The Cleveland Browns and the Carolina Panthers open their regular seasons Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET (CBS). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Browns vs. Panthers odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.
The Browns made big headlines by signing QB Deshaun Watson during the offseason. He is suspended for the first 11 games, so QB Jacoby Brissett will make the start in the opener.
The Browns also made headlines when they traded QB Baker Mayfield to the Panthers in the wake of the Watson signing. As luck has it, the Panthers are first on the schedule, and he gets a crack at his former team after winning the starting job during the preseason.
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Browns at Panthers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 10 a.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Browns -108 (bet $108 to win $100) | Panthers -110 (bet $110 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Browns +0.5 (-108) | Panthers -0.5 (-112)
- Over/Under (O/U): 41.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Browns at Panthers key injuries
Browns
- OT Jack Conklin (knee) questionable
Panthers
- None
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Browns at Panthers picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 23, Browns 20
Money line
This is a very important start for Mayfield, as he gets a revenge game in Week 1. He wants to show the Browns that they made a huge mistake parting ways with him, going with Watson instead.
The PANTHERS (-108) are a good play since Mayfield has a chip on his shoulder.
Against the spread
Playing the Panthers -0.5 (-112) isn’t necessary given it provides worse odds than the money line. This actually should be a pretty close game with scoring at a premium, but if you think the Panthers are going to win just play the money line for the better payout.
PASS.
Over/Under
OVER 41.5 (-112) is worth playing lightly. I expect both teams to try to establish the run early, easing their new quarterbacks into action, but we still won’t see a defensive slog.
There are plenty of home run hitters on both sides, including RB Christian McCaffrey and WR DJ Moore for Carolina, and WR Amari Cooper and RB Nick Chubb for Cleveland. We could see a surprising number of big plays.
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More NFL Week 1 coverage
- Experts: ML, ATS and OU predictions
- Best picks: Underdogs | 5 player props | Survivor
- Bet Slippin’ podcast with guest Minty Bets of Yahoo! Sports
- Updated fantasy football rankings (PPR scoring)
- Super Bowl LVII odds
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