'Monday Night Football' bets: Panthers won't have answer for McCaffrey in passing game - ESPN

Week 12 of the NFL season wraps up with a pair of playoff hopefuls facing off when the Carolina Panthers visit the San Francisco 49ers on «Monday Night Football.»

Bryce Young is coming off the best game of his career, passing for 448 yards and three TDs in an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons that moved the Panthers to 6-5, good for second place in the NFC South.

Despite allowing 452 passing yards to the Arizona Cardinals last week, the 49ers had no trouble cruising to a 41-22 win in Brock Purdy's return to the lineup. The win moved the 49ers to 7-4 in the tightly packed NFC West.

San Francisco is a touchdown favorite over Carolina in the teams' first meeting since 2022.

Matt Bowen, Liz Loza and Pamela Maldonado offer their picks, prop plays and analysis to help you bet the game.

Note: Odds at time of publication. For the latest updates, visit ESPN BET.

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Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers

49ers -4.5 (-115) first-half spread

Maldonado: The Panthers are the worst first-half team in the NFL — predictable on early downs and slow to adjust. Injuries at linebacker and safety open the exact middle-field windows Kyle Shanahan scripts into his opening drives. The 49ers are a front-running offense that scores efficiently when the game is on script, and Brock Purdy will have clean pockets against a defense with bottom-tier pressure rates. Carolina's early conservatism creates punts, short fields and separation before the half, exactly the setup this wager demands.

Under

Over

Over

Christian McCaffrey receptions OVER 5.5 (+105), longest rush OVER 14.5 yards (-130)

Loza: McCaffrey's odds are likely plus on the first half of the above wager because the bulk of the