The Buffalo Bills (2-0) and Carolina Panthers (1-1) wrap up their preseason schedule Friday. Kickoff from Bank of America Stadium is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Bills vs. Panthers odds, and make our best NFL picks, predictions and bets.
The Bills throttled the visiting Denver Broncos 42-15 last weekend, playing the starters for most of the 1st quarter. But the run game continued to be impressive well after the 1st unit was out of there, showing some tremendous organizational depth.
Coach Sean McDermott confirmed early this week that most of his 1st-team players will not play Friday in Charlotte, including star QB Josh Allen.
The Panthers were on the short end of a 20-10 loss at New England after joint practices with the Patriots last week. The only touchdown came via pick-6 from DB Tae Hayes, too.
Carolina made headlines this week, officially naming QB Baker Mayfield as the starter, while also announcing rookie QB Matt Corral (foot) suffered a long-term injury. Mayfield is expected to play into the 2nd quarter Friday, with QBs Sam Darnold and PJ Walker finishing up.
Bills at Panthers odds
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 4:01 p.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Bills +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Panthers -280 (bet $280 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Bills +6.5 (-115) | Panthers -6.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 39.5 (O: -117 | U: -103)
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Bills at Panthers picks and predictions
Prediction
Panthers 22, Bills 16
Money line
The Panthers (-280) will use the 1st-team offense well into the 2nd quarter, while the Bills (+220) will take a low-key approach to this preseason finale, using mostly reserves.
The advantage is to the home side, but you can’t risk nearly 3 times your potential return on a favorite in a preseason game.
AVOID.
Against the spread
The PANTHERS -6.5 (-105) are worth playing lightly, as the starters on offense should feature well into the 2nd quarter in front of the home fans. Coach Matt Rhule will give us a glimpse of what to expect from the Panthers, and it might be a little better than the regular season, since they’ll be facing a Bills team using mostly reserves.
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Over/Under
The UNDER 39.5 (-103) is the way to go here, as no Allen means the offense is likely to be a little slower for Buffalo. Of course, that wasn’t the case at home against Denver last week even after Allen exited.
Still, the Panthers offense managed just a field goal last weekend, and it is still a work in progress.
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