Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Redskins Betting Odds, Analysis, NFL Pick

The Carolina Panthers defeated the Washington Redskins last season, running their mark to 3-0 both straight up and against the spread in their last three meetings with Washington. To keep postseason hopes alive, the Panthers will need to make it four in a row against Washington on Monday night at FedExField.

Point spread: The Redskins opened as four-point favorites; the total was 51 early in the week, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

NFL pick, via OddsShark computer: 30.6-19.7 Redskins (NFL picks on every game)

Why the Panthers can cover the spread

Carolina just broke a two-game losing skid with a 28-16 victory over San Diego last week. The Panthers pounced out to a 23-0 second-quarter lead on the Chargers and held on from there, garnering a cover as one-point favorites.

On the day, Carolina outrushed San Diego 126-58 and held a 33/27 advantage in time of possession, while the defense forced five Chargers turnovers and recorded five sacks. The Panthers have now outrushed seven of their last nine opponents.

Since its poor start to this season, Carolina has actually won four of its last seven games and would be 5-2 over that span had it not blown that game against Kansas City.

Why the Redskins can cover the spread

The Redskins also just snapped a two-game losing skid, winning at Philadelphia last week 27-22. Washington fell down to the Eagles by a point with just five minutes to go but drove into field-goal position then scored on a 25-yard touchdown run by Chris Thompson. The defense then preserved the win and the cover as two-point favorites with a sack-fumble recovery inside the red zone with 20 seconds left.

The Redskins only had the ball for 23 minutes last week, but several big plays, including an 80-yard Kirk Cousins bomb to DeSean Jackson in the third quarter, made the difference. And while it didn't happen last week, Washington has still outgained seven of its last nine opponents.

At 7-5-1, the Redskins trail Tampa Bay by a half-game in the fight for the second NFC wild card.

Smart pick

Washington is 4-0 both SU and ATS in its last four home games, while Carolina is 1-5 SU and 1-4-1 ATS on the road this season. And while there's more to this game than just that—an iffy Luke Kuechly, a banged-up Cam Newton, the Josh Norman revenge factor—the smart money at online sports betting sites still sides with the Redskins.

Betting trends

The Redskins are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games against teams with losing records.

The total has gone over in the Redskins' last six games.

The Panthers are 1-7-1 ATS in their last nine games on the road.

All NFL lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.