Panthers Vs. Packers 'thursday Night Football' Betting Odds, Picks And Predictions: Best Bets, Player Props

Two franchises looking to rebound from disheartening defeats square off Thursday when the Green Bay Packers host the Carolina Panthers in this intriguing showdown at Lambeau Field.

The Packers (4-3) are fresh off a tough 20-17 road loss against the Detroit Lions. Kicker Jake Bates drilled a 22-yard chip shot as time expired, giving Detroit the victory.

Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love went 27-of-45 for 274 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Josh Jacobs, who was making his season debut, and tight end Tucker Kraft caught the TD passes.

On the other side, things couldn't have been any worse for Carolina. Shockingly, the Panthers (3-3) found themselves down 33-6 at the half to the Buccaneers and never recovered in a 43-13 rout at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Carolina QB Bryce Young had one of the worst days of his career, and Tampa Bay's running backs combined for a stunning 258 yards on the ground.

With both Carolina and Green Bay in the middle of hotly contested division races, a win here would go a long way as we get close to the halfway point of the season.

Carolina Panthers at Green Bay Packers (-3.5, 47.5)

Thursday night games have been difficult to handicap this season, and this clash isn't much easier.

We have teams in front of us that have been extremely hard to read. You have one in Green Bay, which has big wins against Chicago and Dallas. However, the Packers suffered a bad Thursday night home loss against the Atlanta Falcons earlier this season and struggled to eke out an overtime win against the New York Jets.

Carolina has beaten Detroit and crushed an Atlanta team without Michael Penix Jr. in a 34-3 road rout. But then there is the season-opening home loss to Chicago and last week's forgettable effort against Tampa Bay.

Questions clearly surround both franchises, but I think Carolina's résumé is slightly better than what Green Bay has put together, and I have more faith in the visiting outfit. The Panthers could have (and probably should have) won on the road against the Cleveland Browns (5-2), where four scoring drives stalled and led to field goals.

I'm backing Carolina to keep this one close in what should be a game that's decided late. And remember that Young is 12-0 against the spread coming off a loss in his career. Head coach Dave Canales' teams are also 8-2 ATS exiting home defeats.

I like the alternate number we're getting on the spread bumping up one point, so we'll take the Panthers at this decent price.

Bet: Panthers +4.5 alt spread (-122, FanDuel)

Player props

QB Bryce Young over 1.5 TD passes (-104, FanDuel)

Surprisingly to many fans and pundits alike, Young has been a model of consistency this season.

The former Alabama star has thrown for 1,712 yards this season, which is good for 10th overall. He has also racked up 12 touchdown passes against four interceptions. Prior to last week's home debacle, Young had thrown for at least 281 yards in the first five games.

He has cleared this number four times, which includes two games where he had three touchdown passes.

I know Green Bay's defense is tough against the pass (208 yards allowed per game) and has generated pressure on 38.5% of dropbacks sans blitzing, leading to the fourth-highest pressure rate across the league. However, this is a prime bounce-back spot for Young in a game I think we could see some offensive fireworks.

With marquee wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan at his disposal, I fully expect Young to reach at least two touchdowns. Throw in tight end Darren Waller, who caught a 50-yard touchdown from Young last week, and Chuba Hubbard catching balls out of the backfield and I think Young could have a big rebound outing at Lambeau.

RB Josh Jacobs 60+ rushing yards (-108) | 70+ yards rushing (+154) at FanDuel

Jacobs made a decent impression in his first appearance of the season for Green Bay, finishing with 11 carries for 36 yards. Where he really made an impact was in the passing game, amassing five receptions on seven targets for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Now, with a game under his belt, he gets arguably the most favorable matchup he'll see all season facing a Carolina defense that ranks dead last against the run. The Panthers are yielding a whopping 153.2 rushing yards per contest. The 11 rushing touchdowns Carolina has given up are tied for the league worst with Detroit.

I think Jacobs is going to relish the opportunity against a porous Carolina run defense. He wound up with 87 yards and touchdown in last season's game against Carolina, so I'm confident backing him to clear both numbers in this mini-ladder play

Anytime TD scorers

RB Chuba Hubbard (-115, FanDuel)

It was a quiet Week 7 for Hubbard, who carried the ball just seven times for 33 yards in the blowout loss against Tampa Bay.

Obviously, those paltry numbers — both season lows — can be correlated with the fact Carolina's game script was completely thrown out the door when it trailed 33-6 at the half. So, there should be no cause for concern for Hubbard, who ran for a combined 242 yards and three touchdowns in wins against Detroit and Philadelphia, moving forward.

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This looks like a perfect bounce-back opportunity. Green Bay has been terrible keeping opposing running backs out of the end zone, with Carolina and New Orleans the only franchises conceding more touchdowns (11) to the position than the host side (nine) this season.

Hubbard can be a threat in the passing game out of the backfield, recording two touchdowns through the air this season, so I'm confident he can add to his TD haul.

TE Tucker Kraft (+170, FanDuel)

I've always been high on Kraft and what he brings to this Green Bay offense. And he's been a solid contributor through the first six games of the season.

The Packers tight end has racked up 29 receptions on 43 targets for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, he recorded four catches and 48 yards and a score in the loss to the Lions, finishing fourth in targets (six) on a day when Love threw the ball 45 times.

Adam Stenavich, Green Bay's offensive coordinator, when asked this week about Kraft and his role in the offense said: "Anytime we can get Tuck the ball is great for our offense. Obviously, he's one of our top playmakers … I think this last game, we could have gotten him the ball a couple more times. I can't remember specifically off the top of my head how many targets he had, but you want it to be around 10-ish. That would be great."

With Matthew Golden dealing with foot and shoulder issues, the Packers are going to need someone to step up. Golden had a team-high 12 targets in the loss against Detroit, so I believe Kraft will be the benefactor — particularly in the red zone — for Love and the offense.

Back Kraft to find the end zone for the second consecutive week at a decent price.