Carolina Panthers vs Washington Football Team Point Spread Picks

Washington has a fine defense, giving up 17 and 19 points the last two weeks, and they are off of a 29-19 upset of defending champion Tampa Bay as a +9.5 underdog. Washington coach Ron Rivera is 20-7 ATS off of an upset win as a dog, and the team is 10-4 ATS after a victory. Meanwhile, Carolina's offense is #25 in total yards, #27 in passing, and #20 in points. QB Cam Newton is an upgrade over Sam Darnold (7 TDs, 11 INTs), which isn't saying much. Newton played a limited role in last week's game, his first action after sitting out since August. Last year with New England, Newton threw 8 TDs with 10 interceptions while getting sacked 31 times. Carolina is 23-39 ATS as a home favorite of 3.5 to 7 points, and the underdog has covered eight of the last 11 meetings between these teams. Play Washington.

Carolina has been in almost every game, including four straight up wins as a dog. They come off a 24-16 loss at Green Bay, and the previous two games lost 32-27 to Denver and 28-27 at Minnesota. Carolina is on a 8-1 ATS run as an underdog, plus 88-61 ATS against losing teams. Washington has a losing record overall including at home. Their quarterbacks have combined for 13 TDs and 12 picks, with the offense averaging 20.3 points over the last three games. For the season, they're averaging just 19.1 points at home. Washington is 28-52 ATS at home versus losing teams, including 10-23 ATS at home against teams with a winning percentage between 25-40%. And NFL favorites like Washington, with a win-percentage between 40-49%, are 29-64 ATS after three or more straight spread covers. Take Carolina. 

Washington broke through with a win over Detroit, but the Redskins are stillgetting double digits this week. That is too many against Carolina, which has lost three in a row and comes off a disheartening loss at New Orleans. Rookie Dwayne Haskins wasn't anywhere near spectacular, but he did get his first victory while throwing for 156 yards. The Panthers lost as Will Lutz kicked a 33-yard field goal as time expired after Joel Slye missed one from 28 yards with two minutes left for Carolina. The Panthers have problems on defense as they have allowed an average of 30.1 points their last seven games and have fallen to #19 in the league in total yards allowed and that's just slightly better than Washington. The Redskins won last year's meeting 23-17 and the Panthers are 0-5 ATS in Week 13 the last five years. Also, Carolina is 3-9 ATS its last 12 games against teams with losing records as it plays down to its competition and the Panthers are 2-5 ATS their last seven December games. Look for Washington to stay within the number and play the Redskins.

Carolina has gone OVER its last three games by wide margins, including its 33-31 win over the Giants that went OVER by 20 points. Graham Gano kicked a 63-yard field goal with a second remaining to give the Panthers the victory after Eli Manning had thrown a 15-yard touchdown pass to Saquan Barkley with 1:08 remaining to give New York the lead. Cam Newton was 21-of-35 for 237 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Panthers, who are averaging 26.0 points per game. Washington's defense was victimized by Drew Brees on Monday night as he shattered the all-time record for passing yards. Brees had a field day with the Washington defense completing 26-of-29 for 363 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints racked up 447 total yards of offense and Mark Ingram contributed 53 yards on the ground on 16 carries. The Redskins have gone OVER their last six October games and the Panthers have gone OVER six of their last eight October games. Also, Carolina is 9-3 OVER its last 12 games following a win dating to last season. The Redskins are 22-9 OVER their last 31 games versus NFC opponents. Look for this matchup to soar OVER the total.

What a frustrating and disappointing season it has been for the Carolina Panthers. Last season they went 15-1 and played in the Super Bowl and this year they are 5-8 and won't be going back. This team started super "tight" and as a result, lost five of their first six games. But a funny thing happened after that. They losened up a bit and have since gone 3-3 with the three losses coming against three of the best teams in the league (Kansas City, Oakland and Seattle). If the playoffs started today, the Redskins, at 7-5-1, would be one of the six NFC teams heading for the post-season. Carolina has nothing to lose, and Riverboat Ron may hold some tricks up his sleeve here. Washington may be tight. It is always tougher playing needing to win, especially vs. a team that has nothing to lose. Washington has not been a good defensive team, and it will be tough stopping Cam Newton and company. Against elite QBs (Ben Roethlisberger, Dak Prescott, Eli Manning, Andy Dalton, Aaron Rodgers and Carson Palmer), the Skins have allowed over 29 points per game. Washington is just 2-3-1 in their last six games and have allowed 20+ points in each of their last seven. Teams that allow more than 24 points a game from Week 15 and out, are just 18-27 ATS as a -5.5 point home favorite or more. Make the play on Carolina to at least keep this one close.