Panthers vs. 49ers betting preview: Odds, picks, props, trends, injuries, weather and more for Week 12 Monday Night Football

It's the Christian McCaffrey Bowl on Monday Night Football to conclude Week 12 an as the Carolina Panthers (6-5) visit the San Francisco 49ers (7-4), with McCaffrey facing his former club for the first time since his big trade three years ago. The Niners are -7.5 with a total of 49.5 for the usual 8:15 ET kick on ESPN.

On Oct. 20, 2022, the Panthers were an utter mess as a franchise so they shipped McCaffrey to San Francisco for a package of four draft picks. McCaffrey has continued his Hall of Fame trajectory with the 49ers while helping the franchise reach two NFC title games and one Super Bowl. Carolina, meanwhile, is just 18-41 since the deal, but those picks were part of the reason it was able to trade up to the top spot in the 2023 NFL Draft to take quarterback Bryce Young. 

This game will have an impact on the NFC playoff race, something that I certainly didn't expect to be saying about the Panthers back when they were 1-3 following a 39-point Week 4 loss at New England. Carolina is tied atop the NFC South with suddenly struggling Tampa Bay, but the Bucs are -425 favorites to take the division while the Panthers are +340. 

Entering Week 12, the SportsLine Projection Model forecasted Carolina to finish with only 7.8 wins, giving it a 5.9% shot at the division and a 11.3% chance to make the playoffs. Those numbers would jump 9.1% and 23.1% with a win but fall to 4.6% and 6.3% with a loss. At DraftKings, the Panthers are +320 to make the playoffs and -425 to not. Per the model, Carolina has the second-toughest remaining schedule in the league (including this game) with just one opponent that won't be a playoff team: Week 15 at New Orleans. Do note the Panthers haven't had their bye yet, which comes Week 14.

While San Francisco will likely not catch the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West, it's hard to imagine the Niners missing the playoffs a second straight season if they stay healthy. While the defense remains shredded, they did get quarterback Brock Purdy and top wideout Ricky Pearsall back from long injury absences in Week 11. DK prices the 49ers at -500 to make the playoffs with No at +360. The model gives them a 80.4% shot that would drop only to 61.1% with an upset loss.

We'll take you through every aspect of the Panthers vs. 49ers game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, DFS, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the primetime matchup.

Who wins Panthers vs. 49ers in the Week 12 Monday night game, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know to dominate your Monday Night Football bets, plus get expert picks, model sims, prop bets, DFS lineups, and more!