Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season has arrived. The Carolina Panthers will take on the Atlanta Falcons in a divisional matchup on Sunday, September 10. Kickoff from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia is set for 1 p.m. ET, and the game will air on Fox.
The Falcons are 3.5-point favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook. They have -192 moneyline odds, while the Panthers are installed as the +160 underdogs. The point total is set at 39.5.
Panthers vs. Falcons, Week 1: Pick against the spread
The Panthers are entering a new era. They have a new coaching staff led by head coach Frank Reich and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. Carolina traded up to the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and selected QB Bryce Young. He has already been named the starter and will make his debut on Sunday. The Panthers overhauled offense also includes RB Miles Sanders, WR Adam Thielen, WR DJ Chark and TE Hayden Hurst. Thielen is questionable for the game, and Chark has already been ruled out. Star LB Brian Burns was a training camp hold-in looking for a new contract but has not received it at the time of this writing. He is still expected to take the field with Carolina, who will look to rely on its defense with the injuries to its new offense.
The Falcons finished last season with a 7-10 record. The Marcus Mariota experiment didn’t go as planned, and now Atlanta will see what they have in Desmond Ridder. Despite having Drake London, Mack Hollins and Kyle Pitts as pass-catching options, the Falcons are still expected to be a run-heavy offense with No. 8 overall pick Bijan Robinson. The NFC South is very winnable this year, and Atlanta projects to be in the mix for a divisional title. It could fall on the shoulders of their defense, which has a favorable matchup against a rookie quarterback to start the year.
The Pick: Panthers +3.5