Panthers Cardinals Line

Written by Jack Jones

Two NFL teams with the biggest offseason moves at quarterback square off in Week 1 Sunday. The Carolina Panthers selected Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton with their No. 1 overall pick this past April. The Arizona Cardinals traded Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for franchise QB Kevin Kolb. How will these two fare this weekend?

According to the Week 1 NFL odds, Kolb should have the edge as the Cardinals are 7-point home favorites with a total set of 37 points.

Carolina

The Panthers finished with the worst record in the league last year at 2-14. They are hoping Newton can come in and help turn things around right away. The Panthers signed head coach Ron Rivera to bring a new attitude to Carolina. Rivera comes over after a very successful stint with the San Diego Chargers. As the defensive coordinator there, Rivera led a stop unit that finished No. 1 in the league last year.

Despite completing just 42.1 percent of his passes in the preseason, Newton beat out both Jimmy Clausen and former Arizona quarterback Derek Anderson for the starting job. He did take care of the football without throwing an interception this preseason, and his dual-threat ability likely won him the job. Newton rushed for 83 yards on only nine carries while scoring a touchdown.

Newton will have his hands full with an offense that ranked last in total yards (258.4) and passing yards (143.1) a year ago. He does have four-time Pro Bowl WR Steve Smith at his disposal. The Panthers also signed tight ends Jeremy Shockey and Greg Olsen, who are each expected to play a big role in offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski’s system. Carolina has the 1-2 punch of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart in the backfield, and it’s scary what these two can do when healthy.

Arizona

The Cardinals went just 5-11 last season, finishing in the cellar of the NFC West. Arizona had become accustomed to dominating the division, winning the NFC West each of the previous two seasons. But when Kurt Warner announced his retirement, Arizona realized how much they missed their quarterback. They use four different starting QB’s last year, and not one stuck. The Cardinals are hoping the Kolb can change all of that.

Kolb will have the luxury of throwing to one of the best wide receivers in the league in Larry Fitzgerald. The stud wideout earned an eight-year, $120 million deal this offseason after catching 90 balls for 1,137 yards and six touchdowns in 2010. Arizona also added tight end Todd Heap from the Baltimore Ravens, a position they have struggled with for years now.

Arizona is slim in the backfield after trading Tim Hightower to the Washington Redskins. They also lost rookie Ryan Williams to a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. That leaves the injury-plagued Beanie Wells to handle the running back duties. He average a paltry 3.4 yards/carry last season. They did sign Chester Taylor on Monday to add some depth.

Betting Trends

While Carolina has dropped eight straight on the road, they are 4-0 all-time when playing in Arizona. The Panthers topped the Cardinals 19-12 at home last year thanks to 137 rushing yards from Stewart.

Neither team has done well against the spread recently. The Panthers are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games, while the Cardinals have dropped six of their last eight against the number. Arizona is also 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games as a home favorite, so they could have a hard time covering a touchdown.

If you are looking for NFL advice this weekend, then look no further. Jack Jones has your covered with his NFL selections, which are all accompanied by detailed analysis so you won’t be betting anything blindly.

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