Prime time comes to Charlotte, NC, when the Panthers host the Lions on Sunday, October 4 at 8:20 PM ET, and the Sunday night game split Sean Green and Ryan Kramer right down the middle. The Lions were 3.5-point favorites with a total of 51 when the guys taped on September 30. On the NFL Picks Week 4 episode, Ryan laid that number with Detroit while Sean took the points with Carolina.
Lions vs Panthers Odds
The Lions were 3.5-point road favorites with a total of 51 when the guys taped on September 30.
Our Picks
- Ryan Kramer (@KramerCentric): Lions -3.5
- Sean Green (@SeanTGreen): Panthers +3.5
Ryan set the segment up by noting Carolina has an early bye coming, then asked what to make of the Panthers’ loss in Cleveland. Sean actually found positives on defense, mostly in how Carolina bounced back against the run. He called the Detroit passing game worrisome with two Panthers on injured reserve, but he also said the Lions have been bad against tight ends, and he figures Darren Waller is live for a touchdown.
That led into Sean’s real case, which is all about the spot. He said Carolina is 10-0 against the spread off a loss and now gets to come home. Detroit, by his count, is 1-2 ATS, and its only cover came against a Jets team that had a shot at a backdoor cover or an outright win on the final possession. He doesn’t trust the Lions as a road favorite with that defense. Add a home crowd he expects to show up for a Sunday night game, plus the Lions playing outdoors, and he was happy to take the points.
Ryan went straight to Carolina’s injury report, especially along the offensive line. He doesn’t expect it to be cold, so he isn’t worried about Jared Goff outdoors, and he thinks Goff can pick this defense apart. Sean’s answer was that Carolina will make a couple of big plays and that he doesn’t think the Panthers are quite that bad. The bounce-back spot is the main reason he likes them. Ryan then hit him with Dan Campbell’s 13-4 record as a road favorite, and Sean granted that Campbell’s ATS numbers are good before sticking with Carolina.
The last exchange was about a shootout. Ryan doubts Carolina can keep up if the points pile up, with a Detroit pass rush he says has been working against a Panthers line that could be down a couple of linemen. Sean answered that Detroit let a quarterback throw for over 300 yards at home. Ryan laid the 3.5 anyway. “Nothing like road chalk on a Sunday night,” he said, and he signed off with “Good luck with Bryce.”
Hear the full breakdown on the NFL Picks Week 4 episode, or listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Watch every game on YouTube, and download the SGPN app at sg.pn/links. See all our NFL Picks.
