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Carolina Panthers at Denver Broncos odds, expert picks, how to watch: Broncos one of the biggest favorites of Week 8

Vaseline October 27, 2024

The Broncos are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and have a great opportunity to improve to 5-3 on Sunday when they host a one-win Panthers team that is arguably the worst team in the NFL. The Broncos are more than just a touchdown favorite as they look to win for the fifth time in six games.

Denver’s offense under rookie quarterback Bo Nix is starting to show some improvement, especially after a 33-point effort in New Orleans this past week, but the real star of this team is a defense that is allowing just 15.6 points per game, the third-lowest total in the NFL. The Broncos’ 28 sacks are also the second-most in the NFL, with five players already recording at least three.

That’s all a terrible matchup for a Carolina team that scores just 15.7 points per game.

Presumptive starter Andy Dalton has been ruled out after he and his family were in a car accident on Tuesday. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Young, who has a 49.5 passer rating this season, will reclaim his spot atop the depth chart — at least for a week.

The Panthers are also without Diontae Johnson (ribs) this week. Johnson has been the closest Carolina has had to a playmaker on offense this season.

As for Nix, he’s starting to figure out more and more things every week. After recording just one touchdown to four interceptions in his first four games, he has flipped the script the last three weeks with four touchdowns to just one interception. He has also been extremely effective at using his legs, rushing for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Facing a Panthers defense that is allowing a league-worst 34.7 points per game (no other team is allowing more than 28.0 points per game this season) should be a great opportunity for him to get on that figures to build on.

While it’s a potentially big line for Denver to cover, the Broncos are 5-2 against the spread this season. The Panthers are 1-6 against the spread, which matches their overall record.

All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Find them here.