Cam Newton: Carolina Panthers QB Fails to Impress NFL Oddsmakers

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton was unable to complete a fourth quarter comeback, dropping a 28-21 contest to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday as 6.5-point road underdogs.  The No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL draft finished with 422 passing yards in his debut, but it did little to impress folks in the back room in Las Vegas.

Carolina was sent out as a 10.5-point home underdog in this week's contest against the Green Bay Packers just an hour after starting the season in the loss column—a number that was bet down initially, but sharp bettors are now examining the oddsmakers' intentions.

A betting line's No. 1 priority in most cases is to draw equal action on both sides of a game. 

Professional bettors are often quick to play home underdogs when lines are initially released, but this one immediately bounced back to 10.5 after 30 minutes of wagering.

Double-digit spreads this early in the season are not often seen, especially when placing the role on the traveling team.

The Philadelphia Eagles were labeled 6.5-point road favorites against the Detroit Lions in Week 2 of the 2010 season, which is still dramatically lower than this one.

San Diego owned the distinction of being the highest priced road team of a year ago, going off as a 9.5-point favorite in St. Louis during Week 6.

Green Bay is certainly no stranger to being respected by the linesmaker in this way, as the team posted a 34-12 win over the Lions as 11-point favorites at Ford Field on Nov. 26, 2009. The Packers are also highly-favored in terms of public perception after an impressive 42-34 win as four-point home favorites over the New Orleans Saints in last week's Thursday night league opener.

Newton missed his first opportunity to cover in the NFL when getting points, but he finished his Heisman Trophy-winning season at Auburn last year with a perfect 2-0 ATS, including a 22-19 win over Oregon in the BCS Championship Game as a one-point underdog.

The message out of Las Vegas has likely reached the Panthers' locker room and the team will get an opportunity to answer on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. EDT inside Bank of America Stadium.