Carolina Panthers win first game as favorite in nearly 5 years with rout of Atlanta Falcons

The Carolina Panthers haven’t been a favorite very often in recent seasons, but they did close as a 2.5-point road favorite against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Carolina not only hadn’t covered any of its last 12 games as a favorite, but had lost all of them outright.

The last game the Panthers had won outright as a favorite came nearly five years ago, back on Sept. 23, 2021, when Carolina beat the Houston Texans 24-9 as a 4.5-point home favorite.

It was a different story on Sunday afternoon.

The Panthers routed the Falcons 34-3, as they led 10-0 after the first quarter and 20-3 at halftime. Falcons starting quarterback Cooper Rush went 10-of-17 for 86 yards and two interceptions, while Bryce Young threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns in the win. The Falcons had five turnovers, and the game was never truly in doubt.

Last season, Carolina was a favorite only twice — -2.5 at New Orleans in Week 15 and -5.5 vs. New Orleans in Week 10 — and lost both games outright.

The Panthers are at the Browns in Week 3.