Super Bowl Rematch Looks Like Another Low-Scoring Affair

Opening kickoff for the NFL season and a rematch of Super Bowl 50 between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers. We scored in last year's Big Game projecting a lower-scoring Super Bowl, and we'll come right back and forecast a similar scenario in the Thursday night season opener in Denver.

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Carolina Panthers -3 (-125)
Denver Broncos +3 (+105)
Total: 42

The NFL betting lines for every game this season will be available first at BookMaker Sportsbook. Any game that can be seen on national television will feature a multitude of wagering options, and you can gamble on real-time odds and player props during the games. Live betting is open during every commercial break!

Carolina has one of the better front sevens in football led by All-Pro LB Luke Kuechly. The Panthers held the Broncos to less than 200 net yards offense in the Super Bowl, and now Denver QB Trevor Siemian makes his first NFL start. His IQ is high and he has top weapons at wide receiver, but the Broncos will rely heavily on their running game and zone blocking scheme featuring more fullback sets, and six starters from last year's Super Bowl winning team on offense are gone including QB Peyton Manning. Two offensive line starters are sidelined including right guard Ty Sambrailo, who practiced for the first time in over a month Sunday (elbow), and will be a backup at both tackle spots to start the season. A slower and conservative start with new QB Siemian seems likely. The Panthers will bring pressure, which could provide some shots down the field with Carolina likely starting two rookie cornerbacks. All-Pro CB Josh Norman signed with Washington which is a big loss, and we still see a more ball control, conservative run-heavy attack for the Broncos, which will keep the clock moving.

Carolina's high-powered offense and over-hyped team could not deliver in the Super Bowl. Quarterback Cam Newton made mistakes as we expected, turning the ball over under pressure a total of three times himself. The Panthers read-option offense now has to try and move the ball again on this dominant Denver defense, and this time in altitude on the Broncos home field at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Denver's defense, the NFL's best last season with Super Bowl MVP linebacker Von Miller, returns basically intact, save for defensive end Malik Jackson and linebacker Danny Trevathan. The 'green-dog' blitzes and other tactics the Broncos used to overwhelm the Panthers while sacking Newton six times in the Super Bowl will be on display again. The Broncos secondary is superb and also ranked as the league's best last season. With Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, Darian Steward, Kayvon Webster and Bradley Roby all returning and healthy, the 'no fly' zone will be again very tough to penetrate and pass against. That secondary strength enables Denver to bring more pressure on the QB, and even with the return of WR Kelvin Benjamin for the Panthers, you'll see QB Newton scrambling and running more than passing effectively.

This game sets up similar to the Super Bowl, where yards and big plays will be hard to come by. Both defenses have the advantages again in the season-opening rematch, and as long as turnovers and short fields are minimized, we see another lower scoring game.

BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so get in the game and start betting with BookMaker Sportsbook!

FairwayJay is a leading national sports handicapper and is recognized as one of the sports industry's most insightful analysts. Follow him on Twitter: @FairwayJay