Thursday Night Football: Panthers vs Packers Predictions

Both the Carolina Panthers and Green Bay Packers will look to stay above .500 in this week’s Thursday night football game. The Panthers and Packers both fell to division rivals on Sunday, dropping Carolina to 3-3 and Green Bay to 4-3 on the season. A Carolina victory on NFL Thursday night football will keep the Panthers atop the NFC South, while the Packers are currently in last place in the NFC North and need a win to keep pace with Minnesota, Chicago, and Detroit. Keep reading to discover our Thursday night football predictions here.

Thursday Night Football Matchup Preview

Green Bay is the favorite in NFL betting odds in this Thursday night football matchup since it is never easy to go into Lambeau Field. However, much will be made of the Packers getting blown out at home by the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night in Week 3. The Packers were favored by 4.5 points in that game, yet they lost by 21 points as Michael Penix Jr., Bijan Robinson, and Drake London had big statistical days while Green Bay could not establish the run behind a piecemeal offensive line.

Team Records & Recent Form

Carolina is 3-3 SU and 3-3 ATS coming into this game. The Panthers covered the spread in all three of their wins, and they have nice victories over Detroit and Philadelphia. However, this has been a tough team to figure out as the Panthers were blown out by Chicago in their season opener and completely collapsed against Tampa Bay last week. Carolina was a home favorite yet lost by 30 points after turning the ball over four times. Bryce Young was responsible for three of those turnovers and was benched for Kenny Pickett late in the fourth quarter.

Officiating played a major part in Green Bay’s loss to Detroit last week. The Packers were flagged for three personal fouls, and they now have been penalized for roughing the passer an NFL-high eight times this season. The loss dropped Green Bay to 4-3 SU and 4-3 ATS on the season, but the Packers have now covered in each of their last four games as they were underdogs of 3.5 points against the Lions. This defense hasn’t allowed more than 20 points in a game during that stretch, and that has led to Green Bay playing four straight games that went Under the total.

Key Injuries & Roster Updates

There have been some major injury issues along the offensive line for Carolina. Starting right tackle Taylor Moton missed the first four games of the season due to blood clots and is likely out for the season after suffering a broken fibula on Sunday. Veteran offensive lineman Brady Christensen has been on injured reserve with a hamstring injury since the start of the year after tearing his Achilles’ tendon last season, and 2022 first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu is still recovering from a knee injury. The receiving corps is also banged up with Chris Brazzell II and Xavier Legette on injured reserve, and Jalen Coker is questionable.

Green Bay is also dealing with serious injury issues along the offensive and defensive lines. Starting guards Aaron Banks and Travis Glover are both questionable to play, while center Sean Rhyan is likely to miss several weeks with an ankle injury. Receivers Jayden Reed and Skyy Moore are on injured reserve, and 2025 first-round pick Matthew Golden is questionable to play. The defensive line has five players on injured reserve, and Devonte Wyatt and Anthony Campbell are currently questionable. Top linebackers Micah Parsons and Zaire Franklin are also out for the foreseeable future as Parsons suffered a hairline fracture in his shin last week.

Storylines to Watch

Josh Jacobs returned to the starting lineup for Green Bay last week after spending the first six weeks of the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. Jacobs could still face further punishment from the league for an off-field incident in May, but his return gave the Packers a spark. He had 16 touches for 91 yards and a touchdown, showcasing his skills as a receiver out of the backfield. Jacobs will likely see even more carries in Week 8.

Thursday Night Football Odds

This line has slowly moved in Green Bay’s favor throughout the last couple days. The Packers were originally a three-point favorite, and that line moved to 3.5 points on Sunday evening.

Point Spread Odds

As of Monday evening, the Green Bay Packers are favored by 4 points against the Carolina Panthers in this NFL Thursday night football game.

Moneyline Odds

Green Bay is sitting at -185 on the moneyline in this game. That means you would need to bet $185 on the Packers to make a $100 profit if the home team gets the win. Meanwhile, Carolina is a +155 moneyline underdog, so a $100 bet on the Panthers would return $155 if they picked up the win.

Over/Under Odds

Although the Under has cashed in each of Green Bay’s last four games, the total in this game is 48 points. The Over is 4-2 in Thursday Night Football this season.

Thursday Night Football Predictions

It was nice to hit on my Thursday night football picks last week. Chicago beat New England by exactly six points just like I predicted as the Bears covered the number. I also hit four of my six player props, and I barely missed out on the Drake Maye over for rushing yards prop, as he was the leading rusher for the Patriots.

