Week 1 games are often the most difficult to pick. It takes a few weeks for the true contenders to separate themselves, and on the flip side, some time for the weaker teams to fall behind.
The Los Angeles Rams are seen as legitimate contenders, while the Carolina Panthers – their Week 1 opponent – should compete for an NFC South title this season. This makes for a difficult season-opening matchup in Charlotte for the defending NFC champion Rams.
They’re favored by only 2.5 points in Week 1, which is a fairly small spread, all things considered. The majority of experts are taking the Rams in this one, but it’s not as lopsided of a matchup as some others on the Week 1 slate.
According to NFL Pick Watch, 76 percent of experts are taking the Rams to beat the Panthers on the road. That’s only the 10th-highest total of any game this week, with 100 percent of the experts picking the Eagles and Seahawks to win their season openers.
These picks are straight-up and without the spread, so that makes it slightly more difficult to go with the Panthers. It should be a close game, however, given the circumstances.
The Panthers are difficult to beat at home, have a healthy Cam Newton ready to go and a defensive front that should give the Rams offensive line fits on the interior. Not to mention, it’s in the early kickoff window at 1 p.m. ET, which is always tough for West Coast teams.
