Jordan Love & Co. are starting to find a rhythm, and that’s been reflected in the games they’ve played, with the Over landing in their past four games. In two of those contests, we’ve seen the total absolutely smashed, including last week’s 35-25 victory over the Steelers. Like the Packers, the Carolina Panthers have seen the Over land more frequently as the season has progressed, with four of their past five games hitting that threshold. With the Packers’ offense clicking and the Panthers’ defense struggling to contain their opposition, we should see a relatively high-scoring affair, with the home team accounting for the bulk of the points.
The Panthers’ backfield split has taken a bit of shine off Dowdle since Chuba Hubbard returned to action. But in last week’s loss to the Bills, Dowdle ground out almost seven yards per carry. He finished with only eight carries in a blowout (leaving Carolina to pass more) but still amassed 54 yards. When pressed on the rushing split, head coach Dave Canales wouldn’t tip his hand but said, “That’s something we’re looking at” while trying to cushion the pending decision by talking up Hubbard’s career accomplishments. It really sounds like Dowdle will be RB1 against the Packets in Week 9 and many of his projections sit north of 60 rushing yards with 14-plus carries.
McMillan leads the Panthers in targets (63), receptions (37), and receiving yards (512) by a wide margin. Last week he reeled in a career-high seven receptions for 99 yards against Buffalo with backup Andy Dalton throwing him the ball. Bryce Young is on track to return this week, which bodes well for McMillan. The rookie wideout has logged more than 60 receiving yards in five of eight games this year. Interestingly, all three of the games where he went below that number were wins by the Panthers. With Carolina installed as 13.5-point road underdogs against the Packers in Week 9, expect a negative game script with plenty of passing.
Josh Jacobs didn’t look fully healthy Sunday night, managing just 33 yards on 13 carries while working through a calf injury. Emanuel Wilson, meanwhile, showed more burst, picking up 61 yards on 11 carries and matching Jacobs with four red-zone opportunities. This game could get one-sided if Bryce Young can’t play, which opens up more scoring chances for Wilson. In a strong offense facing a soft matchup, Wilson’s anytime touchdown at +295 to +300 has solid value. The main risk is volume—he could see as few as six carries—but with the team a 13-point favorite, he’s worth a play, especially if Young is ruled out. He could be a sneaky bet to finish with 10+ carries.
The model projects Josh Jacobs to be a much bigger part of his offense's pass game near the goal line this week (7.5% projected Red Zone Target Share) than he has been this year (0.0% in games he has played).. When it comes to the defensive ends' role in defending against the run, Carolina's unit has been exceptional this year, projecting as the 2nd-best in football.
This game's line suggests an extreme throwing game script for the Panthers, who are enormous -13-point underdogs.. At the moment, the 4th-most pass-focused offense in the NFL in the red zone (60.5% adjusted for context) according to the predictive model is the Panthers.. The Carolina Panthers have called the 6th-most plays in football this year, averaging a colossal 59.9 plays per game.. Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 41.7 pass attempts per game against the Packers defense this year: 2nd-most in the NFL.. The Carolina O-line ranks as the 9th-best in football this year in protecting the quarterback, which has a positive effect on all passing attack metrics across the board.
This game's line suggests an extreme throwing game script for the Panthers, who are enormous -13-point underdogs.. The Carolina Panthers have called the 6th-most plays in football this year, averaging a colossal 59.9 plays per game.. Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 41.7 pass attempts per game against the Packers defense this year: 2nd-most in the NFL.. The Carolina O-line ranks as the 9th-best in football this year in protecting the quarterback, which has a positive effect on all passing attack metrics across the board.. This year, the anemic Green Bay Packers defense has given up a monstrous 73.4% Adjusted Completion Rate to opposing teams: the 9th-highest rate in the NFL.
