Los Angeles Rams vs. Carolina Panthers 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Betting Odds For Week 1

The Los Angeles Rams are one of four road favorites in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season. The defending NFC champions are set to visit the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon in what could be a matchup of two playoff teams.

L.A. is laying 2.5 points, according to the latest betting line at OddsShark. The game total is 50.

The Rams remain one of the best teams in the conference, and they could very well win Super Bowl LIV after losing to the New England Patriots in last season’s title game. Don’t sleep on the Panthers this season, who were on their way to a wild-card berth before Cam Newton’s shoulder injury derailed their 2018 campaign.

All reports indicate that the quarterback is completely healthy. As long as Newton’s shoulder and left foot, which he sprained in the preseason, aren’t going to affect his play, the Panthers are the right bet as home underdogs.

Carolina went undefeated in their first five home games of the 2018 season before Newton's shoulder started to become an issue. They went 6-2 at home in the previous season.

The ingredients are there for the Panthers to have one of the league’s most explosive offenses. Even with Newton missing the final few games, Carolina finished 2018 ranked eighth in yards per play. Christian McCaffrey is one of the league’s top playmakers, coming off a year in which he ran for 1,098 yards on 5.0 yards per carry and caught 107 passes. D.J. Moore could have a breakout season after totaling 788 receiving yards as a rookie.

The Rams, of course, are going to put up a ton of points in 2019. Los Angeles has led the NFC in scoring in both seasons under head coach Sean McVay.

There is a chance that Los Angeles’ offense won’t quite be running on all cylinders on the road in Week 1. The Rams have two new starters on the offensive line, going up against a Panthers’ front seven that added six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy in the offseason. Luke Kuechly is still in the conversation as the NFL’s best linebacker.

Carolina was certainly a much more appealing bet when the point spread was a field goal, but they are the right side of this Week 1 matchup.

Prediction Against The Spread: Carolina over Los Angeles, 30-27