Winner Prediction

Carolina has been pretty hit or miss this season. The Panthers have scored some big wins and have suffered some big losses too. Four of their six games have been decided by 10 or more points with two of those games being wins and two of those games being losses. The line has moved against them, but I will pick the Panthers in an upset.

Score Prediction

Carolina Panthers 24, Green Bay Packers 20

X-Factor of the Game

Tetairoa McMillan was not much of a factor last week, but Carolina’s top receiver could have a big game against Green Bay’s secondary on Thursday night. McMillan has the playmaking ability to get open against one of the better pass defenses in the NFL.

Best Bets for Thursday Night Football

One of my Thursday Night Football best bets is Carolina moneyline. The Panthers have gone on the road to beat both Atlanta and Philadelphia by double digits this season, and I think they can get the job done once more in Week 8.

Best Spread Bet

Carolina Panthers +4

Best Moneyline Bet

Carolina Panthers +155

Best Total Bet

Under 48 Points

Thursday Night Football Player Props

More NFL player props will be released closer to kickoff, but here are the NFL props that I will be betting on for this week’s Thursday Night Football game.

Passing Props

Bryce Young should be able to throw for Over 250.5 passing yards in this game. Young had his worst game of the season last week against Tampa Bay, but the former No. 1 overall pick threw for at least 280 yards in each of his first five starts this season. He is averaging 7.5 YPA and had only thrown two interceptions all year prior to last week’s outing, so I believe that he will have a bounce-back game against Green Bay.

Additionally, I like Jordan Love to throw for Over 259.5 passing yards in this game. Love has thrown for 270 yards or more in five of his seven starts, and he is averaging 7.3 YPA. Green Bay’s offensive line issues have led to Love throwing the ball much more than he has in the past, and he is averaging 38.6 pass attempts per game. This ground game ranks dead last in yards per carry (2.9 YPC) and rushing yards per game (59.9 YPG), putting the offense squarely on Love’s shoulders.

Rushing Props

It does seem counterintuitive to like so many Overs in Player Props when I am betting the Under for the game, but I also like Chuba Hubbard to run for more than 69.5 yards. Hubbard was not used much in last week’s blowout loss, yet he easily went over the total in each of Carolina’s last three games. The former fourth-round draft pick from Alberta carried the ball 67 times for 324 yards and three touchdowns in three games prior to Week 7.

The return of Josh Jacobs does give this ground game a boost, but I don’t think Jacobs will move the needle that much. Green Bay has too many issues along the offense line, especially in the interior of the unit. Jacobs averaged just 3.3 YPC in his first start of the season, and I don’t think he will fare that much better on Thursday night.

Receiving Props

Tet McMillan is Carolina’s top receiver. McMillan has been targeted 55 times in six games, and he is averaging 14.2 YPR. Other than Jalen Coker, no other player has been targeted more than 22 times this season, so it’s likely that McMillan sees a lot of looks with Coker questionable due to a shoulder injury. I’ll take Tet McMillan Over 72.5 Receiving Yards.

Green Bay tight ends have a history of being slightly overrated. I believe that is once again the case with Tucker Kraft who some people herald as an elite tight end even though he has under 2,000 receiving yards in 49 career games. Kraft is being targeted a little over six times a game, so I will bet him Under 43.5 receiving yards.

Anytime Touchdown Scorer

Running backs are the safest bets here, and I believe both Josh Jacobs and Chuba Hubbard will find the end zone as both players are also solid receivers out of the backfield.

Thursday Night Football Betting Trends

If you are looking at NFL betting trends to follow ahead of this Thursday night game, take note that road underdogs are 38-25 ATS this season. That highlights a larger trend as road teams are 62-45 ATS overall through the first seven weeks.

Against the Spread Trends

Road teams went 11-3 ATS last week, but Green Bay has covered the number in four straight games.

Over/Under Trends

The Under has cashed in each of the Packers’ last four games, and the Under has also hit in three of Carolina’s last four games.

Head-to-Head Trends

Green Bay is 6-4 SU against Carolina since 2007, but the Panthers are 6-3-1 ATS against the Packers in that stretch. The Over cashed in seven of the last ten games between these two franchises.

How to Bet on Thursday Night Football

I am back to following my own advice with my NFL betting tips, as I like both the underdog and the Under in this game. Carolina has what it takes to win on a short week, and the cold Green Bay winter weather hasn’t rolled in just yet.

Understanding NFL Betting Markets

This number is likely to move between 3.5 and 4 points in the leadup to kickoff. It would take a major injury announcement for the line to move significantly at this point, and both quarterbacks are reasonably healthy.

Tips for Betting Thursday Night Football

Underdogs and Unders are usually good bets on Thursday Night Football given the short week for both teams.

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