Thursday Night Football: Panthers at Bears Expert Pick – November 9, 2023

THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL: PANTHERS AT BEARS EXPERT PICK – These teams are connected for better or worse currently. The Bears own the Panthers’ first-round selection in the upcoming draft, which projects as the second overall pick.

The Bears project to have the third selection, which means they would have two top-three draft picks. Now they are facing each other in one of the worst Thursday Night Football games this season.

The Odds

Kickoff

When: Thursday, November 9, 2023

Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL

TV: Amazon Prime

Public Money: Panthers, 60%

Public Bets: Panthers, 87%

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, correct as of  November 8th, 2023.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers lost to the Colts last week after recording their first win. They lost 27 to 13 and struggled on offense. The Panthers have already ruled out linebacker

Brian Burns and cornerback C.J. Henderson for Thursday’s game. Both players suffered concussions last week and do not have enough time for a short week. DJ Chark has not participated in practice this week due to an elbow injury, and Laviska Shenault Jr. is not practicing due to an ankle injury. Their status will gain clarity closer to game time.

Chicago Bears

The Bears have lost back-to-back games and move to 2-7 on the season. The Saints beat them 24 to 17, but they get to return home after a tough two-game road stretch. Middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds has not practiced this week due to a knee injury and is questionable on Thursday.

Justin Fields is still dealing with a thumb injury but has returned to practice in a limited fashion. The jury is still out on his availability for this week. Running back Khalil Herbert is eligible to return this week from injured reserve, and he is trending in the right direction. He logged two full practices on Monday and Tuesday, which is promising on the short week.

Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears Head-To-Head

No one is surprised these teams own two of the three worst records in football. They both are in the bottom five of the league in points allowed. The Panthers’ offense has already changed play callers, which occurred after they started 0-6.

Frank Reich handed over play calling duties to Thomas Brown, the offensive coordinator. They won the first game with Brown calling plays but struggled mightily against the Colts. Bryce Young threw three interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns by Kenny Moore. Young should have a bounce-back game with a good matchup.

The Bears allow 256.9 passing yards per game and let teams convert 48.7% of third downs. They have allowed 20 passing TDs and only have six interceptions. The Bears have the worst turnover differential (-9), and the Panthers could capitalize on their mistakes.

The Bears’ offense could look vastly different depending on who starts at quarterback. The Panthers allow 131.8 rushing yards per game and 4.4 yards per attempt. The Bears run the ball well, with 135.3 rushing yards per game, ranked fourth in the league.

If Fields and Herbert do not play, Tyson Bagent and D’Onta Foreman would be the duo in the backfield. Bagent only has 17 carries for 97 yards through his four games played, so he will not beat the Panthers with his legs like Fields. Foreman has performed well with 4.4 yards per carry and two touchdowns, but Herbert averages 5.3 yards per attempt and can produce more big plays.

Prediction

Over/Under

The total is 38.5 on DraftKings, which seems low even with the offensive struggles of both teams. They both allow over 25 points per game and have easily exploitable defenses. The offenses should perform better than usual, so play the over.

Spread

The Bears are 3.5 point favorites favorites at Soldier Field. They should cover this number with either quarterback, but it would be easier with Fields. They can pound the rock against the Panthers, which should help them stay ahead of the chains.

Player Prop

Bryce Young’s longest completion total is 32.5, with the under being juiced to -120. The over at -110 is a good value. The Bears have allowed a completion over 33 yards in six out of nine games this season.