Ricky Dimon
Show Bio
Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season kicks off with Thursday Night Football between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears. No, that is not a misprint. A primetime NFL game features the Panthers and the Bears on the same field at the same time. These franchises made a trade at the top of the draft earlier this year and Carolina figures to find itself in a similar position in 2024.
This is just about as bad as it gets when it comes to primetime matchups (or any matchups, actually), but we can spice it up with some betting action. Here is my Same Game Parlay for the contest, which kicks off at 8:15 pm ET on Amazon Prime. Also be sure to check out our full Panthers vs Bears predictions.
Bears -6.5 alternate spread (+146)
D’Onta Foreman to score a touchdown (-115)
Bryce Young to record 250+ passing yards (+225)
Parlay odds: +1056
Part of the value in a Same Game Parlay, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is some of the plan here, as D’Onta Foreman scoring a touchdown would obviously work well with a big win by the Bears. At the same time, plays that aren’t correlated drive up the overall payout of the parlay. That is the case with backing Bryce Young to rack up his fair share of passing yards. But even if he does, there is no reason why Chicago can’t take care of business. Let’s break down each of the 3 legs.
Bears -6.5 alternate spread (+146)
It goes without saying that I’m willing to move the spread even more in the Bears’ favor not because they are good but because the Panthers are terrible. Chicago quarterback Justin Fields is still out, but Carolina is so bad that it shouldn’t matter. Although the Panthers recently made an offensive play-calling change, there is not much anybody can do when the receivers are basically getting no separation against opposing defenses. Head coach Frank Reich’s squad is 1-7 with nothing more than a 15-13 win over Houston to show for its efforts.
The Panthers have scored 15 points or fewer 4 times this season, plus 17 on another occasion. Given how well the Bears play against the run (4th in the NFL in rushing defense, 1st in yards per rush allowed), the visitors may not even get to 15 on Thursday night. I’ll back Chicago to win by at least a touchdown.
D’Onta Foreman to score a touchdown (-115)
Justin Fields is out and Carolina is awful against the run, so I’m expecting a big night for Chicago’s RBs. The Panthers are 28th in the league in rushing defense while allowing 4.4 yards per attempt and they have given up 14 touchdowns on the ground. Only the Colts have surrendered more rushing TDs (15) and they have played 9 games to the Panthers’ 8. In only 5 games D’Onta Foreman leads the Bears in rushing attempts (65), yards (287) and TDs (2, tied with backup QB Tyson Bagent). Having played for Carolina in 2022, Foreman will be eager to victimize his former team.
Bryce Young to record 250+ passing yards (+225)
This doesn’t really conflict with Bears -6.5 because if the Panthers are playing from behind they will have to air it out whether the like it or not. They probably have to do that right from the start given how dominant Chicago is against the run. The Bears are not good, though, against the pass. They are 28th defensively in that department, allowing 256.9 yards per contest. Young has been a turnover machine at times this season, but he has also thrown for at least 217 yards in 3 of the last 4 outings and for more than 200 in 4 of the last 5. Asking him to reach the 250 mark isn’t too much.
Check out all our Panthers vs Bears content in our TNF Betting Guide
