NFL Week 18 Odds: Panthers close out season as underdogs vs. Atlanta

The Panthers are what they usually are: underdogs.

Dec 29, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) is pressured by Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Anthony Nelson (98) in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Fresh off a blowout loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers are what they have been in every single game except for one: underdogs. Heading into the regular-season finale, which will be the final Panthers game, they're once again expected to lose.

The Panthers and their Week 18 opponents the Atlanta Falcons are both coming off of losses. The Falcons lost their chance to get that much closer to a postseason berth. They will need a win and a Tampa Bay loss to get in, and the odds expect them to hold up their end of that bargain.

Panthers heavy underdogs for last regular season tilt

On Monday morning, the Panthers have opened as 7.5-point underdogs per DraftKings. The spread is Falcons -7.5, which is -110. The odds for the Panthers to cover are also -110 to open. Those will change throughout the week as injuries and other things happen.

The over/under is set at 47.5, with both the over and under being -110 to open. The oddsmakers expect a fairly high-scoring affair, perhaps mostly influenced by Carolina's defense. The 47.5-point line was gone over by the Buccaneers alone in Week 17, so it's easy to see why the line is high when the Panthers are in town.

The outright odds aren't kind to Carolina, either. The Falcons are -410 to win on the moneyline, while the Panthers are +320 to pull off the road upset. With as many key injuries as the Panthers have, it's not hard to understand where the odds came from.

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