Carolina Panthers vs. Chicago Bears
The Carolina Panthers have lost five of six games this season and have appeared to be a very frustrated bunch. Even so, they’re getting nine points in this spot and it seems to be good value with a team that’s been very competitive.
The Panthers lost 36-7 to the New York Giants in Week 3 but aside from that, their average margin of defeat is just is just 4.3 points. They fired general manager Marty Hurney this week in the first string of moves that should spark the team but it wouldn’t be surprised if they came out with a different game plan as well. 
With Hurney gone, it puts a lot of pressure on the coaching staff to wake up and start guiding the players a little differently. Head coach Ron Rivera is now squarely on the hot seat unless he can turn things around.
The Bears are going to be coming off a divisional Monday Night Football, so they’ll be on a short week. It’s understandable if the Panthers come out with more fire than the Bears do in this contest, which is all the Panthers will really need to cover the nine points.
NFL Pick: Panthers +9 +++

New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
Eli ManningThe Dallas Cowboys have a chance to close the gap in the NFC East with a win but I simply don’t trust them to get the job done. It’s hard to sweep a division rival in one season and the Giants are playing at a much higher level. 
Since defeating the Giants in Week 1, the Cowboys haven’t looked good at all. They’re only other wins came against Tampa Bay and Carolina, and in both cases, the Giants could have easily lost. Tony Romo is a mistake-prone quarterback and the Cowboys don’t run the ball well to keep the game out of his hands. 
As for the Giants, they actually play better on the road than at home. At home, they lost to Dallas and had to climb out of huge deficits against Cleveland, Tampa Bay and Washington. On the road, they’ve smoked San Francisco and Carolina, and went toe-to-toe with Philadelphia.
This will be a close game but I think the Giants execute better and get the win. 
NFL Pick: Giants +1 +++