NFL Week 1 picks, odds, best bets Sunday…
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The Bears and Panthers open their respective 2026 (*1*)NFL seasons in Charlotte with high hopes that they each can repeat the success they loved in 2025.
While both groups ended their seasons in related fashion — last-minute home playoff losses against the Rams — they also vastly exceeded expectations and raised the usual for their fanbases in the method.
Sportsbooks opened this unfold at Bears -2.5, and it was guess up to Bears -3 at BetMGM.
The Over/Under opened at 45.5 and moved up to 47 as we method kickoff.
Bears vs. Panthers odds, prediction
There are a lot of parallels between these two groups, particularly at quarterback.
Bryce Young was the No. 1 general decide in the 2023 NFL Draft; Caleb Williams was the top decide in 2024.
Both gamers have been overshadowed by quarterbacks in their respective drafts who took the league by storm as rookies — C.J. Stroud in 2023 and Jayden Daniels in 2024.
Last season, both gamers finally got here into their own and led their groups to division titles.
Bryce Young of the Carolina Panthers congratulates AJ Dillon on his landing. Getty Images
The enduring photos from the Bears last season have been sensational throws from Williams and game-winning comebacks. But those highlights obscure their flaws.
The protection, for instance, led the NFL in interceptions, but ranked twenty ninth in whole yards and twenty third in factors allowed. The Bears needed those wonderful performs on offense to stability out their boom-or-bust protection.
For Carolina, Young performed his best season to date, and Tetairoa McMillan seems to be like a stud at receiver, but their offense still managed just 18.3 factors per sport.
Catch up on The Post’s NFL betting previews and predictions for the 2026 season
The protection completed center of the pack in both yards (sixteenth) and factors allowed (fifteenth), but ranked second-to-last in strain proportion.
Both sides have flaws that will be exploited, but there’s a development right here that I can’t ignore.
The Panthers have been the best group in the league as a home underdog since the 2024 season, with a 10-5 report against the unfold.
I count on the Panthers to put up a struggle to open the season and keep this one within the quantity.
The Pick: Panthers +3 (-102, BetMGM)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Malik Smith has been immersed in the sports activities betting industry since 2017. He’s a data nerd with a specific focus on the NBA and fight sports activities. He spends his weeknights in the winter wanting for edges on plus-money NBA participant props.
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