The Carolina Panthers will be looking to end a three-game straight-up losing streak in NFC Divisional Playoff action when they play host to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday as 2.5-point betting favorites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The 15-1 Panthers capped their regular season schedule with a convincing 38-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as 10-point home chalk.
However, they have failed to progress past the Divisional Playoff round since 2006, taking a 1-4 SU overall record in their past five playoff games into Sunday afternoon’s Seahawks vs. Panthers betting matchup at Bank of America Stadium.
Carolina has dominated in the standings, but struggled at the sportsbooks down the stretch, going 2-3 against the spread in their final five regular-season contests. However, they remain a solid bet at home, covering in five of their past six games according to the OddsShark NFL Database.
The Seahawks continued their strong defensive play in last weekend’s 10-9 Wild Card victory over Minnesota. Seattle has won seven of eight SU, allowing more than 13 points on just two occasions while holding opponents to just two total major scores over their past five wins.
The Seahawks have also been one of the NFL’s most successful playoff performers over the past two years, going 6-1 SU in their past seven postseason games, including a 43-8 victory over Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII.
In Saturday’s NFC Divisional Playoff matchup, the Arizona Cardinals hope to avoid losing back-to-back contests for the first time in over a year when they host the Green Bay Packers as 7.5-point betting favorites. The Cardinals suffered a 36-6 loss to the Seahawks in their final regular-season outing as 6-point chalk.
That loss further diminished the attraction of Arizona as a heavy favorite, dropping them to 2-5 ATS in their past seven when favored by six or more points. However, the club has held opponents to just 12.2 points per game over their past five wins, forcing the point total UNDER in five of their past six, including three home contests.
The Packers travel to the desert riding high following a 35-18 win over the NFC East champion Washington Redskins in last weekend’s Wild Card matchup, picking up the outright win as 2-point underdogs.
The win ended a two-game SU and ATS slide and marked their highest offensive output on the road since a 38-17 win in Chicago early in the 2014 campaign.
The Packers are a mediocre 4-3 SU and ATS in their last seven road games, 2-2 SU and ATS in their last four games as underdogs, and winless in their past two visits to University of Phoenix Stadium.