Carolina Panthers at Cincinnati Bengals
Thursday, 8/25/11, 7:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Cincinnati -3 (-120)
Current Betting Line: Cincinnati -3 (+110)
Opening Total: 34
Current Total: 34
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Carolina ended up on the losing end of a 20-10 road contest against the Miami Dolphins last week as six-point underdogs and now will focus on rookie quarterback Cam Newton’s first go-around as starter. “We’re going to start Cam this Thursday against Cincinnati,” Panthers head coach Ron Rivera stated. “What it will do is give us an opportunity to see how he’ll handle the whole game experience.” The Heisman Trophy-winner went 7 for 14 for 66 yards in last week’s contest after completing 8 of 19 throws for 134 yards in the 20-10 preseason-opening win over the New York Giants. Carolina is 11-18 ATS as an underdog during exhibition action.
The Panthers are also expecting wide receiver Steve Smith back in the huddle for his first preseason game, as he stayed around the practice field for some extra work with Newton after Monday’s practice. “It will be fun,” Smith commented. “Today was probably our best practice. We were going on all cylinders.” He has missed the early parts of camp with a cut he endured in between two fingers on Aug. 9. Much of the focus around camp has been placed on being consistent in the team’s third preseason game, as Rivera will be evaluating players for just the third time as an NFL head coach.
Cincinnati is less than three weeks away from opening its 2011 regular season and fans are concerned. The Bengals are coming off a 27-7 road loss against the New York Jets and head coach Marvin Lewis sees a lot of work to be done. “It’s a grind, and we are going to find the way,” Lewis stated after the Week 2 loss. “It’s the core 53 guys who will be on the field Sept. 11 and I saw some positives from that group.” This week’s game will be the first preseason meeting between the Bengals and Panthers, as the regular-season series is tied 2-2.
The Bengals were once again led by rookie quarterback Andy Dalton, who finished the game 8 of 19 for 86 yards and two interceptions. Fellow rookie wide receiver A.J. Green caught just a single pass for eight yards and was unable to save Dalton from throwing his first interception as a ball deflected off his hands. A stat that bettors will need to keep an eye on this year is Lewis’ 40-9-1 record when Cincinnati has a plus-differential in turnovers. The squad has lost the category in both games during the preseason by a matching 3-0 margin.
Bettors will be hard-pressed to back either team in this contest, but the Bengals 13-23 ATS mark as preseason favorites makes a case for the underdog Panthers.
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