Ricky Dimon
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The Carolina Panthers have a bit of a quarterback quandary on their hands. They traded for Baker Mayfield this summer after drafting Matt Corral in the third round, thus bringing in plenty of competition for Sam Darnold. It looks like Mayfield has the edge on the starting job with Darnold the projected backup, but the future could be sooner rather than later with Corral if both of the aforementioned guys falter. Whatever the case, quarterback is not expected to be the bright spot of the Panthers. If this franchise is going to turn things around, star running back Christian McCaffrey will have to stay healthy for once.
With the 2022 NFL season a little more than a month away, it’s time to see if Carolina can contend if everything goes right.
Carolina Panthers breakdown
2021 record: 5-12
2021 ATS record: 5-12
2021 O/U record: 8-9
Key players in: Baker Mayfield (QB), Cory Littleton (LB), Matt Ioannidis (DT), D’Onta Foreman (RB)
Key players out: Cam Newton (QB), Stephon Gilmore (CB), A.J. Bouye (CB), Matt Paradis (C)
2022 NFL Draft class: Ikem Okwonu (OT), Matt Corral (QB), Brandon Smith (LB), Amare Barno (LB), Cade Mays (G), Kalon Barnes (CB)
Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL season odds
Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Carolina Panthers Super Bowl odds
The Panthers are +13000 to win Super Bowl LVII. Only seven teams are behind them in that market, including the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons.
Carolina Panthers NFC Championship odds
Carolina is +7000 to advance out of the NFC, tied with the Chicago Bears for the third-longest odds. Only the Seattle Seahawks (+8000) and Falcons (+10000) are longer shots.
Carolina Panthers NFC South odds
At +900, the Panthers are sitting third on the odds list in the NFC South. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are -250 favorites.
Carolina Panthers win total odds
The Panthers’ win quota is 6.5 games. Both the under and the over have odds of -110. It is also worth noting that Carolina is a +380 underdog to make the playoffs (“no” is -500).
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Carolina Panthers Schedule 2022
vs Cleveland Browns, September 11
at New York Giants, September 18
vs New Orleans Saints, September 25
vs Arizona Cardinals, October 2
vs San Francisco 49ers, October 9
at Los Angeles Rams, October 16
vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, October 23
at Atlanta Falcons, October 30
at Cincinnati Bengals, November 6
vs Atlanta Falcons, November 10
at Baltimore Ravens, November 20
vs Denver Broncos, November 27
BYE
at Seattle Seahawks, December 11
vs Pittsburgh Steelers, December 18
vs Detroit Lions, December 24
at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, January 1
at New Orleans Saints, January 8
We’ll have NFL picks for EVERY matchup of the 2022 season
Carolina Panthers 2021 season recap
The Panthers started last season 3-0 but then Christian McCaffrey got hurt and they were an abject disaster the rest of the way. Carolina quickly 3-0 to 3-4 and then – after leveling off at 5-5 – ended the 2021 campaign on a seven-game losing streak. McCaffrey briefly returned in November only to see his team win one of those four contests and he was shut down for the year following a Week 13 bye. Darnold, Cam Newton and PJ Walker split time at quarterback and none of the three found success. In fact, all three finished with more interceptions than touchdowns.
Faced with the pressure of having to be great time in and time out to keep the team competitive in games, the defense cracked in the second half of the season and overall things went downhill in a hurry.
Read our Super Bowl 57 predictions and best bets, including a +4500 longshot
Carolina Panthers 2022 NFL season predictions
As mentioned above, McCaffrey has to stay healthy for this club to have a chance of doing anything. DJ Moore is a nice piece at receiver, but who is going to throw him the football? Chuba Hubbard is a decent RB2, but he underwhelmed while filling in for McCaffrey last year. It’s true that the defense finished second overall last season, but there was no marked improvement in player personnel this offseason and tail end of 2021 was not encouraging. Head coach Matt Rhule has gone 5-11 and 5-12 in his first two years at the helm and nothing indicates that the third season will be the charm.
Best bet: Carolina Panthers Under 6.5 wins (-110)
Rhule’s squad won five games in his first year and five (in a 17-game schedule) again last season. What’s to say the Panthers are suddenly going to win seven? Well, nothing! Their roster is unspectacular at best and the schedule isn’t simple. They get to play the Falcons twice plus the Seahawks, Giants and Lions, but other than that I see a whole bunch of losses incoming. The thing about this bet is that it could be a winner even if McCaffrey logs a full schedule – and the chances of him actually doing that are slim.
Carolina Panthers season record predictions
This is by no means the worst team around, but anything less than six wins is all we need for the above bet to hit and that’s what I think we’ll get. A 6-11 mark is my prediction.
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