Carolina Panthers at Washington Commanders - 8/13/22 NFL Picks and Prediction
The Carolina Panthers and Washington Commanders face off on Saturday in an NFL preseason game at FedEx Field. When these two teams faced off in November of 2021 it was Commanders that won 27-21.
There aren’t a ton of quarterback battles across the league this season, but the Panthers have one of them. The Panthers made a trade for Baker Mayfield this offseason and Sam Darnold is still on the roster. Both Mayfield and Darnold are competing for the starting job, and it’s unclear if either guy is ahead in the battle right now. The team also drafted Matt Corrall and although he isn’t apart of the competition for starting this year, there are many who believe he could be the future under center for this team. Christian McCaffrey is also healthy heading into the season although it’s hard to imagine that he is going to play in this game.
On the other side of this matchup is the Commanders who have three solid quarterbacks, there are plenty of question marks surrounding the position. Carson Wentz was brought in this offseason but there has been a talk about his inconsistency during training camp. The team also has Taylor Heinicke and Sam Ehlinger under center. I would expect all three guys to play plenty in this game. Star defensive end Chase Young is still recovering from his ACL injury, and will miss at least the season opener this season.
The Commanders are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games on Saturday. The over is 8-0 in the Commanders last eight games on Saturday. The under is 5-0 in the Commander's last eight games on Saturday.
I expect some good play in this game, but the better team is going to be the Panthers. It wouldn’t shock me if Willis only plays a drive or two here with Mayfield and Darnold playing a ton. Look for Mayfield and Darnold to both play well and that is going to be the difference as the Panthers get the job done. Back the Panthers against the spread. If you can find a book that will allow you to buy points I would bet this all the way to Panthers -5.5
AUTHOR: Shane Mickle
