NFL Week 10 Best Bets: Carolina Panthers vs Chicago Bears Picks for Thursday Night Football

We’re kicking off NFL Week 10 in style with our best bets and player props for Thursday Night Football which features a pretty cool match-up between the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears. On the surface, and if you’re just looking at record, there’s not a whole lot to be impressed with, but if you dive into the narrative between these two teams, we’ve got a real spirited battle coming our way. First and foremost, let’s not forget the trade between these two teams back in late March which gave the Panthers the No. 1 pick and allowed them to draft Bryce Young, their franchise quarterback. In that deal, the Bears added wide receiver DJ Moore, so you know there’s a little revenge factor in there for hm, even if it’s Tyson Bagent under center and not Justin Fields. Still, both teams want to prove to the other that they came out on top, so while some might thing this is just another lousy Thursday night game, I believe we see some fireworks.
NFL Thursday Night Football Best Bets: Carolina Panthers vs Chicago Bears
The Spread: Bears -3.5
We’ve got a 2-7 Bears team playing without its starting quarterback facing a 1-7 team that is still just trying to find its way with their rookie quarterback. Doesn’t exactly scream “Let’s lock into this game,” does it? But from a betting standpoint, we like a lot of what we see. The Bears offense has had its moments and rookie Tyson Bagent has been serviceable under center. They should be getting back Khalil Herbert giving them a strong three-headed monster in the backfield going up against one of the softest run defenses in the league. On the other side, you’ve got a rookie in Bryce Young being helped by veteran receiver Adam Thielen and a decent passing attack going up against one of the weakest secondaries in the NFL. Neither team has been good against the spread this year – Bears are 3-5-1 while the Panthers are just 1-6-1 – so there is no trend for us to really follow. I think this one stays fairly close given how neither defense is really going to shut down the opposition and when there’s an extra half-point in play for me, I want to be on the side that’s getting points. Pick: Panthers +3.5 (-110)
The Total: 38.5
The under is 5-4 on Thursday Night Football this season, so again, there’s really not a great trend to follow like we get on Monday nights right now. The under is 5-3 for Panthers games this season and 3-6 for Bears games. It’s real easy to say that with these two struggling teams and struggling offenses that we shouldn’t expect a bunch of points in this one, but I believe these defenses are not only weak enough to watch points get scored, but each teams defensive shortcomings match up perfectly with each offense’s strengths. There are playmakers on both sides of the coin here, so I’m going to lean towards this game total being a little too low for me. Maybe something like a 23-20 game perhaps. Pick: Over 38.5 (-110)
Favorite Thursday Night Football Player Props:
- Chuba Hubbard over 13.5 receiving yards (-115)
- DJ Moore over 4.5 receptions (-105)
- Bryce Young over 32.5 pass attempts (-110)
- Adam Thielen over 6.5 receptions (-135)
- Frankie Luvu over 8.5 tackles + assists (-130)
**all lines & odds courtesy of BetMGM
Player News
Broncos signed No. 20 overall pick CB Jahdae Barron to a four-year contract.
Barron is one of the last first-round picks to sign, getting a four-year, $18.07 million deal with a fifth-year option. He joins a secondary with star CB Patrick Surtain leading the group. His last season out of Texas, Barron won the Jim Thorpe award for best defensive back and now is slated for the Broncos’ slot role. This leaves the Bengals’ Shemar Stewart as the last first-round pick unsigned. The Broncos have just RB R.J. Harvey unsigned among their rookie class - he is one of the 30 second-rounders unsigned due to contract guarantee disputes.
Bills placed EDGE Landon Jackson on the PUP list.
Jackson will be able to be activated off the PUP list at any time during training camp, but apparently will not be ready as camp starts. If he remains on the PUP list through the 53-man roster deadline, he’ll be locked into missing a few weeks at the beginning of the season.
Falcons OC Zac Robinson said Michael Penix Jr. “opens up a different avenue within the offense.”
This is in the context of stretching the field a little more than the Falcons did in 2024, something they struggled to do at times with Kirk Cousins under center. The Athletic’s Josh Kendall also adds “The coaching staff won’t ask Penix to curtail his aggressiveness. In fact, it’s the trait they are most excited about.” A more balanced offensive approach could raise all ships in Atlanta — and it’s something that might be necessary for them as they try to stave off regression with almost no new players added to the room.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper believes if Najee Harris misses time in training camp, the possibility of Omarion Hampton becoming the lead back is “even more likely.”
“Hampton has a chance to be an immediate difference-maker in the run game, a player with the explosiveness to score anytime he touches the ball. And he could be getting the bulk of the first-team work early in camp,” Popper continues. This is hardly an endorsement that Hampton is going to be RB1 in Los Angeles from Week 1, but Harris’ eye injury has at least complicated things early in training camp. There’s a non-zero chance that Hampton takes the baton and runs with it before Harris is ready to come back.
ESPN’s D.J. Bien-Aime reports C.J. Stroud worked on his speed to help him evade defenders in the pocket.
Stroud attributes his shoulder soreness from early OTAs and minicamps that kept him from throwing the ball to “extra work” with the Texans training staff this offseason, which is the main reason this is notable. “I’ve been working really hard on getting my body right -- losing body fat, trying to be faster, stronger,” Stroud told Bien-Aime. Stroud is an interesting QB2 this offseason, perhaps someone who could get back to QB1 status if everything clicks in Nick Caley’s new offense. The price makes him an ideal superflex investment at the moment.
The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue believes rookie second-round TE Terrance Ferguson is a potential breakout player in 2025.
“To be clear, Rams coach Sean McVay finally has to commit to a significant increase in 12 personnel for Ferguson, a rookie second-round pick, to truly emerge this season. But the offense has trended that way at times, especially last season,” Rodrigue adds. It would be surprising for Ferguson to emerge immediately, but perhaps the Rams are getting ready to zig their offense in a new direction in 2025. The rookie tight end is lightly-drafted and best-approached as a dynasty asset, but it should at least be on the radar that he produces sooner than expected.