Free Picks: Kansas City Chiefs vs Carolina Panthers

The Kansas City Chiefs are flying as usual after demolishing the New York Jets in Week 8. Now they prepare to face a sneaky Carolina Panthers defense who could cause problems for the reining champs this week. The Chiefs are favoured by -10.5 (888sport 1.91).

Look, it goes against everything I know about sports to bet against a team like the Kansas City Chiefs, but bettors search for value and I think that there’s better value this week to be found on Carolina’s side.

The Panthers defense has been solid, and they rank 13th in points per game allowed, ahead of teams like the Tennessee, Los Angeles Chargers, and the Bills. Teddy Bridgewater has been as reliable as they come and is averaging a passer rating of 97.8. That’s nothing crazy, but it’s ahead of guys like Jared Goff, Matt Ryan, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson.

We all know that the Chiefs are ridiculously good and can blow any team any time, but I like the Panthers to at least keep things somewhat close this week. It’ll be a tough task at Arrowhead, but I just don’t see the Chiefs smacking around the Panthers like they did the Jets last week.

There’s not a whole lot of history between these two teams, so it’s not too far-fetched to expect a modest scoreline, despite the Chief’s knack for scoring boatloads of points. 888sport has the OVER/UNDER set at 52.5, but I predict a final score something along the lines of 27-17.

I like the Panthers to cover the spread on the road, but if you want to be extra risky in this game, take the under.

• Carolina is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games.
• The UNDER has cashed in 4 of Carolina’s last 6 games.
• Kansas City is 7-1 SU in their last 8 games.
• The UNDER has cashed in 5 of Kansas City’s last 7 games.