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Panthers at Broncos: Odds, trends and more

By Brad Weiss

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Confetti falls as Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) reacts during his walk off the field following the game against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl 50 at Levi
Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Confetti falls as Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) reacts during his walk off the field following the game against the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl 50 at Levi /
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The 2016 NFL regular season kicks off with a rematch of Super Bowl 50. The Carolina Panthers will head to Denver to face the Broncos.

The Denver Broncos will kick off their 2016 schedule in a rematch of Super Bowl 50. The Carolina Panthers will come to town for a match-up on Thursday Night Football, as Cam Newton and company try to avenge their loss in February. The Broncos have a brand new starting quarterback to unveil, and they may just have the best defense in football.

Carolina will head to Denver as a three-point road favorite, with an over/under of 42 according to Oddsshark. Originally, the Broncos were the favorite, but that was before the team named Trevor Siemian their starting quarterback. Siemian has taken one snap in an NFL during his career, and that was a kneel down at the end of the game.

Denver does have one of the best defenses in all of football, and they are going to need it if they are going to corral Newton again. Newton was the MVP of the NFL last season, but played very poorly against the Broncos defense during the Super Bowl. He will definitely be looking for some redemption on Thursday night.

Newton will also welcome back Kelvin Benjamin, their star wide receiver who missed all of last season with a torn ACL suffered in the preseason. As a rookie in 2014, Benjamin caught 73 balls for over 1,000 yards, while adding nine touchdowns. He will give Newton another option along with Pro Bowl tight end Greg Olsen.

Next: 2016 NFL season: Record predictions for all 32 teams

As for trends, last season the Panthers were 11-5 against the spread. However, in their last five road games, they are only 1-4 ATS. Look for the under to be the play on Thursday, as it has been the case in four of the last five meetings between these two teams. The Broncos are home, and have covered the spread in three of the last five meetings.

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