This is the one the guys landed on opposite sides of. Ryan Kramer wanted the home dog, Sean Green wanted to lay the points, and they spent the segment trying to drag each other across. Carolina at Atlanta kicks Sunday, September 20 at 1:00 PM ET in Atlanta, GA, with the Panthers favored by 2.5 and the total at 44. The whole argument is on the NFL Picks Week 2 episode.
Panthers vs Falcons Odds
Carolina is laying 2.5 on the road and the total is 44. That number is the entire disagreement, because neither host liked what he saw at quarterback on either side.
Our Picks
- Ryan Kramer (@KramerCentric): ATL +2.5
- Sean Green (@SeanTGreen): CAR -2.5
Sean led with the trend that argues against his own ticket. Per the show, the Panthers have not won outright or covered the spread in a game they were favored in since September 23, 2021, and Ryan had the same nugget written down. Sean took them anyway. His counterweight was Carolina going 9-0 ATS after a loss last season, and a head coach who seems to have a real knack for getting this group up the week after a beating.
The bigger reason was the other side’s quarterback. Atlanta’s likely starter is Cooper Rush, and Sean’s framing was that you can talk market analytics, trends, stats and advanced AI, or you can bet on Cooper Rush. He also thinks Carolina’s Week 1 blowup overstates the defense. The guys noted the Panthers gave up 59 points at home and two separate 100 yard rushers, but Sean’s read is that they were forced to defend the pass against Caleb Williams and a deep group of targets. Spend Sunday loading up against Bijan Robinson instead and it is a different job.
Ryan pushed straight back. Division game, two teams that play each other tight every year, and you do not lay two and a half on the road with Bryce Young. He expects Atlanta to run it no matter who takes the first snap, he thought the Falcons’ offensive line held up well enough against a formidable Pittsburgh pass rush to trust it, and he pointed out that the play caller Atlanta has scheming around this quarterback situation has never had a back like Bijan to lean on. On top of that, Ryan is fading Bryce Young coming off a big number against a bad defense.
It nearly worked. Sean said out loud that Ryan had talked him into Atlanta. Then Ryan mentioned, quietly, that the Falcons turn around and play on Thursday night next week. Sean stopped, remembered getting talked onto the Chargers a week earlier and watching it die, and went back to Carolina. He also has an eye on the rookie quarterback in Atlanta’s building, who both of them would happily bet on if he ends up starting, though Sean wanted nothing to do with the futures price attached to him.
Hear the full breakdown on the NFL Picks Week 2 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.
