NFL Football Betting - Kansas City Chiefs at Carolina Panthers

BetUS NFL betting odds: CAROLINA -9.5, Total 38.5

NOTABLE STAT: Kansas City is giving up 5.4 yards per rush attempt

KEY NFL FOOTBALL BETTING TREND: Carolina is 4-0-1 ATS in last five at home

The Kansas City Chiefs (1-3 SU, 2-2 ATS) are feeling better about themselves after their first win of the season. On Sunday they will try to make it two in a row, this time in enemy territory, when they take on the Carolina Panthers (3-1 SU, 2-1-1 ATS) in NFL football action that is scheduled to kick off at 1 PM ET at Bank of America Stadium (natural turf) in Charlotte.

In the BetUS NFL football betting odds, the Panthers are listed as a 9.5-point favorite, with a posted total of 38.5 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* KC has covered four of its last six games

* KC has lost 12 of its last 13 games SU

* KC has played four of its last six games UNDER the total

* KC has covered seven of its last nine road games

* KC has lost its last six road games SU

* KC has played ten of its last 13 road games UNDER the total

* CAR is 5-1-1 ATS in its last seven games

* CAR has won four of its last five games SU

* CAR has played five of its last seven games UNDER the total

* CAR is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five home games

* CAR is 4-7-1 ATS in its last 12 home games

* CAR has won four of its last five home games SU

* CAR has lost eight of its last 12 home games SU

* CAR has played eight of its last nine home games UNDER the total

Both teams like to run the ball, but who's the better "catcher," so to speak? Well, that answer is very firmly the Panthers, who with their two-headed rushing combo of D'Angelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart (398 combined yards), should be able to move the ball with quite enough efficiency against a Kansas City defensive front that has not yet really figured how to deal with quality running attacks yet. The Chiefs are allowing 5.4 yards a carry, and the two teams who rely heavily on a ground attack (Atlanta and Oakland) combined for a total of 486 yards in back-to-back weeks.

Damon Huard came in and steadied things at the quarterback spot last Sunday against Denver (21 for 28, with no INT's), but there are not many ways he can go in stretching things out if his running game doesn't get the kind of performance it did last week from Larry Johnson (198 yards). Remember, there is a difference between that Denver front line, which has problems dating back to last year, and this Carolina unit, which has so far held everyone between 105-119 yards on the ground. And when it comes to being able to improvise, we're going to afford the decided edge to Jake Delhomme (one INT in 120 passes) here.

Isn't it also kind of interesting how the Panthers have turned things around as a home club? They had gone through a period where they lost seven straight at Bank of America Stadium, both straight-up and against the number. But in their last five they are 4-1 SU and 4-0-1 ATS. This doesn't bode well for a Kansas City team that may have beaten previously-undefeated Denver by two TD's last week, but in doing so registered just its first win in the last 13 contests. Oh, and lost key rookie left tackle Branden Albert (elbow) to boot.