First Touchdown Scorer Prop Bets for Panthers vs. Packers on Thursday Night Football

It’s only Week 8, but this has the feel of a game that could be important down the line for Wild Card purposes, doesn’t it?

The Panthers will travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Packers on Thursday Night Football, with both teams directly on the heels of very frustrating losses this past Sunday.

Which teams will get back on track? More importantly, which team will get off to a great start and score the game’s first touchdown? Let’s break down the first scorer odds on the DraftKings Sportsbook and make a couple of picks.

Panthers vs. Packers First Touchdown Scorer Odds

Panthers vs. Packers First Touchdown Scorer Picks

Josh Jacobs First TD Scorer (+475)

There’s no need to get cute here. Just put some money on Josh Jacobs to be the first touchdown scorer, and accept your modest payout when it inevitably happens. Across 2024 and 2025, the big-bodied Jacobs registered 28 rushing touchdowns — tied for the fourth-most in the NFL in that span of time. He simply has a nose for the end zone and the Packers are more than willing to feed him. I’d also expect Jacobs to see an uptick in usage in his second game back from the exempt list, as he was limited to a 52.2% snap share and 16 touches in Week 7. Then there’s the allure of the matchup. The Panthers can not stop the run. At all. After conceding a jaw-dropping 258 rushing yards last weekend to the Buccaneers, Carolina ranks dead-last in the league in opponent rushing yards per game (153.2). It’s 30th in defensive EPA per play against the run, too.

Tetairoa McMillan First TD Scorer (+1200)

While McMillan’s failed to even find the end zone in five of the Panthers’ six games so far this season, the former eighth-overall pick profiles as a classic red zone weapon. Remember, McMillan is 6’5 with a nearly 78-inch wingspan. The wideout is almost impossible to cover in a vertical sense, which is exactly the skill set you want when the field’s length is condensed. Carolina obviously knows this, too, as McMillan comes into Thursday’s action leading the squad in targets inside the 20-yard line (7). Matchup is also playing a role here. Through seven weeks, the Packers have funneled aerial volume from tight ends to opposing wide receivers. To wit, Green Bay is surrendering the fourth-most targets per game to WRs (21.9) and the third-fewest to TEs (6.0). That clearly benefits McMillan’s value in fantasy and betting.