The Atlanta Falcons (4-5) travel to Charlotte to face the Carolina Panthers (2-7) on Thursday. The Falcons lead the Panthers in the NFC South standings, and are a –3 point favorite at BetUS Sportsbook as of Wednesday afternoon.
Based on a report released by BetUS, 77.25% of the wagers placed and 68.65% of the dollar volume wagered on the point spread had been bet on the Falcons as of late Tuesday.
“Those who bet early tend to be more experienced or professional bettors, and their opinion on this game is pretty clear,” says Barry Barger, senior betting analyst at BetUS.
“Everything would seem to favor the Falcons to cover the spread here. They are 6-1 against the spread (ATS) in their last 7 road games versus a team with a losing home record, and the Panthers are 2-3 at home so far. The Panthers are also 0-6 against the spread in their last 6 games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game and 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 150 yards rushing in the previous game,” says Barry Barger, senior betting analyst at BetUS.
BetUS also reported that 70.59% of bets and 68% of the dollar volume bet on the total points of the game had been bet on the ‘over’ as of late Tuesday, when the line on the total stood at 43 ½ points (by Wednesday, the total had moved to 44 points).
The Panthers got destroyed 41-21 by the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9 on the road and occupy the last spot in the NFC South pool. The Falcons suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Los Angeles Chargers at home, losing 20-17 on a late field goal.