Green Bay Packers Vs. Carolina Panthers Week 9 NFL Betting Predictions, Picks and Parlays

Jordan Love Channels Favre as Carolina’s Line Crumbles

Forget about the drama, because Jordan Love is locked in, and the entire league just got a notice. When Packers QB Jordan Love completed 20 straight passes in Sunday night's 35-25 victory in Pittsburgh, he tied Brett Favre's franchise record for consecutive completions set way back in 2007. That’s legendary company. 

Love’s streak started when the team was actually down 16-7 and powered a massive comeback, ending with a 32-19 lead. The guy was surgical, posting a 152.1 rating during the streak and earning NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his virtuoso performance. He’s not just filling Aaron Rodgers' shoes; he’s doing things only Favre has done in that iconic uniform.

Now, Green Bay comes home to face the Carolina Panthers, and the vibe around the game has shifted dramatically in the last few days, mostly due to the sheer disaster that hit Carolina's offensive line last week. They lost 40-9 to the Bills, but the real cost was the health of their O-line. Right guard Brady Christensen hurt his Achilles and after that, he was spotted in a boot and on a scooter, so you know it's the end of the season.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Taylor Moton, the starting right tackle, hurt his knee and Cade Mays, the starting center, hurt his ankle. To finish the game, Coach Dave Canales had to switch in players who were either midseason substitutes from practice squads or deep reserves. The Panthers' line, which had been surprisingly resilient despite using six different lineups this year, is now totally decimated right when they need to protect Bryce Young from a ferocious Green Bay defense.

Speaking of Young, his status is still up in the air. He missed the Week 8 shellacking with an ankle injury, leaving veteran Andy Dalton to take the 40-9 beating. Canales said Young had a "good running session" and might practice Wednesday, which is a lukewarm update, but the oddsmakers aren't waiting. The line for this road game has already swung to Panthers +13 because everyone is bracing for the possibility of another start from Dalton, who is just 1-6 as a starter for Carolina. Without their anchor linemen, and potentially without their starting quarterback, the 4-4 Panthers are walking into a full-blown buzzsaw against a 5-1-1 Packers team that just saw its young QB tie a record held by a legend.

If Young can't go, the focus will be squarely on Carolina's backfield, with Rico Dowdle and Tet McMillan needing to step up to keep the pressure off Dalton. But if Love continues to play with the rhythm and confidence he showed in Pittsburgh, a place the Packers hadn’t won in decades, the Panthers' banged-up secondary and front seven are going to be in for a long Sunday at Lambeau. The only path to an upset involves Young playing and their makeshift O-line somehow holding up, but right now, the momentum is all Green Bay’s, fueled by Love’s historic performance.