget that the revenge-minded Panthers outgained the Broncos 315-194 in yards and had 10 more FDs in their 24-10 Super Bowl loss. Carolina committed four turnovers during the Super Bowl, after turning the ball over only 19 times during the regular season. Cam Newton had a 55.4 passer rating versus Denver compared to his career-high 99.4 during the regular season and his "opposite number" in this Week 1 game, Trevor Siemian, wasn't even considered a good QB by college standards while at Northwestern. Take the points and make Carolina a 10* play.
Denver: Peyton Manning was a shell of his HOF self in 2015 and one wondered if was ever going to get back in Denver's starting lineup after getting sidelined in mid-November. However, he played in Week 17 and Kubiak decided to stick with the veteran for the postseason and while Manning contributed little to Denver's postseason success, he did mange to earn a second Super Bowl ring. The Broncos were not able to come to terms with Brock Osweiler (went to Houston as a FA) and with Manning retired, signed Mark Sanchez as a FA and made Paxton Lynch their 2016 first-round pick. However, it's Trevor Siemian, a 2015 seventh-round long-shot out of Northwestern, who beat out Sanchez and Lynch for the starting QB job.
The pick: Thursday's contest will mark the first time in NFL history that the season will open with teams that squared off in the previous Super Bowl. However, much has changed since the Broncos defeated the Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. It's impossible to ignore that Denver has has won 15 of its last 16 home openers, a .938 winning percentage which is tops in the NFL during that time. Let's also throw in the fact that Denver was a home underdog three times last season and won SU all three times! The Broncos beat the Packers and Patriots in the regular season and then the Patriots again, in the AFC championship game.
However, let's also not forget that the revenge-minded Panthers outgained the Broncos 315-194 in yards and had 10 more FDs in their 24-10 Super Bowl loss. Carolina committed four turnovers during the Super Bowl, after turning the ball over only 19 times during the regular season. Cam Newton had a 55.4 passer rating versus Denver compared to his career-high 99.4 during the regular season and his "opposite number" in this Week 1 game, Trevor Siemian, wasn't even considered a good QB by college standards while at Northwestern. Take the points and make Carolina a 10* play.
