The Arizona Cardinals have lost three of their last four and will now travel coast to coast to take on a Carolina Panthers team that has been competitive down the stretch.
Now penned as +4.5 underdogs at home, my Cardinals vs. Panthers predictions and NFL picks are backing Chuba Hubbard on Sunday, December 22.
Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET from Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, with the game airing on FOX.
Cardinals vs Panthers prediction
Cardinals vs Panthers spread prediction
Despite having just three wins to their name and now losers of four straight, the Panthers have been largely impressive during this losing streak. They lost to the playoff-bound Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Eagles by a combined 12 points, covering in each of those games.
Granted, they stumbled through last week against the Cowboys, but they lost the turnover margin by three in a massive regression game from Bryce Young (two interceptions, two fumbles).
Cardinals vs Panthers moneyline prediction
Outside of last week's struggles, the second-year quarterback had been largely impressive in the four games prior to that, with a 4:1 TD: INT ratio.
And to his credit, he has avoided sacks all year — something he failed to do last year. Last week was just his second game this year in 11 starts taking more than two sacks, a mark he had hit in 13 of his 16 starts last year.
If Bryce can keep things cleaner on Sunday, the Panthers should be able to pull out the win.
My best bet
Panthers +4.5 (-105 at BetMGM)
My analysis
While we have reason to believe the Carolina Panthers can win outright on Sunday, the points are the better value here as the defense hasn't been as quietly impressive as the offense.
But they at least get a friendlier matchup against an Arizona Cardinals offense that had managed just 46 combined points in the three weeks prior to last week's 30-point performance against the bottom-of-the-barrel Patriots.
And it's not as if the Cardinals have been impressive on defense this year either, as they have ranked 15th in both pass and run defense DVOA this year and are 20th in takeaways.
And Kyler Murray has seemingly become gun shy when it comes to using his legs, as he has had just one game above 21 rushing yards in the last seven.
Cardinals vs Panthers same-game parlay
Panthers +4.5
Kyler Murray under 25.5 rushing yards
Chuba Hubbard anytime touchdown
When building out a same-game parlay, we can actually take advantage of Kyler Murray's lack of rushing volume and efficiency.
On the volume side, he has had five or more rushes in just two of his last six games after having reached that mark in seven of his first eight.
On the efficiency side, he has failed to reach a double-digit yard-per-carry mark in seven straight games after having done it in four of his first seven.
If we expect this game to play in favor of the Panthers, then leaning on Chuba Hubbard makes sense. He has found the endzone in seven of his 14 games this year but just once in the last three weeks as rookie Jonathon Brooks ramped up during his return from injury.
But Brooks, unfortunately, had a season-ending injury last week, and Hubbard is likely to go back to the full workhorse load that he had from Week 4 through 10, during which he scored six touchdowns in seven games.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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More NFL picks and odds from Covers
Cardinals vs Panthers odds
Cardinals vs Panthers live odds
Cardinals vs Panthers opening odds
- Spread: Arizona -4.5 (-115) | Carolina +4.5 (-105)
- Moneyline: Arizona (-230) | Carolina (+190)
- Over/Under: Over 47 (-110) | Under 47 (-110)
Odds courtesy of BetMGM
Cardinals vs Panthers spread and Over/Under analysis
- The Cardinals are 6-2-0 ATS across its previous eight games.
- Carolina is 5-1-0 ATS in their past six contests.
- Arizona is 4-2-0 to the Under in their past six games.
- Carolina is 4-2-0 to the Over across its last six.
- 75% of Covers Consensus users are backing Arizona on the spread, while 51% are taking the Over.
Cardinals vs Panthers betting trend to know
Carolina is 5-1-0 ATS in their past six contests. Find more NFL betting trends for Cardinals vs. Panthers.
Cardinals vs Panthers game info
| Location: | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC |
| Date: | Sunday, 12-22, 2024 |
| Kickoff: | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FOX |
Cardinals vs Panthers latest injuries
Cardinals vs Panthers weather
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