The leading projections forecast the Panthers to be the 6th-least pass-oriented team in the NFL (adjusted for context) at the moment with a 58.1% pass rate.. Based on their underlying traits and game dynamics, the Panthers are forecasted by the predictive model to run just 62.0 offensive plays in this game: the 3rd-lowest number on the slate this week.. The weather forecast calls for 14-mph wind in this game. High wind typically means reduced pass volume (and higher run volume) and lessened passing effectiveness.. The Green Bay Packers safeties grade out as the best safety corps in football this year in defending receivers.
The leading projections forecast Josh Jacobs to accrue 3.3 targets in this contest, on balance, ranking him in the 81st percentile when it comes to RBs.. With a remarkable 11.9% Target% (90th percentile) this year, Josh Jacobs has been as one of the RB receiving threats with the most usage in football.. Josh Jacobs comes in as one of the best RBs in the pass game this year, averaging a stellar 22.0 adjusted yards per game while ranking in the 91st percentile.. Josh Jacobs rates as one of the most efficient pass-catchers in the league among running backs, averaging an excellent 7.82 adjusted yards-per-target this year while checking in at the 82nd percentile.. The Carolina Panthers linebackers project as the 5th-worst unit in the league this year with their pass rush.
This game's line suggests an extreme throwing game script for the Panthers, who are enormous -13-point underdogs.. The Carolina Panthers have called the 6th-most plays in football this year, averaging a colossal 59.9 plays per game.. Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 41.7 pass attempts per game against the Packers defense this year: 2nd-most in the NFL.. The Carolina O-line ranks as the 9th-best in football this year in protecting the quarterback, which has a positive effect on all passing attack metrics across the board.. The Packers pass defense has conceded the 8th-highest Adjusted Completion% in the league (81.2%) versus TEs this year (81.2%).
This game's line suggests an extreme throwing game script for the Panthers, who are enormous -13-point underdogs.. The Carolina Panthers have called the 6th-most plays in football this year, averaging a colossal 59.9 plays per game.. Opposing quarterbacks have averaged 41.7 pass attempts per game against the Packers defense this year: 2nd-most in the NFL.. The Carolina O-line ranks as the 9th-best in football this year in protecting the quarterback, which has a positive effect on all passing attack metrics across the board.. The Packers defense has been gouged for the 9th-most adjusted receiving yards per game in the NFL (159.0) to WRs this year.
The predictive model expects the Carolina Panthers to be the 6th-most run-heavy offense in the league (adjusted for context) right now with a 41.9% run rate.. The Carolina Panthers have called the 6th-most plays in football this year, averaging a colossal 59.9 plays per game.. The weather forecast calls for 14-mph wind in this game. High wind typically means reduced pass volume (and higher run volume) and lessened passing effectiveness.
The predictive model expects the Carolina Panthers to be the 6th-most run-heavy offense in the league (adjusted for context) right now with a 41.9% run rate.. The Carolina Panthers have called the 6th-most plays in football this year, averaging a colossal 59.9 plays per game.. The weather forecast calls for 14-mph wind in this game. High wind typically means reduced pass volume (and higher run volume) and lessened passing effectiveness.. In this week's contest, Rico Dowdle is forecasted by the projections to secure a spot in the 88th percentile when it comes to running backs with 16.2 carries.. With a stellar rate of 64.0 adjusted rushing yards per game (93rd percentile), Rico Dowdle places as one of the leading pure runners in the NFL this year.
This game's line implies an extreme rushing game script for the Packers, who are a huge favorite by 13 points.. Given their underlying propensities and matchup dynamics, the predictive model expects the Green Bay Packers to run on 47.6% of their opportunities: the 2nd-greatest clip among all teams this week.. The weather forecast calls for 14-mph wind in this game. High wind generally means lower pass volume (and higher run volume) and worse passing efficiency.. Jordan Love has been much more involved in his offense's run game this season (9.0% Carry Share in games he has played) than he was last season (3.9%).. Jordan Love's 14.0 adjusted rushing yards per game this season reflects a substantial improvement in his rushing prowess over last season's 6.0 rate.