by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Dec 14, 2021
Game time: 1 p.m. ET
Venue: Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Where to watch: FOX
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Bills -10.5
BetMGM: Bills -10.5
Caesars: Bills -10.5
Season record
Panthers: 5-8 (Last place, NFC South)
Bills: 7-6 (2nd place, AFC East)
A strong 6-2 week for Sean Murphy in this past Sunday’s slate of games. With two Saturday games and more on the horizon, what can this crucial week hold as we enter the final month of the regular season? Catch Murph’s plays, available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Panthers - Bills preview and analysis
Last week
Panthers: lost 29-21 vs. Falcons
Bills: lost 33-27 (OT) at Buccaneers
If there was ever a time for the Buffalo Bills to get back on track, it would be on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers at home.
The home team has fallen off a cliff over the last four weeks, going 1-3 with all losses to playoff teams. The Bills had to rally from three scores down to send it into overtime against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, only to lose on a walk-off touchdown, the 700th such pass in Tom Brady’s illustrious career..
Josh Allen did all he could Sunday, racking up 417 total yards (308 passing, 109 rushing), two total touchdowns and throwing the ball 54 times while running it 12. He became the fourth player in NFL history to put up 300 yards passing and over 100 rushing.
Nevertheless, it’s still a loss and the Bills are on their last legs of getting back to the playoffs. They trail the New England Patriots by two games for the lead in the AFC East and are in the cluster of 7-6 teams fighting for the two final wild-card spots.
Even though the last few weeks have seen what’s been considered a premature-yet-inevitable demise of the Bills’ season, games like Sunday against the Panthers could be the springboard a team needs to get back on track.
Carolina is a mess right now. In their last three games, the Panthers have scored 21 points or fewer and have allowed 27 or more in those contests. The hope that Cam Newton would be the one to launch the Panthers into a last-second playoff chance is quickly diminishing. Newton has been held to under 200 passing yards in all three of his starts, throwing only two touchdowns to three interceptions.
Newton threw for 178 yards and ran for 49 and a touchdown last week in a 29-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Panthers close the season with three out of four on the road, including two divisional games against the Buccaneers, and a trip to face the New Orleans Saints. Safe to say, December is not to be remembered.
And after Newton was benched on Sunday for P.J. Walker, it may be a bad one for Newton.
Prediction
With the uncertainty of the quarterback situation, tacked on with Chuba Hubbard once again being the main back due to Christian McCaffrey’s injury, it’s not an easy road for the Panthers. The Bills will handle business and make quick work of the sinking Carolina offense. Bills by 17
Betting trends
The Panthers are 11-7 ATS in their last 18 as a road dog.
The Panthers are 6-15 ATS in their last 21 off an over.
The Bills are 18-14 ATS as a favorite in their last 32 games.
The Bills are 6-1 ATS in their last seven after allowing 30 points or more the previous game.
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
