NFL Week 5: Carolina Panthers entering shaky territory as betting favorite over Jacksonville Jaguars

The Kyle Allen era may not be underway in full with the Carolina Panthers, simply because Cam Newton is still under contract and acting as one of the faces of the franchise. However, Allen has helped the Panthers right the ship with back-to-back victories and, for his career, the undrafted free agent is 3-0 as a starter with each win coming away from Charlotte. Things will be a bit different on Sunday when the Panthers host the Jacksonville Jaguars, though, as Carolina is scheduled to enter the game as a ??-point favorite. 

Allen joined Patrick Mahomes and Jeff Hostetler as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl Era to win their first three starts on the road and he matched Carson Wentz as the only quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to start 3-0 with zero interceptions in their first three career starts. Still, there is a trend working against Carolina this week, as the Panthers are 0-5 against the spread in their last five contests as a favorite. 

In the grand scheme, a five-game sample isn't overwhelming by any means but this is also the first time that Allen will be met with substantial expectations. Beyond the recent 0-5 sample as an ATS favorite, the Panthers are just 4-8 ATS in their last 12 games overall, where as the Jaguars are 4-2 in their last six games against the spread and seemingly finding new life with Gardner Minshew at the helm. 

Beyond the handicapping implications, this is a wildly intriguing game for Carolina in the NFC South standings, with the Atlanta Falcons floundering and a key battle between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints taking place simultaneously. The Panthers have a favorable match-up on paper but Allen and company will be forced to push away recent trends in order to cover on Sunday. 

So who should you pick in every Week 5 NFL game? And what teams will deliver huge upsets this week? Join SportsLine now to get every pick from the model that would have won over 96 percent of CBS office pool leagues last season, plus find out what home favorite is in for the shock of a lifetime.