Carolina Panthers (1-4) at Los Angeles Rams (2-3), 4:05 p.m. Fox
Line: Aries -10.5 | Total: 40.5
Coach Matt Rhule was fired Monday after the Panthers lost the tenth of their last 11 games. Steve Wilks stepped in as interim coach and immediately fired special teams coach Ed Foley and defensive coordinator Phil Snow, saying he wanted a “different approach going forward.” Wilks will need one. Baker Mayfield is out with a high ankle sprain in the near future and PJ Walker is in line for his third NFL start.
Carolina’s only glimmer of hope lies in Los Angeles’ offense, which has been a revolving door all season. Their troubles up front were instrumental in Matthew Stafford’s back-and-forth duel with Matt Ryan for the dubious honor of most sacks and turnovers in the league. The Panthers get 10.5 points in the week’s biggest spread and so far bettors have been keen to take them. Choice: Panther +10.5
Arizona Cardinals (2-3) at Seattle Seahawks (2-3), 4:05 p.m. Fox
Line: Seahawks +3 | Total: 51
The Seahawks have one of the worst defenses in the league, dropping 30.8 points per game. The Cardinals are better than most teams that have rolled over Seattle, but they haven’t won a home game yet. Arizona goes into the game as a favorite against one of the biggest home field advantage in the NFL, a boost that could mean a lot. Choice: Seahawks +3
game on Monday night
Denver Broncos (2-3) at the Los Angeles Chargers (3-2), 8:15 p.m. ESPN
Line: chargers -5.5 | Total: 45.5
Russell Wilson has a partial muscle tear affecting his throwing shoulder but plans to play after receiving a plasma injection for pain relief. But Denver lost at home to the Colts last week in one of the ugliest games of the season, a nasty loss that doesn’t suggest the Broncos can challenge the Chargers, a top-10 scoring team.
But Wilson and company don’t have to win; they just have to cover. The run-heavy Browns did that last week against the Chargers, who are giving up more rushing yards per carry (5.8) than any other team in the league. Pick: Broncos +5.5
How bet lines work
A quick introduction for those unfamiliar with betting lines, favorites are listed next to a negative number that indicates by how many points they need to win to cover the spread. Packers -8.5, for example, means Green Bay must beat the Giants by at least 9 points for its backers to win their bet. Players can also bet on total points, ie whether the teams’ total score in the game will be over or under a preselected number of points.
Betting market data comes from Action Network’s public betting data and lines from Unabated’s real-time odds tracker.